VIRGINIA BEACH -- Virginia Beach Public Schools has a program designed to attract students into the teacher profession.

John Merritt coordinates Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow at Kellam High School. For eight to nine weeks, each junior or senior does an internship actually working in classrooms with a cooperating teacher.

“It’s been great,” said student teacher Kristin Cox. “I love participating with little kids and helping them out with all little projects they do and reading to them, and pretty much every aspect.”

Student teacher Meredith Humphreys said it was scary at first, but now she loves, “every second of it.”
“I am mostly there for math, which is not my favorite subject, but I am learning just as much as they are,” she said.

Student teacher Joseph Gierie noted that most of his history teachers had been in the military prior to becoming teachers. So, he plans to become a history teacher after serving in the Marines.

Two students at each Virginia Beach high school get the chance to win an award and contract to teach in the district after college. Their full reports are due next week.

“We’ve had about a month to work on them,” said student teacher Samantha Rozell. “So, we’re getting all our stuff together and sending those away and we find out on Senior Picnic Day.”

Mr. Merritt told us he has noticed a little edginess.

“We’ve been such a family up to this point, and now they’re still a family, but there’s just a little bit of competition for this award because they think it’s such a great program,” he explained. “So, kids are excited about it.”