At Coral Gables Senior High, where knowledge blossoms, the Teaching Academy guides students to find their place in the world. In the hopes of becoming an educator, the students experience a unique twist on what it means to lead a classroom setting.

Currently, the Teaching Academy teaches Cavaliers how to teach, make their lesson plans, stimulate fun projects and mainly complete tasks that an actual teacher would do, all to get the teacher’s perspective. 

“The teaching academy is a class targeted for students who want to go into the education field or are thinking about it, but it’s beneficial and open for anyone. The class itself is easy, fun and enjoyable because we do simple assignments and lessons, yet we still learn a lot. Additionally, the activities are really fun, because we play lots of educational games that always involve either small groups of us or the entire class. This helps me and the students feel comfortable and sociable with each other,” senior Neilanie Ruche said.

By not only learning through taking notes, students also take the role of practicing how to teach. For example, at least twice a month, there is a class activity that is organized by a student. Responding to its involvement, the class will then group up to follow the directions of that student, gathering both inspiration and teacher qualities as the school year rolls out.

“At the time, Ms. Leyte was in charge of the Teaching Academy, and she talked about it a lot. However, when I joined the class, I wasn’t sure what to expect from it because Ms. Passwaters was in charge of it, but I’m so happy I decided to join because it is such an amazing class where we can all talk and interact with each other. We all laughed at stories we told each other about things that have happened to us in school from when we were little to now. So I really do think that if you would want to have the best four years at Gables, participating in or even joining the [Teaching] Academy is the best decision to make,” senior Ghislane Solis said.

With the current 2023-2024 board aspiring to complete its goals by the time the school year ends, the primary focus is to provide a teaching class where Cavaliers can enjoy their time spent at Gables, learn new things and most importantly, become educators. Aside from reaching their end goal, each board member also pitches their ideas of leading the direction of the Teaching Academy, encompassing a stepping stool in high-quality professional development.

“I joined the Teaching Academy, because I wanted to know more about the class. Currently, this is my second year in it, and once I found out about the academy’s committee I knew I had to sign up. Look at me now, I’m the secretary of recruitment,” senior Ashley Cabrera said.

In relation to the Early Childhood Program, once the student-teachers have planned their lessons and gotten approval from either a board member or Ms. Passwaters, Cavaliers are given a real-life experience where they execute their lesson with the Little Cavaliers. Not only does this back-to-back communication enhance the students’ confidence in teaching, but it also strengthens the social skills that the Little Cavaliers are learning. 

The academy is full of hands-on and interactive activities that allow Cavaliers to improve their social skills. The purpose is to guide Cavaliers to a path where they can become anything, while­ still building connections with others who want to educate. Through this process, the academy nurtures the family of Cavaliers who are passionate to shaping the future of education through innovation.

“I suggest this pathway to anyone who doesn’t know what they want to be in the future and students who aspire to teach. From my experience, this is course not just for students who would like to pursue a career in the field of education, but for all students who want to become future leaders. Some skills I’ve learned and that others will learn are teamwork, time management, communication, problem-solving, interpersonal and leadership skills, and this is beneficial to any career or organization,” senior Dainelys Ledesma said.