Metea Valley opened its doors to Granger Middle School’s “Teachers of Tomorrow” event on Wednesday, April 29. Current Grow Your Own students gave incoming students a firsthand look at what high school life is like and the programs available to them.
The event goes beyond simply giving students a tour around the building. It creates a connection between younger students and a program designed to grow future educators.
“The first year we had Grow Your Own teachers, but kind of as a collective high school program.” English teacher and sponsor for Grow Your Own Teachers, Rachel Bostick, said. “We kind of work together to pull the Teachers of Tomorrow, which is our leader club, into Grow Your Own teachers.”
Through this event, middle schoolers are not only introduced to the program and students already involved, but are also given a chance to ask questions and take a tour of the building.
“I think it’s a really good opportunity… for our high school students to reflect back on their time… and see the things they’ve been able to do,” Bostick said. “I think the real impact comes from our kids sharing their stories with the middle schoolers.“
The event also serves as a way to address a common disconnect students experience as they grow older and begin to lose interest in careers like teaching.
“We have conversations about the impact kids have when they’re really young and want to be teachers, and then we lose that,” Bostick said. “So we wanted to take these kids and move them along in a pathway, almost like some of our high school classes are.”
By showing education as a pathway similar to other careers, this program helps students see teaching as a tangible option rather than a general idea. For the participants of the club, the event is a reflection of their own transition into Metea.
“This is my fourth year in the program, and this is my fourth year helping with this event,” senior Lilly Thorson said. “I actually came to this event when I was in eighth grade, and it is a great way to get them into high school early.”
Another part of the event that stood out to the students was the tour.
“I think the most helpful thing was the tour, because you feel terrified coming into a new building,” expressed Thorson.
Students in the program say it has changed how they view education.
“I’ve been in the club for two years, and I got to learn about the behind-the-scenes part of teaching,” sophomore Lindsey Leys said. “Because from the front growing up as a kid, you only see the teachers giving you lessons, but you don’t get to see the planning that goes into it.”
For many students, the event is their first glimpse into an unseen future. Through conversations, classroom experiences, and guidance from those already in the program, Teachers of Tomorrow helps transform uncertainty into direction.
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