The Hinckley-Big Rock High School Educators Rising chapter has been quite busy this semester, providing students with valuable experiences within the district and surrounding community events. Previously known as Future Educators of America, the mission of Educators Rising remains the same: to offer opportunities to high school students interested in pursuing a career in teaching. This career path is not limited to becoming a classroom teacher but includes roles such as social work, counseling, therapeutic recreation, park district, and many others.
Currently, the high school chapter has a total of seventeen active members who are passionate about serving their communities and families through education. Aurora University is our partner school, and we have the privilege of meeting with neighboring school districts in Kane and DeKalb Counties twice a year. During these meetings, we learn more about Educators Rising and the opportunities it provides to inspire future growth in education. The Hinckley-Big Rock High School chapter is now officially registered as a national Educators Rising State Affiliate.
I want to highlight the Educators Rising Teacher Exploration program that launched this school year. We have three high school students, Brynn Gawel (12th), Sydney Babcock (10th), and Savannah McMurtie (10th), who applied last spring to be placed with a cooperating teacher in the district. We have two students at the elementary and one at the middle school. The opportunity allows the students to engage in skills applicable to a career path dedicated to providing lifelong support for individuals of all ages. The Educators Rising students provide teacher assistance and support to a lead teacher. As a part of their expectations, students are required to assist their teacher and classroom once a month from September to May. By the end of the spring semester, they must co-teach one or two lessons. This provides them with the opportunity to learn from an experienced teacher and gain hands-on education. It motivates and helps them develop the skills required for their future careers. The three students have already built relationships with their students in the buildings they visit. They are seeing the positive impacts they can make in the lives of their students. One of the Educators Rising students shared that her 5th-grade student had emailed her expressing her excitement about seeing her at the next visit. These are the moments that teachers cherish.
One of the highlights this year was our annual Read for the Record event at Hinckley-Big Rock Elementary School. Through Jumpstart’s Read for the Record, we pledged to read the same book, With Lots of Love, to the classrooms at the elementary. Thirteen Educators Rising students attended eighteen classrooms that day to promote literacy, language, and social-emotional development. The students planned activities for the elementary students to engage in after the story. The high school students always walk away after that event with full hearts and stories to tell for years to come.
On October 30th, we had the privilege of joining Building Block Preschool to plan activities for their Halloween Party. The students from Educators Rising created a spooky lesson that enabled the preschool students to work on their fine motor skills. This was a great opportunity for the high school students to witness how engaging Early Childhood Education can be.
We assist with various community events such as Breakfast with Santa, Lunch with the Easter Bunny, and many more. Our goal this year is to partner with Fox Valley Special Recreation Association to collaborate with their Daybreak Programs. The students are thrilled about this opportunity as we have a few students interested in specializing in special education. Additionally, we are privileged to partner with Hinckley Library this school year to create monthly take-home craft kits that align with the monthly season. Keep an eye out for the HBR Explore and Design Kits the next time you visit the local library.
We have a great group of students this year, and I am honored to be their sponsor and have them represent their school and community. I look forward to providing the students with more engaging opportunities as this organization continues to grow.