When many high school students are asked, “What do you want to do when you’re older?” they often respond with blank stares. Parkway Central High School senior Adina Levy is different; she knows that she will be a teacher. Through Parkway’s program Spark!, she already has a head start.

Spark! provides Adina with “field experience,” allowing her to shadow first-grade teacher Leiba Levine at Saul Mirowitz Jewish Community School.

“Mondays through Thursdays, from 11:30 to 2:15, I work at two different schools, so Monday and Tuesday at one school and Wednesday and Thursday at Mirowitz,” Adina said. “When I get there, they’re in their Hebrew class, so I help out with that, and then I basically just do any teacher duties. I’m shadowing the teacher [and] helping her with whatever she needs.”

Spark!, which has six different tracks or “strands,” provides Parkway high school students with hands-on experience in fields they want to pursue. By participating in the “Teaching and Learning” strand, Adina began her classroom experience this year and has already learned valuable lessons from her time with Levine. 

“I think I definitely now understand what types of things are problems that actually have to be dealt with and what types of things are problems the kids are smart enough to figure out on their own,” she said. “I work with first-graders, so there’s a fine line of teaching them to figure things out on their own and work with others and become problem-solvers, and there [are] some things where teachers do need to intervene to ensure the safety and health and happiness of students.”

Adina’s field experience has reaffirmed her belief that she will become an elementary school teacher. In addition to enjoying the exposure to the classroom environment, Levine thinks that Adina is an asset to her classroom.

“Adina is a natural at teaching,” Levine said. “She has great command of a classroom and feels at home in the setting of Mirowitz. Adina is poised and confident in the role of a teacher.”

In order to work at Mirowitz, Adina connected with Levine over email, and sent follow-up emails to the principal and other administrators. She chose to shadow at the school because of her personal connections to it.

“I picked Mirowitz because I grew up there, so I wanted to have that experience from a teacher’s perspective,” she said. “I would definitely be interested in teaching there in the future. This is going to help me figure out if I want to go the public route or the private day school route.”

While Adina enjoys her days at Mirowitz, she has also faced challenges. She has had difficulty connecting with students because she teaches there only for a few hours, two days per week. And most of her work is with small groups.

“I think the most challenging part of field experience has been developing strong relationships with the kids in that short amount of time,” Adina said. “I only work with a few of them, so there are some kids who I don’t even really work with other than when we’re walking in the halls. I’m excited to get to know everybody more, but it’s definitely been a struggle and a challenge.”

By shadowing at Mirowitz, Adina also sees the difference between a Jewish and secular education. She is impressed with how Levine incorporates Jewish themes into other lessons. 

Levine said: “Jewish day school experience is magical for [Adina] because she now sees how it was behind the scenes as she grew up in this setting. She loves to see the poster still in the lobby of her during her years here. She adds her own twist on lessons, especially ones that have a Jewish flavor.”

While Adina may spend only less than three months in Levine’s classroom, both she and Levine are excited for the prospect of her teaching in the future. Next year, Adina plans to attend the University of Kansas to study elementary education.

“She is organized and so nurturing, “Levine said. “I am a very happy educator knowing she will be a positive force in future classrooms. I wish her only strength and perseverance in the years ahead.”