Scott Smith is a Junior who goes to classes and learns from teachers. However, every other school day, he is in the classroom working with kids. This is due to his participation in the Future Educators Program, also known as the FEP. The FEP is a program that allows students, like Smith, to receive in-class training (while getting paid for it) in the hope that they can eventually become teachers.

  Smith attends CCIC, a career-oriented campus within the Cherry Creek Schools District, for classes every other Wednesday. Every other day, he attends CCIC classes, spending the entire school day in the classroom. There, he is used as an extra pair of hands when needed and also talks with the teachers about their individual techniques for situations in the classroom.

  Currently, Smith works with 3rd-grade teacher Mrs. Lynne Collinsworth. “The kids love having Scott around […] and he was at Pine Ridge, so getting to see him do what he does is amazing, and it’s a good opportunity for the kids to see a role model,” Collinsworth explains. Scott will eventually work with every grade in the school. This is an effort to help prepare FEP students for all types of classrooms and dealing with all ages. This is crucial to a teacher’s success. Collinsworth describes, “I didn’t get in the classroom enough […] and you learn everything about being a teacher in the classroom. The more we can do, the better prepared our future teachers will be.”

  The FEP guarantees you an interview with the school district once your classes are complete as a PARA, which is a teacher’s aid. This program truly helps create the next generation of teachers in our schools. Smith says, “I thought that I wanted to be a teacher for the benefits, but I learned that it’s much more than that. It’s about the personal interactions and the kids that you talk to every day.”