Fort Worth area school district giving former students $5,000 to come back and teach

Anahi Diazdeleon signed a letter of intent recently.

Not one to play sports in college, however. She signed to be a teacher — at her alma mater in the Eagle Mountain-Saginaw school district.

Diazdeleon, a 2022 Chisholm Trail High School, graduate is one of several signed on to the the school district’s EMS2Teach program. The program is designed to encourage students to enter the field of education and get a certification before they even set foot on a college campus.

The idea behind the letter of intent is that they’ll return home to teach in their school district.

Modeled after signing days for students in athletics and fine arts to compete at the collegiate level, these students are graduates of the EMS ISD Education and Training program at the Hollenstein Career and Technology Center. And, just like those athletes, it signifies the next step in chasing their dream.

”Signing Day meant a lot to me because I was recognized for all the hard work I’ve done and put into my passion for becoming a teacher in the future. It is a big deal to meet board members and sign my letter of intent,” Diazdeleon said.

“I do plan to come back and work for the district and make a difference in many students’ lives.”

EMS2Teach stands for “Encourage and Mentor Students 2 Teach.” It is the official name of the school district’s Grow Your Own Educator Program with the aim of elevating the teaching profession by developing highly qualified education courses at the high school level.

“Nationwide, there is a teacher shortage. I can’t think of a more highly qualified teacher to serve our EMS ISD students other than one that’s already familiar with our district and community,” said Rochelle Williams, the school district’s human resources employee relations coordinator.

While other school districts have similar programs through the Texas Education Agency’s Grow Your Own Program, Eagle Mountain-Saginaw has created its own approach. Along with the letters of intent and even a signing ceremony, the district offers the incentive of a $5,000 bonus for any former student who’s gone through the program, graduates college and completes teacher certification within five years and then returns to teach in the district.

”It is our understanding that our district is the only one to offer alumni a $5,000 signing bonus if they are hired,” district spokesperson Matthew LeBlanc said.

”Our goal is that the $5,000 EMS2Teach signing bonus is enticing enough that our alumni will recognize that our board of trustees, and superintendent are eager to welcome them back home to teach.“

Diazdeleon is attending TCU. Others who signed a letter-of-intent alongside her are Emma Averitte, Tarleton State University; Rebecca Fassett, Tarleton; Rachael Followell, Wichita State University; and Karleigh Wickersham, Tarrant County College.

How it works

The program begins for students in their junior year. Students then work to earn between 150 and 275 hours of experience in classrooms as they learn to build relationships with students and staff, and plan and teach lessons.

In short, the students are student teachers.

”In our country we are facing one of the largest teaching shortages we have ever had,” said Lindsey Metz, the program coordinator. “One of the key takeaways our student interns leave our program and district with is the importance of the role of a teacher in student success.”

By partnering with the EMS2Teach program, students can earn their Educational Aide 1 Certification with the State of Texas before they enter college.

Dana Eldredge, the district’s director of career and technical education, said the program allows students to confirm if teaching is a good fit and to narrow their desired teaching area before they enroll in a university and select a major.

”Many colleges of education programs are now requiring interviews and placement exams to determine if students will be successful prior to entering their clinical programs, Eldredge said. “The opportunities available to students who participate in the EMS2Teach program help give them an edge when applying for these programs and scholarships.”

Getting a head start

Long before the state initiated the Grow Your Own Program, the school district was already working to prepare students to enter the teaching profession. The Education and Training Pathway, the umbrella under which EMS2Teach falls, has been a part of the school district for over 15 years. The program started as a Ready ... Set ... Teach course at Boswell High School and was then added to Saginaw and Chisholm Trail High School once they opened. Over the years the program grew to include four courses that took students from the foundations of teaching to actual time spent in a classroom working with other students.

In 2013 the capstone courses, Instructional Practices in Education and Training, and Practicum in Education and Training were moved to the Hollenstein Career and Technology Center with the foundation courses of Principles of Education and Training, and Child Development being taught at each of the high schools.

During the 2020-21 school year the EMS2Teach program began as a result of a partnership between the district’s career and technical education and human resources departments to further encourage students. The two departments realized that together they have the pieces to develop a system that could support and grow students, during high school and through college, with the intent of recruiting them back to teach.

Facing a growing national teacher shortage, and as part of Aspire 2025, the district’s strategic plan, the district led an initiative to develop the talent pipeline from within by establishing its own version of the Grow-Your-Own program.

”I’m so proud that EMS ISD has made a commitment to building and fostering a pipeline for our students to return home to teach,” said Maria Gamell, executive director of human resources. “The fact that our students are coming back home to teach the next generation demonstrates that EMS ISD is a destination district anchored in our mission to instill a passion for a lifetime of continuous achievement in every student.”

Paying off

While the EMS2Teach phase of the program is still relatively new, numerous former students from the programs that inspired it have returned to teach in the school district. And one teacher has already completed the entire high school-to college-to-district path in EMS2Teach, Maritza Zaragoza, a fourth-grade teacher at Willow Creek Elementary.

There are over 30 Eagle Mountain-Saginaw graduates from the program in universities throughout the state that the district stays connected with, offering employment opportunities such as tutoring and substitute teaching as they continue their education.

“I grew up going to elementary, middle school, and high school, and after I graduated, I really felt like this was my calling and it was my time to come and serve my community,” Zaragoza said.. “EMS2Teach is a great program for students who graduate from Eagle Mountain Saginaw because it gives you great benefits. You get to come back and teach to a community that you know. You will have support from family, friends, and previous teachers.

“The reason that I became a teacher was because I know the impact that one great teacher can have on a student, so I want to be that one teacher that can make a difference in a child’s life.”