Cassandra Duran is the Ready, Set, Teach teacher at FHS. Ready, Set, Teach is a class that got its start at FHS last year for students to get a hands-on experience in an actual classroom.

The first six-weeks consists of students learning in a CTE classroom under the direction of  Duran. During these weeks the students learn about the many facets of education in a traditional classroom setting.

EduCon was made available to Ready, Set, Teach students this year and Duran said she thought it would be a good learning experience for her students.

"There was a keynote speaker Campus Coordinator and Head Coach at Coronado High School, Kent Jackson, who spoke on the importance of educators and career development," Duran said. "Then there were three breakout sessions over the Engineering and Technology cluster, and finally there were some speakers about extension programs and how you can use your teaching degree or go into the E&T cluster without having to teach. There was a panel of students who are at LCU, Wayland, TTU, and SPC seeking degrees in education to answer questions and just discuss why they chose education."

Duran said that this educational conference was a great way to gain more insight about careers in education.

"They were all excited to see other students from other districts that partake in a program like they do, and they were able to get lots of important info from several colleges about tuition and rates," Duran said, mentioning that they weren't expecting to learn about that topic at this conference. "They also made some new friends, and were able to get hyped about their chosen career and see the need for good educators. They were even able to find out more about different college experiences since they will be needing to make those choices soon."

Duran believes that events like EduCon help the students get out of the classroom and into the real world, and are perfect for showing the different aspects of the education field.

"These events are essential to our class because they not only explain and give relevant info on colleges and classes, but it also allows for our students to network and get excited about going into the Education & Training field," Duran said. "This class helps them to see what teaching is about, but when you have actual educators and colleges promoting our profession it helps them to see the positives in education versus the negatives they hear and see about it from others, social media, and the news. While they all have servant hearts it is important for them to see from others, not only me, how important and worthwhile careers in our field can be. They each took something away from the conference that will help them become better in their field."

Duran explained that the Ready, Set, Teach course has expanded at Frenship this year.

"My students started their classroom assignments on September 27th," Duran said. "They will have a new placement in February. We are at 5 campuses this year - expanding from Frenship Middle and Bennett Elementary to add, Heritage Middle School, Oakridge Elementary, and Upland Heights Elementary. I am excited to see this program grow future Frenship teachers!"