Melissa has recently been introducing “student teachers” into some of the classrooms. The student teachers on campus are being given the opportunity to learn and grow as they help alongside the classroom teachers. They may aid the main teachers by passing out papers or answering questions. These students are not being paid for their time given but in return are learning features and highlights in education.

The district put together this program to benefit MHS students and college students preparing for their future in the education system.

“Walter Perez, our school district’s executive director of campus services, reached out to BYU Idaho to begin the partnership,” Brett Gustaveson, Dean of World Languages, said. “They have brought me on board as a coordinator for the student teachers, and I am thankful that I get to be a part of this!”

The student teachers are using their time watching and being part of the classroom teachers’ everyday work. These student teachers are taking in information on how to react and respond to the teachers and the students.

“The student teachers will learn a ton from students this semester,” Gustaveson said. “It will be fun for our new teachers to learn how to form formal relationships with students, help students to focus on their work, and how to teach students that learn in non-traditional ways.”

BYU Idaho students are observing the classroom with the intention of learning on what they can do or change to be better when they fill the spots of being an educator in the future.

“The goals for this program are to help the student teachers become certified educators, to help our school raise the level of our teaching, and to recruit these teachers to stay in Melissa and become full-time teachers here,” Gustaveson said.