Mrs. Mary Stevenson teaches Virginia Teachers For Tomorrow, a dual enrollment elective class that students can apply to take in their junior or senior year. Not only does the class provide students with the foundations of the teaching profession and an internship in a classroom setting, but it also presents seniors with the opportunity to compete for a contract that guarantees their return to Virginia Beach City Public Schools as an educator.
After months of portfolio curation, lesson planning, and a detailed application process, eight Salem seniors have been selected to receive the “VBCPS Future Teacher Award.” The eight future teachers received and signed their contracts at the school board meeting on Tuesday, May 13th, as they look to continue their post-secondary educational journey that will lead them back to Virginia Beach.
Gabrielle Lundy
Why are you interested in becoming an educator?
I am interested in becoming an educator because I love working with kids. Volunteering in my church’s children’s program helped me discover my passion for working with kids, especially younger children. Younger children are easily molded, and I want to have a positive influence on as many as I can.
Was there a teacher in your life who inspired you to pursue a career in education? If so, who and why?
I wouldn’t necessarily say one teacher influenced me to follow this career path because I have had many great influences throughout school. From teachers, assistant principals, security, and coaches, I will say my basketball coach, Coach Clark, encouraged me to sign up and take Virginia Teachers For Tomorrow to feel it out, and I ended up enjoying it.
What grade level and/or subject are you planning to teach, and what are your post-secondary plans?
I plan on working with elementary students. I probably would prefer to teach second or third grade because they are still young and innocent, but more mature and independent. It is a balance between the soon-to-be middle schoolers and the fresh-out-of-preschool kindergartners.
Please share one piece of advice for future VTFT students about the portfolio process or the class in general.
Advice I would give to future VTFT students is enjoy the experience while it lasts and use your resources. This class is a great opportunity if you plan on being in the education field or if you are just exploring your options. It is hands-on, and you are in control of your internship experience. I wish I would have started VTFT my junior year because I have really enjoyed this experience.
Thorn Rockel
Why are you interested in becoming an educator?
Being a teacher was always kind of a “back-of-the-mind” career path. I have a couple of educators in my family, so it is always something I thought about. But, I wasn’t super sure about it as my career path until the beginning of my junior year. I thought about it and realized I could combine my passions: teaching, helping people, and music. And, it helped that I had a great mentor throughout high school to help me make that call.
Was there a teacher in your life who inspired you to pursue a career in education? If so, who and why?
Mrs. Pinto, one thousand percent. She is the director of the VPAA vocal strand, and she is my biggest inspiration for who I want to be as an educator. She is so caring and compassionate with her students, but knows how to keep a boundary set. She is so passionate about pushing each of her students to be the best they can be. With her guidance, I became a person who is active in my community, confident, and strong. I want to take quite a few aspects of her teaching style and make it my own.
What grade level and/or subject are you planning to teach, and what are your post-secondary plans?
I ideally want to teach music to high schoolers. But, if I am temporarily placed in middle school, I am fully okay with that. Elementary is not my preferred age range currently. My current plan for after high school is to major in Music Education at Longwood University, and hopefully take advantage of their master’s program so I can leave college and start teaching with my master’s degree.
Please share one piece of advice for future VTFT students about the portfolio process or the class in general.
Please keep up with your work, especially your internship. Blog posts, lesson plans, and other small assignments pile up quickly, and it is super easy to fall behind. Also, do not feel afraid to ask your cooperating teacher about helping out in class. Connect with the students [at your internship]; if they like you, they are more likely to engage with you during your lessons!
Haydn Hollowell
Why are you interested in becoming an educator?
I want to become an educator to give people help when they need it, and that is why I want to teach special education.
Was there a teacher in your life who inspired you to pursue a career in education? If so, who and why?
Former VPAA coordinator Ms. Amy Schuiteboer! She was my biggest supporter through high school, and even though she is retired, I still text her and see her whenever she is in the building to help me with what I am going through.
What grade level and/or subject are you planning to teach, and what are your post-secondary plans?
I plan to teach kindergarten inclusion or adaptive special education. I really want to stay in elementary school, and I plan to teach in Virginia Beach at Bayside Elementary if they are looking.
Please share one piece of advice for future VTFT students about the portfolio process or the class in general.
Please do all your work on time, especially lesson plans and blogs. If you have a problem or need help, please talk to the teacher and communicate about what is going on. Things will get stressful, especially towards the end, but it will all get better.
Nayla Hill
Why are you interested in becoming an educator?
I would like to become an educator because I feel like the first way to change the future is within the classroom. I want students to be excited to learn and [have a] safe place regardless of what is going on at their house or what situation they are in.
