This year, the TAMUCC Field Based Experience program, which will give future educators an opportunity to gain experience by hands-on participation, will be administering students to classrooms on campus as opposed to its past affiliation with Flour Bluff. 

“VMHS is the largest high school in Corpus Christi,” instructional coach Clarissa Guerra said. “We have many innovative programs and procedures, such as Power Hour, that make Vets a unique place to learn.”

Students will be given the opportunity to study and learn from the activities and organizations the campus has to offer on the Tuesdays and Thursdays they are present, in order to ensure an enriching introduction to the field of education. 

“I remember what it was like being a student and how stressful it can be learning how to teach,” social studies instructor Melissa Orf said. “I knew that my classroom could be a place where someone could get a positive experience while learning how to teach on a campus.”

The program is designed with the intention of giving TAMUCC students an idea of how real teachers manage lesson planning and student interactions on a day-to-day basis, as well as to provide VMHS students and teachers with additional perspective and educational input.  

“By providing someone in my classroom who can assist students and help me do more individualized group work with students, it provides some extra support,” Orf said. “It kind of helps me step up my own game in teaching, because I know somebody is learning from me.”

Each TAMUCC student has different goals and aspirations for himself and his career, however, whatever his reasoning for his interest may be, there is a window for both receiving and giving personal and academic influence. Additionally, students who complete the program successfully can qualify for certification in student teaching as well as licensed public teaching. 

“I’m hoping to get more hands-on experience with classrooms,” FBE student Coby Gass said. “It’s good in education courses to learn about theories and such, but actually implementing them in practice in a real world situation is something that, without field basing, you can’t get that experience in any other way. I can say ‘I want to be this type of teacher’ and that’s good, but can I actually follow through with that in the real world?”

TAMUCC FBE students, such as Emily Fleetwood who is interested in pursuing a teaching career in art, can find personal value in the connections to be made with students on campus as well. 

“I have a passion for art and I love teaching kids,” she said. “It’s important to pass down knowledge of art and information, and I hope to get a better perspective of modern public high school because it is very different from my highschool experience. “

A wide variety of students with different subject preferences being welcomed to the campus further demonstrates the diversity and variance the TAMUCC program has to offer – not only the campus body, but the community’s educational services as well. 

“Teaching is multilayered, it’s not linear, it’s complex and you need time to assimilate and learn the ropes of teaching,” AP Art instructor Leonel Monsivais said. “I’m happy to share the love and be able to help the young art professionals who are coming into teaching. I’m grateful to the people who helped me when I was starting so I feel honored to be able to return the favor and help somebody else out.”