Who should take this class?

• Take this class if you want to become a teacher.

• Take this class if teaching is an option for you.

• Take this class if you just like to learn about how education and schools work.

How many semesters is it, and what credits can I earn?

• Teacher Pathway 1 is first semester and provides a 1/2 elective credit for high school. For $40 per credit, you can also earn 3 college credits from USD toward a major in education or college elective requirements (EDFN 102).

• Teacher Pathway 2 is second semester and provides a 1/2 English credit for high school. For $40, you can also  earn 1 college credit from USD toward a major in education or college elective requirements (ELED 296 or SEED 296).

• You can take both semesters or only one. You can take Pathway 2 without having taken Pathway 1.

What will I learn in Teacher Pathway 1?

• The History of Education in the US

• Ethics and Professionalism for Teachers

• Student Diversity and Cultural Responsiveness

• Lesson Planning and Delivery

• Classroom Culture and Management

What will I learn in Teacher Pathway 2?

• Cultural Responsiveness for Teachers (through Narrative Reading and Writing)

• Assessment and Grading Practices

• Research and Writing in Education (through APA Style Argumentative Writing )

• Action Research in Education

• College and Career Planning

Does the class have any special features?

• Frequent Special Speakers! Past speakers have included specialists in school administration, student diversity, EL programs, special education programs, compassionate classrooms, school budgets, teacher salaries and benefits, and job interviews.

• Work with younger students every Thursday, rather than coming to class! We partner with Oscar Howe Elementary, JFK Elementary, and Pettigrew Elementary so that Pathway students can observe and practice what they've learned in the Pathway classroom.

• Field Trips! USD hosts us in October so we can see what college life is like, especially for education majors. We take a local field trip in the spring to colleges in Sioux Falls.

• Job Shadowing! Through Teacher Pathway, you can be excused from school for a 1-day job shadow once or twice a semester to see if a certain grade level or subject is right for you.

Will I have a lot of homework?

No. Class time is provided to complete projects and written reflections that I have created, and all work is assessed by me, Ms. Benz.

What is the semester test like?

You will create an online portfolio/website that highlights your learning over the entire semester. Below is a sample that you can click on!

Ruby Young (RHS '21)

This class has so many beautiful opportunities to grow and fail together because everyone is in the same boat. We are all here to learn and bounce ideas off of each other in order to become the best teachers we can be one day.

Addison Miller (RHS '19, USD '23):

I’ve always wanted to make a change. A splash in the water, per se. I always thought politics was the best route to do so, but as soon as I stepped through the doors of Teacher Pathway, I was certain that this was the path for me. Changing lives on an individual basis on a grander scale is much more fulfilling, and I believe more effective, than changing lives through a piece of legislation that may never reach the desk of the executive. 

I cannot wait to utilize my developing classroom philosophy in my very own classroom, and I’d never have gotten to do so and find my dream career if not for Teacher Pathway.  As I walk through my dorm halls and on campus, I meet a lot of students who are undecided as to what they want their major to be. They’re stressed about it, and I am constantly reminded how lucky I am to know exactly what I want to do. I have the clarity of knowing I’m not throwing tens of thousands of dollars at a career that may never come. 

I’m a step ahead of those around me in my education classes too who didn’t get the chance to take it. The terminology and basic ideas of my education classes are familiar, and I’m not diving into a pool of unknown knowledge. 

The students I walked through Teacher Pathway with who came to USD with me are some of my best friends now. For some reason that class had a much stronger bond with those around us than any of my other classes did. Emily Peichel and Brianna Torkelson and Mackenzy West are all some of my closest friends now, even though I’d really never talked to them before arriving in that Teacher Pathway classroom. We all have the bond of having gone through that relationship and discussion-based classroom.

Ultimately I am very grateful for having had the opportunity to go through Teacher Pathway.

Monica Shaw (RHS '19, MNU '23):

Teacher Pathway was probably the best class I took throughout my four years in high school. After taking this class, I realized how much more I want to work with children. Mrs. Benz has the one of the most loving hearts I have ever seen and never gives up on her students. Her kind and wise words were always inspiring. I hope to be like her one day and have that much kindness and love like she does. Anyone who has the chance to meet her is blessed. Teacher Pathway not only taught me how teachers' minds work, but it taught me life lessons I will carry with me for the rest of my life. 

Kaylee Gross (RHS '19, Concordia '23):

When considering the ways in which Teacher Pathway impacted me, the effects go so far beyond the content we learned in the classroom every day. I find it difficult to sum up such a transformative class in a matter of words, because they fall short in describing the personal learning that took place as well; this class brought me so much joy and really solidified my desire to play the role of an educator in the lives of youth.

Though I recognized how impactful this class was while I was participating in it, I could not have foreseen how many ways it would also benefit me in college as well. As a college student, I am now finding that the Teacher Pathway experiences I was able to have in high school are already putting me ahead in my education courses and allowing me to be more solidified in my stances as a future educator as well. I am more prepared for what is to come in my life as a teacher, and I am more confident in pursuing the profession passionately.

Memphis Bylander (RHS '26):

One of the biggest things I learned this semester was how hard but fun being a teacher is. Being a teacher and having to always show up and have a lesson ready or get all the grades turned in is really hard. But also watching students have a light bulb moment and finally understand something or watching them have fun when learning makes it all worth the hard work and dedication you put in.