On May 3, the Houston County School District participated in Georgia’s Future Educators Signing Day, a statewide initiative sponsored by the Georgia Department of Education. The event celebrated 18 graduating seniors who are enrolled in the Teaching as a Profession pathway at the Houston County Career Academy (HCCA) and who have made the decision to pursue a career in education.

The Teaching as a Profession pathway is a two-year program offered at HCCA, where students spend the first year in the classroom learning the foundations of teaching. The second year of the pathway includes an internship inside of a classroom. During this internship, students gain real-world experience in a school helping the teacher with tasks such as reading to students, teaching small lessons, and grading papers. 

“The Houston County Career Academy is a wonderful resource to train our community’s future workforce, and teachers are no exception,” said Sabrina Phelps, Principal of HCCA. “Our hope is that these students will eventually come back as teachers and work for the Houston County School District, the best place to call your work home.”

Georgia’s Future Educators Signing Day, held each year during Teacher Appreciation Week, is sponsored by the Georgia Department of Education’s Division of Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education in partnership with the Georgia Early Childhood Education Foundation (GECEF) and Georgia’s colleges and universities.

“Students cannot succeed without great teachers in the classroom,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “We know, however, that teacher recruitment and retention is a serious issue in our state, as it is nationwide. Part of our comprehensive approach to addressing teacher recruitment and retention is elevating the teaching profession. Future Educators Signing Day allows us to celebrate those students who answer the incredibly important calling of becoming an educator.”

Visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLfJAR0Z_Q0 to watch the full video of the Future Educators Signing Day event.