It’s sunny outside, but a group of 40 kids are piled into Rachel
Flores’ classroom at San Benito High School. They could be hanging
out with friends or lounging in the quad, but they are busy
planning events that have primarily one objective: to encourage
them to become teachers.
Hollister – It’s sunny outside, but a group of 40 kids are piled into Rachel Flores’ classroom at San Benito High School. They could be hanging out with friends or lounging in the quad, but they are busy planning events that have primarily one objective: to encourage them to become teachers.
Every Tuesday, the students – who run the gamut from freshmen to seniors – come to learn all there is about the art of teaching. They listen to guest teachers talk about their work, plan trips to nearby universities and even attend conferences throughout California.
“The point is to get them excited about teaching,” says Rachel Flores, who teaches Spanish and organized Club Ed, as the club is called, at San Benito High.
At a time when California is facing a shortage of teachers, clubs like this one are badly needed. The need for minority teachers is especially dire because as much as 66 percent of California students come from Hispanic, Black, Asian or American Indian descent, but those minorities only make up 25 percent of teachers, according to the California Teachers’ Association, which started the teacher training program.
In addition, thousands of California teachers will retire over the next decade creating a greater shortage, according to Gail Watts of CTA.
“Despite the budget crunch, now is a good time to be pursuing a career in education,” she said.
In addition to their weekly lunchtime meetings, Club Ed members get a chance to shadow teachers and tutor lower grade students for $10 an hour, money that comes from a federal grant that is expiring this year.
Carina Muñoz, 17 and president of Club Ed, isn’t sure she wants to be a teacher, but she wants to keep her options open. She is considering applying to a four-year school, Gavilan Community College or maybe going into the Air Force. But she also enjoys tutoring younger kids and believes she would make a good teacher.
“We have fun here,” she said. “We hang out with friends, we hear speakers and do special events.”
Alex Marks hasn’t had too many male teachers, especially not in elementary and middle school. But the lack of male role models hasn’t dissuaded him from the profession. The senior, who is applying to numerous schools and is serious about getting a biology degree coupled with a teaching certificate, says the job seems rewarding.
“When I am tutoring and the kids get something, it makes me happy,” he said. “It’s twice as good because they are happy to have got it and you are happy for them.”
Marks said he was surprised to find that so many teachers enjoyed their jobs. Through Club Ed, he and others heard presentations from Assistant Principal Krystal Lomanto and Vincent Parker, an English teacher at SBHS, and said the experience confirmed his desire to teach.
Club Ed has been at San Benito High School since 2001 and, true to its goal, has attracted many Hispanic students. It has organized special trips to local universities such as Cal State Monterey Bay and assisted students in applying for college, something many would not consider without the constant reminders from Flores.
“The students don’t hear this information at home, so it’s up to me to tell them,” she said.
Club Ed received a grant from Cal State Monterey Bay that pays for the student tutors, a cost that can run up to $15,000 a year. It also provides money for approximately five graduating students to take the California Basic Education Skills Test or CBEST, the qualifying test for those who want to become teachers.
Karina Ioffee covers education for the Free Lance. Reach her at (831)637-5566 ext. 335 or ki*****@fr***********.com
