CATOOSA COUNTY, GA (WDEF) -Students in Catoosa County recently took part in a signing ceremony, but it wasn’t for athletics. These kids have all been accepted into Georgia colleges, where they will study to become teachers. That’s a far-reaching example of “What’s Right With Our Schools”.
“Today’s program, we are here to honor our future educators and have them sign as being future educators. We look forward to them being our educators here in Catoosa County. They have chosen to go to college um here in Georgia. Um all of our graduates um have been accepted into Georgia colleges. Um and we are very excited to see them uh today as they sign uh to go not only as a future educator but also to go to those colleges they’ve been accepted to,” Dawn Shiraef, Education as a Profession Instructor, CCA, said.
“The CCA has prepared me. We’ve had a lot of like in-person experience. So, I’ve done my internship for the past 2 years, but we’ve done like multiple different classrooms. We’ve had a lot of dual enrollment options, which have like expanded us with it’s kind of like lowered our years of actually being in college. So, hopefully I’ll graduate in the next 3 years instead of four years,” Maddie Carlyle, Graduate, CCA, said.
“I think she’s really been set up for success here in Catoosa County with the CCA program. Um, I’m actually I work in education and I have seen what she’s done here through the program and I can tell how well it’s preparing her to go into the classroom,” Carlyle said.
“I’ve always known I wanted to be a teacher, but this um kind of pathway has really helped solidify my decision. I’ve gotten to student teach at multiple different schools and do internships and just kind of learn more about being a teacher. So, this has really helped me know that this is what I want to do,” Maggie Potts, Graduate, CCA, said.
“Many of them will already be one semester, if not one full year um ahead when they get to college. They’ll be able to graduate early or be able to take their time and not feel stressed as much as those freshmen often do when you get off to college. Um so we want to encourage them uh to do well and they’ve they’ve taken some basic courses out of the way in addition to our education. They do their own social contracts so that they hold themselves accountable and they see it in the classrooms that they go when they go off campus as well,” Shiraef said.
“Places like this are game changers for our students and all their pathways,” Dr. Lisa Hackney, Program Specialist, Georgia Dept. of Ed. said.
Hackney says, “The things that they offer particularly at this facility give the students a leg up on their future, the experiences they have. It sets them up for fulfilling their dream. And when you look at the zooming out of that, it sets up future students that they may have to have a quality education.”
