By Brenda Ortega
MEA Voice Editor

MEA member Aric Foster got bitten by the teaching bug as a teenager working as a Taekwondo instructor. Specifically he recalls showing a skinny kid named Tyler a new kick, then watching him deploy it at a tournament to win an award.

Foster remembers the confidence on Tyler’s face, the mom’s joyful reaction in the stands, his own satisfaction and thinking, I want that feeling for the rest of my life. I want to be an instrument in helping kids achieve success and feel good about themselves.

Now a veteran English teacher at Macomb County’s Armada High School, Foster taught a student with a similar origin story in his Teacher Cadet class for the past two years. Melina Accardo, who graduated in June, found her calling instructing youngsters in karate.

“I remember a class where I was assisting kids with their technique, and it was flowing so nicely,” Accardo said. “The kids were listening and following instructions, and they were getting it. That feeling was amazing, and it just filled me and made me warm inside.”

Accardo earned a black belt at age 14 and began teaching at her karate studio at 15, explaining moves by breaking them into parts and engaging kids through games.

Teacher Cadet class took her deeper into the educator skill set. Cadets spend time each week observing, assisting and practicing strategies at elementary classrooms with mentor teachers.

“I figured I would go into the teacher cadet program and see if it’s something I’d like to continue pursuing. I did it my junior and senior year, and I love it so much — I’m going to keep doing it.”

Foster is a National Board Certified Teacher who structures the class around core practices.

“A lot of the high school students that come into Teacher Cadet think teaching is explaining stuff, so when I show up with core teaching practices — and we work with six primarily — I ask them, ‘How many of these are explaining stuff?’ They go, ‘Oh lord, it’s only one.’

“I say, ‘Let’s pretend these six things are everything a teacher needs to know. One-sixth of teaching is explaining stuff.’”

In addition to explaining and modeling content, core practices include building relationships; choosing texts and tasks for a learning goal; eliciting and interpreting student thinking; formative assessment; and leading group discussion. Each is defined by different aspects of mastery.

“I show them all the magic that’s happening that they didn’t even know was happening.”

Teacher Cadet became part of Armada’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) program two years ago, though it’s been around much longer. Foster’s goal is to either fortify students’ passion for teaching or develop their transferable skills for any career.

“I tell them, ‘I’m not going to convince you to be a teacher; my role is to show you what it is so you can make an informed decision. When the year is done, if you love this, do it. But if you don’t love it, don’t do it, because there’s a lot outside of the magic from bell to bell with kids.”

He takes students on four field trips, including the MEA-sponsored Ed Rising Conference where they access professional development, competitions, and the chance to interact with many others from across the state. “I think my students love that one the most,” he said.

Accardo appreciated the cadet program’s realism. She will enter Oakland University this fall as a sophomore from dual enrollment and summer credits earned at Macomb Community College. Last spring, she was named Armada’s CTE Student of the Year.

“Foster wrote me a nice letter to let me know I deserved the award and I was going to be a great teacher, and that really warmed my heart,” Accardo said. “We all have our moments of doubt, but it’s nice to have somebody who’s always there to back me up.”

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SPECIAL REPORT: Teacher Recruitment

• Introduction / MEA welcomes new educators
• ‘Doing what’s right for the next generation’ / High schoolers explore education careers
• Armada: ‘If you love this, do it’
• Lenawee: ‘There are great rewards’
• In para-to-teacher project, classroom aides level up
• Saginaw apprenticeship a first-of-its-kind
• Rural hub at CMU offers free credentials