by Caitlin Conner
Staff Writer

From their Ron Clark posters hanging in the hallways to the Rachel’s Challenge program they introduced to Coppell High School, Ready, Set Teach! always seems to be involved in something.

Throughout the year, students become teachers at various CISD elementary and middle schools. However, before they can dive headfirst into the program, they must learn everything there is to know about little children and educating them.

“One important thing we do before the students visit their schools is create individual portfolios full of resources and sample projects,” Ready, Set, Teach! teacher Shelly Redding said. “I also assign a project every six weeks with broad instructions so the students can modify it to fit their grade level which also goes into the portfolio.”

Redding, who participated in Ready, Set, Teach! when she was a high school student, still has her own portfolio and occasionally references it.

Projects such as their “All About Me” books and holiday activities are also important in engaging students’ classes and helping the children learn more about their student teachers.

“The books are fun to get ready and I like all the games we get to play within the class to learn different methods of teaching,” senior Haley Hansen said.

Redding also teaches students many activities for holidays who, in return teach to their elementary classes.

“For Halloween, I have the students bring in a small pumpkin to paint and on Thanksgiving we make handprint turkeys,” Redding said. “I just try and find fun simple things for the students to do that still show them how to teach something, regardless of how hard it is.”

Though Ready, Set, Teach! may seem like a simpler class, students in the class say otherwise.

“Most people think it’s just a hangout class, but we still do work,” senior Precious Femi-Ogunyemi said. “We have a lot of rules and procedures we have to set to make sure we keep the kids safe. We also have things like dress code and rules for ourselves to make sure we’re still professional.”

In addition to the training they receive through the class, guest speakers are brought in throughout the first six weeks to teach students about special situations.

“I think guest speakers are the most important thing we do before going to elementary schools to get prepared,” Redding said. “These people are experts in the field and are able to inform the students on what to do when unexpected things happen.”

Cottonwood Creek Elementary principal Dr. Andra Penny came to talk to the class about what teachers are looking for and what they expect out of the students. CHS librarian Lex Anne Seifert also came to teach students how to properly read books to the children.

Next six weeks, students will visit their chosen elementary or middle schools and begin their on-site projects such as decorating bulletin boards and getting to know their students.