The Teachers Apprentice Program (commonly referred to as TAPs) is a course offered at Colonia High School where students learn to interact with and help elementary/middle school students alongside a designated teacher.

Taught by Ms. Joann Gobbo, this class is only for students in the 12th grade. While the class is elective, it is certainly a course that should be taken seriously, as high school students enrolled in the program have a responsibility to serve as a good role models for children.

In order to take the class, you must be able to provide your own transportation to the assigned school, where you are expected to arrive at around 1:00.You also have to write an essay as a junior to explain why you would want to take the class. During this time it is important to consider that, as a TAPs student, there are different grade levels to which you could be assigned.

The course requires students to put in 60 hours at the assigned elementary or middle school. Breaking it down, that is a minimum of 6 hours per week. You must complete and submit a timesheet that contains the teacher’s signature every 2 weeks.

What exactly do you do in TAPs? In general, you learn to interact with children from a teacher’s position. If you have one of the younger grades like kindergarten, first grade, or second grade, the students may prefer that you read them a story or do arts and crafts. On the other hand, if you have a fourth or fifth grade class, you may be given more sophisticated tasks, such as planning lessons and assigning classwork.

Some students may wonder whether time dedicated TAPs qualifies as volunteering hours. Given that TAPs is a class, it does not fit the community service requirement; similar to all other classes, TAPs students are assessed on their performance.

This class is for anyone who would like to have a career in the future with children. It will give you experience in working with children and insights into how they think and act. If you are considering this class for next year, please contact your Guidance Counselor in your junior year.