High School Students Learn by Teaching

When Alex Zamora randomly picked an education course from a list of electives in September, he hoped it would be an easy class he could breeze through on his way to graduation.

But when the 17-year-old senior learned he would have to tutor elementary school kids to pass the class, he figured he was in for a long year.

All that changed, however, once Alex began tutoring fifth-graders at Lankershim Elementary School, the same school he attended as a youngster.

“Every time I come in here and the kids run up to me and yell, ‘Alex, Alex,’ I’m so excited,” Alex said. “I feel as though I am really making a contribution to my community.”

Sparking students’ interest in education careers is what teacher Judy Hackett had in mind when she developed the World of Education program at North Hollywood High School.

“I wanted students to know that going to college and becoming a professional is within their reach,” Hackett said.

Students in the program receive classroom instruction and hands-on teaching experience, Hackett said.

In the instruction segment, Hackett said, students learn about teaching techniques, educational trends and about other educators such as school nurses, counselors, administrators and child psychologists.

Participants then move into the student-teaching segment, Hackett said, where they tutor in an elementary school, a preschool program or a special education class at North Hollywood.

In addition to the classroom instruction and hands-on experience, Hackett said, UCLA education majors visit North Hollywood once a week to help students with their tutoring skills and encourage them to apply to four-year colleges.

While some students in the program opt for other careers, Hackett said, they are still gaining useful life lessons.

“They are learning how to speak in front of a group, project a positive image and how to dress professionally,” Hackett said.

More important, Hackett said, “they see how hard it is to be a teacher and it makes them appreciate their own teachers more.”