Special to the Journal

For many teachers, summer is the time to kick back and relax. But several Richmond County Schools high school teachers took advantage of the Career Technical Education (CTE) summer internship program, during which teachers go out into the real-world and spend some quality time “on the job” with local business and government organizations.

For Diana Janica, who has participated for the second time in a row, the internship has been a rewarding experience. Janica recommends that all high school teachers participate at least once.

“It’s been really great for me to see what happens everyday on the job-force.” Janica said. “I’m able to take everything I learn back to my students.”

The key components of the internship program include a focus on interpersonal communication, professional writing, technical skills and other applied concepts, according to Martha Webb, Richmond County Schools CTE Director. During the next school year, following the internship, teachers are expected to develop lesson plans that incorporate the real-world knowledge.

“It’s a great opportunity to acquaint our teachers with skills they need to share with their students to prepare them for the future, both higher education and the workforce.” Webb said. “We’ve done this program for the past 10 years and it continues to grow. We appreciate the local business industry — they have provided a wonderful support system for us.”

Judy Carpenter, Manager of the ESC has worked with summer teacher interns for several years in other counties, but this year was the first year working with Richmond County teachers. Carpenter is a strong supporter of the teacher internship.

“The teachers who come to work with us get a crash course in everything we do here at the Employment Security Commission.” Most people think of us as simply as the ‘unemployment office’, but we offer so many more services.”

This year was a prime year for an internship with ESC, as Carpenter estimates the number of individuals seeking services has more than doubled since January. She and Janica discussed plans for a classroom visit and discussion.

For Thomas Robbins, another Spanish teacher at Richmond Senior, the internship has provided a wealth of knowledge that he looks forward to sharing this fall.

“I’ve enjoyed this opportunity, because there are so many aspects that I would never have seen, had I not walked through the process.” Robbins said.

2009 Summer Teacher Internships:

n Rockingham Police Department – Terry Brigman, Toni Maples

n Employment Security Commission – Thomas Robbins, Diana Janica

n NAPA – Frank Liles

n Sheriff’s Office – Monica Leah, Chris Maples, Mike Brown, Debbie Dunlap

n Pee Dee Electric – Gwen Cooke, Jamie Spencer

n Progress Energy – Lisa Campbell, Karen Allen

The teacher internship program is offered each summer through the College Tech Prep Grant for Richmond County Schools. For more information, contact the RCS Career Technical Education Office at 910-582-5860.