Programs in Conn., nation spur teens to teaching
While many of their friends are hanging out at the mall or beach, about 20 Connecticut high school students are spending much of their summer vacation in the classroom.
It’s an increasingly common scene nationwide as educators, seeking new ways to recruit teachers in critical shortage areas, are embracing a “grow your own” approach by introducing the profession to teens as early as middle school.
And while many of the programs are too new to determine how many of the teens eventually enter the field, the longest-running initiatives — such as Eastern Connecticut State University’s program — have tracked many of their alumni through college and into jobs as teachers, guidance counselors and school social workers.
