ROP Education, a class centered around careers and education, gives students a look into what it would be like to work in the field of education. The course includes child psychology, making original lesson plans, and learning crucial information on American education. In the class, students learn about jobs in the educational field. They get to shadow the jobs they’re interested in, giving them a first-hand look into the field.
ROP Education, AP Language, and Honors Philosophy teacher David Tow had many thoughts to share about the class. First, the class positively affects college admissions. Tow shared, “There are two ways it helps for college. First, it gives the students college credits, not only helping them get into college, but also giving them an upper hand once they actually are in college. And secondly, a lot of students go into college not knowing what they want to major in, so this class is designed to give them some ideas about what they want to do when they’re older.” This year, the class switched from a one semester class to a full year class. “It was too much information to pack into one semester,” Tow explained. We were cramming a year worth of a college class, plus some high school content, into a single semester. By spanning the class over a year, it allows us to slow down.”
Tow was then asked about why the class is important to him. He shared, “[ROP Education is] important to me because I love being a teacher. I have found a lot of meaning, joy, influence, and importance in teaching. It’s just a big part of my life, and so for that reason, I want to help other students who might be interested in becoming teachers, or working somewhere in this field.” Tow discovered ROP in 2022, when he was in Norway, teaching all over the country. He shared, “I had a zoom call with Ms. Rose, the teacher Librarian that was teaching the ROP class at the time. Her students were doing a research project on international education, so they decided to call me up and have a conversation about it. Afterwards, Ms. Rose talked to me, explaining how I would be a good candidate for teaching ROP.” Tow happily took the position, eager to share his own positive experiences and foster young minds. He’s been teaching the class for the last two years, and hopes to continue to teach it for more to come.
Senior Penny Carroll, a student in her second year of ROP, had a lot to say about the class. “We seem to do something new everyday, we have snacks, and we all just get really close,” Carroll shares. “We do work studies, work as teacher assistants, run lessons with teachers to get practice in classrooms, sometimes people even go off campus.” Carroll originally had no interest in being a teacher and wanted to work in the medical field, but after taking the class, she realized she could see a future in education. She shared, “I originally wanted to take the medical class, but got wait listed for that. But then I ended up loving [ROP] so much the first year I decided to take it again.” Carroll recommends that anyone who’s thinking about taking the class should just take it. While she has fun in the class, it has given her a whole new outlook on her future.
ROP Education provides students with real world knowledge and experience that will carry them far in life. It’s a chance to nurture interests around working in education, and maybe even give them a new passion. ROP gives students a head start towards success, and a clearer direction for the future.
