GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — High School senior Patrick De Voest said he wasn’t sure if he wanted to enter into the education field. However, when he enrolled in the Teacher Academy at the Kent Career Tech Center, he knew immediately teaching was his dream job.
He said his mom Peggy was key in helping him realize that dream.
“My mom is an educator at Ferris State University, and she is awesome. I love her and everyday when she comes home from work she’s got this big smile on her face,” De Voest said. “I want to have that same experience that she has.”
De Voest is determined to to do it. He even shared about his career goal and teaching experiences with Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist on Monday at the Tech Center during a roundtable discussion on education.
“I’m inspired, you know, to see these parents, current students, to be here with the leadership. This program is really a model,” said Lt. Gov. Gilchrist. “Our administration, me, and the governor, we have worked to increase CTE — Career and Technical Education funding — every year we’ve been in office.”
He said a few years ago, Kent County used the CTE money to invest in programs like the Teacher Academy.
Monday, he said he was glad to see the investment come to fruition.
“You heard it from these two young people: Selina and Patrick, who are a part of the program. They’re obviously very excited about it,” Lt. Gov. Gilchrist said. “I can’t wait to have the children in the classrooms they teach in benefit from their enthusiasm.”
The Teacher Academy is a program at the Tech Center that helps local high school students begin their education careers early. Students get real-life hands-on training, learning everything from lesson planning to classroom management.
Rep. Rachel Hood (D-MI) was also at the roundtable.
She said these kinds of programs are necessary to help teachers feel supported early in their careers, considering so many feel overwhelmed.
“We have had teachers and educational leaders like principals working for two decades without the resources that they need,” Rep. Hood said. “People get tired under those circumstances. They are more likely to to be burnt out. They’re more likely to be anxious and depressed while they’re teaching, trying to both figure out how they are going to deliver what they need to in the classroom and figure out how they’re going to pull their resources together.”
She said that so far of the 22 students in the program 20 are enrolled in four year colleges, studying to become teachers.
De Voest will soon be one of them, looking first to get his degree at either Ferris State University, Grand Valley State University, or Grand Rapids Community College, he said.
“Do what you want to but if you’re unsure, come to KCTC and try it,” De Voest said about encouraging others to join the program. “I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be in education for sure. But then I tried Teacher Academy, and it has solidified that I really do want to be a teacher.”
