When most people finish elementary and middle school, they never go back. However, this is not the case for this year’s all-senior Invite to Teach class. The Invite to Teach students work at either an elementary school or a middle school five days of the week as assistant teachers as their 7th and 8th period classes. They all share one goal: to become a better teacher.

Their instructor, Laurie Foss, is enthusiastic about all Invite to Teach has to offer its students, and she wants to share this enthusiasm for education with her students.  

“As extremely cheesy as this sounds, I love my job so much that I want to share that with students who are considering teaching as a profession to allow them to understand those same joys,” said Foss.

Foss has certainly achieved her goal; her students have learned that being a teacher isn’t a simple job, but the results are worth the time and effort.

“I would love to be a teacher because I think working with kids is one of the most rewarding professions out there,” said Bailey Stearns, senior Invite to Teach student. “I enjoy every minute of being in the classroom, and I think if I could find a job that I love that much, it would never feel like work.”

Education may be rewarding, but many of the Invite to Teach students relish in the small victories in the classroom as well.

“The most important lesson I learned from being in this class was that the smallest things can make a little kid’s day,” said senior Invite to Teach student Zach Johnson.

Foss has taught her students the importance of education, but she has also taught important life lessons that go beyond the classroom.

“Even if everything is planned, nothing will ever go according to the lesson plan,” said Tara Meyer, Invite to Teach student.

The Invite to Teach students have learned the skills of how to be an exemplary teacher from Foss, who leads by example.

“I hope my students learn confidence, how to take initiative, and how to make decisions in the classroom that will be best for them as both students and future teachers,” said Foss. “Above all, I hope they develop a passion for the job.”

Foss and the rest of her Invite to Teach class highly recommend the experience for anyone that is considering being a teacher. If you’re not sure whether or not teaching is for you, Foss encourages you to try it out.

“Do it! But be the right person for the job; it takes patience, a strong work ethic, people skills, patience, the ability to stand for long periods of time, flexibility, patience, enthusiasm, professionalism, and patience to be successful as a teacher,” said Foss.

Students who are interested in enrolling in Invite to Teach for their junior or senior years should talk to an FCS teacher about the application and interview process.

The 2015-2016 Invite to Teach class has had a successful year teaching children of all ages. Many look forward to majoring in some form of education in college, and Invite to Teach was a wonderful stepping stone.