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By JOYANNA LOVE | Managing Editor

Chilton County Schools students interested in working with children have an opportunity to get a jump start in exploring education careers through the new Education and Training Program at LeCroy Career Technical Center.

Instructor Felicia Powell, who has more than 25 years of teaching experience, said the course is a way for students to figure out if a career in education is really what they want.

“Course content includes the organizational structure of education, the roles of the teacher, characteristics of effective teachers, communication skills, the teaching and learning process, learning styles, research, characteristics of a positive classroom environment, human growth and development, curriculum development, student characteristics, educational initiatives, technology and careers,” according to the course description.

In this first year, the class has six students learning foundational information about working with children and child development before completing a 140 hour-practicum.

Powell said plans are being developed for each student to work with elementary school students in their area. For example, a Chilton County High School student will go to Clanton Intermediate and Clanton Elementary.

“I will be going in with them at certain times and traveling to the different schools to observe and work with them and to work with the teachers and see what all needs to be done,” Powell said.

She said comments and observations during this first year will be used to continue to develop the program.

“I am looking forward to growing the program, to getting the students not only interested in education, but just letting the community see what we have available, get them involved in helping us to grow our program,” Powell said.

The course will be a two-year program, but some seniors were able to join for this first year.

Laisha Vazquez, who is a senior in high school, said she wanted to join the program because “I believe everyone that is involved with a child can have an impact. You can inspire a kid to be great and … motivate them to want to have a good future, too.”

She hopes what she learns in this program will give her a good foundation for her future studies to become a social worker after high school graduation.

“I have always wanted to be a teacher … I love being around kids,” Jason Fowler, a junior in high school, said of why he wanted to join the program.

He wants to work with elementary school children in the future.

Vazquez and Fowler are excited for the opportunities they will have in the program to work with children.

Adrianna Rivera, a junior in high school, said the course will give her a base knowledge about working with children, if she needs it in the future.

She plans to pursue being a makeup artist with teaching as a possible second option later in life.

Powell said the plan at this point is for the second year of the course to be “more lab based where they do observations, almost like an internship.”

In addition to classroom work and the practicum, the Education and Training program students are a part of the Family, Career, Community Leaders of America organization. FCCLA is producing a newspaper highlighting faculty and programs at LCTC as well as helpful information for students.