High School Class Helps Spur Interest in Education Careers

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

But when the 17-year-old North Hollywood High School senior learned he would have to tutor elementary students to pass the class, he knew he was in for a long year.

All that changed once Zamora 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,” Zamora 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.

“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, she 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.