Was there a teacher in your life who inspired you to pursue a career in education? If so, who and why?
My grandmother is a principal, and she [taught] some time in the classroom, so I always grew up being raised within the school. I used to enjoy going to the teaching stores and picking out borders for her bulletin boards.
What grade level and/or subject are you planning to teach, and what are your post-secondary plans?
For secondary plans, I plan on majoring in elementary education with a minor in psychology at North Carolina Central University. I chose elementary education because I plan on [teaching] grade levels kindergarten through third grade.
Please share one piece of advice for future VTFT students about the portfolio process or the class in general.
Remember due dates and remember to turn in your hours!
Ezyah Clarke
Why are you interested in becoming an educator?
I am interested in becoming an educator because of previous teachers who have played a big role in who I have become, as well as I want to teach the younger generation how important education is.
Was there a teacher in your life who inspired you to pursue a career in education? If so, who and why?
There were a few teachers who inspired me to pursue this career. The first one was my sixth grade English teacher in California because she saw me as a student who did not have confidence in my writing; [she] showed me that all [I] had to do was put [my] mind to it and [I] would be able to succeed.
What grade level and/or subject are you planning to teach, and what are your post-secondary plans?
I plan to teach Algebra I, preferably at the high school level. After high school, I am going to James Madison University to major in secondary education.
Please share one piece of advice for future VTFT students about the portfolio process or the class in general.
For future VTFT students, Mrs. Stevenson is an amazing teacher who gives you everything you need in order to be successful [during] the portfolio process. Overall, the class is really informative about what it means to be a teacher, and I believe it has helped me prepare for what I will encounter in the future.
Lacy Capistrano
Why are you interested in becoming an educator?
My love for music has pushed me towards music education. I want to teach students how to sing, how to prepare for an important audition, and how to read, write, and understand music. I enjoy being on the performer’s and audience’s end of things, but one day, I aspire to be on the director’s end of the stage.
Was there a teacher in your life who inspired you to pursue a career in education? If so, who and why?
My high school choir director, Mrs. Lynne German! When I first joined Beginner Choir, she welcomed me with open arms and taught me that music was more than just song and sound; there are fundamentals, history, and culture. Eventually, I moved up from Mixed Chorus to the Madrigal Vocal Ensemble, where she continued to inspire me and help me find a path in music after graduation.
What grade level and/or subject are you planning to teach, and what are your post-secondary plans?
I plan on teaching Secondary Choral/Vocal Music Education. I want to teach high school level choral ensembles and general music classes such as AP Music Theory or Musicianship. Eventually, I’d like to aim for a Masters and Doctorate, and maybe begin teaching at the university level as well as secondary.
Please share one piece of advice for future VTFT students about the portfolio process or the class in general.
Do not overthink your VTFT portfolio. It may seem like a lot at first, but you can add to it at your own pace. The class is designed to help you prepare some items for your portfolio before you even begin the internship process. VTFT portfolio choice items are almost everywhere, [so] there is no need to stress or rush. Have fun with it, decorate it, and make it reflect yourself.
Jia Qi Lin
Why are you interested in becoming an educator?
Being a future educator is not something I am interested in. While I did enjoy my internship— watching the kids learn and how they would make me smile— it is not something that I could see myself doing in the long term. The idea of teaching young kids on a daily basis is not life for me; I prefer to have my solitude in a quiet environment, and a loud, noisy classroom with rowdy kids would eventually drive me crazy. I know that I might change my mind one day, which is why I decided to go for the teacher’s award, so that being a future educator is always an available path for me. I am not against teaching older students in secondary or middle school, but it is not something that I am really intrigued by.
Was there a teacher in your life who inspired you to pursue a career in education? If so, who and why?
My Spanish teacher, Señora Pate, has inspired me a lot to continue pushing myself: she has a super bubbly personality, always encourages her students to learn, and she makes learning super fun and engaging, which is something that I want to strive for if I pursue the path of education. I have had the fortunate opportunity to have her throughout all my four years of high school, and I always look forward to her classes.
What grade level and/or subject are you planning to teach, and what are your post-secondary plans?
My plan after high school is to go to W&M as an undecided or education major in order to figure out what I want to do in my life. Other than that, I do not have many other plans.
Please share one piece of advice for future VTFT students about the portfolio process or the class in general.
As a VTFT student, stay organized because once your internship starts, you will need to remember a ton of things that you will need for the class. It is mainly up to you to keep track of it; it is your own responsibility to keep track of things like assignment due dates, logging internship hours, and updating your portfolio regularly.
Congratulations to the eight soon-to-be teachers; Virginia Beach City Public Schools is lucky to have you!
