SIOUX CITY (KTIV) - Across the country, teachers are in high demand. The state of Nebraska has introduced a new program to help get more teachers into the classroom.
“I love to be around children, especially kindergarteners,” said Cecilia Alvarez, a paralegal at Harney Elementary School. “That’s what’s motivated me to do this.”
For 15 out of her more than 20 years in education, Cecilia Alvarez has worked as a paraprofessional working with kindergarteners at Harney Elementary School in South Sioux City, Nebraska, but she’s had aspirations to become a teacher.
In 2023, the Nebraska Department of Education launched their Teacher Apprenticeship Program, which was geared towards helping paraprofessionals, who were already serving in school districts in the state, earn their teaching degrees