Polk County Early College senior Bonnie Bailey is getting an early look at what it means to work in education – not from a textbook, but inside a Polk County school.
Bailey is the first student to participate in Polk County Schools’ developing Future Teacher Program, an initiative designed to give local high school students meaningful experience in education before they choose a college or career path.
This fall, Bailey is completing her internship at Sunny View Elementary School, where she will spend the semester learning alongside educators and working with students under the mentorship of principal Ronette Dill and school counselor and administrative intern Monica Barber.
By semester’s end, Bailey will have completed 140 hours of internship experience.
The program is part of Polk County Schools’ effort to “Grow Our Own” future educators by introducing students with local roots to careers in teaching, counseling and other areas of education.
District leaders say the effort is particularly important as schools across North Carolina continue working to recruit and retain educators.
At Polk County Early College, the Future Teacher experience is incorporated into the Senior Project course taught by Dr. Kim McMinn. This fall, the opportunity was open to PCEC seniors in conjunction with EDU 216 at Isothermal Community College.
Students interested in education can be placed at one or two local schools depending on their career interests and preferred grade levels. During their internships, they can observe classroom instruction, work with students, collaborate with school employees and learn more about the day-to-day responsibilities of educators.
The program will expand in the spring, when Polk County High School seniors will have an opportunity to participate through a stand-alone course.
The district also has longer-term plans for the pathway.
Beginning in fall 2027, McMinn will be joined by Polk County Middle School’s Brandi Drake and Polk County Early College’s Lisa Chapman in introducing the North Carolina Teacher Cadet Program through the North Carolina Foundation for Public School Children.
That program is expected to be available each semester to juniors and seniors at Polk County High School and Polk County Early College.
For now, Bailey is helping provide the first look at what such a pathway can become.
Her semester at Sunny View will expose her to more than classroom teaching. She will have opportunities to see how educators support students academically, socially and emotionally and to observe the many roles required to make an elementary school work.
As the first Future Teacher candidate, Bailey is also helping Polk County Schools learn how to shape the program for students who follow her.
The larger goal is to create a clearer path for Polk County students who can imagine themselves becoming teachers, counselors or other education professionals, perhaps eventually returning to serve the same school system that helped prepare them.
