Teachers complete summer externship at TSC

Teachers from four local independent school districts were exposed to various jobs at TSC during the Rio Grande Valley Externships for Teachers Program in late July.

Texas Southmost College (TSC) hosted four teachers from various local independent school districts over the summer as part of the Rio Grande Valley Externships for Teachers Program that was sponsored by a $200,000 grant from the Texas Workforce Commission.

Teachers from Los Fresnos, Rio Hondo, Port Isabel and the South Texas Independent School Districts spent July 24-26 at the TSC Campus assisting in the Offices of Admissions and Records, Student Life, Student Activities, Disability Services, Academic Advising, Testing and the Rec Center.

The externship offered the teachers training on the skills necessary for students to succeed in the future by exposing the educators to a variety of jobs at TSC. Overall, 180 teachers participated in the TWC-sponsored program at several institutions, organizations and businesses around the Valley.

"We were delighted to have participated in the Rio Grande Valley Externships for Teachers Program," said Thelma González-Sullivan, TSC coordinator for Transfer, Career & Employment Services. "The teacher externs had the opportunity to observe and also get hands-on experience during many of the daily activities that we perform at TSC for the benefit of our students. In turn, the teachers will be able to share their experience with their students about the various career opportunities available in higher education."

Los Fresnos CISD Resaca Middle School sixth grade English teacher Tania Caballero had the opportunity to experience and observe TSC's Student Services departments in action. One of the skills that Caballero noticed during the externship was how communication played a key role in the orchestration of the college registration process.

"There was a lot of communication that was involved at TSC and good communication skills is a very important aspect when you're in the work force," said Caballero. "The sooner the students start practicing communication skills, the better they'll be when they get to high school, and eventually college."

Over the course of the school year, Caballero plans to implement the interpersonal and written communication skills she used and observed during the externship into the lesson plans for her students.

About Texas Southmost College
Originally established in 1926, Texas Southmost College currently offers the first two years toward a bachelor's degree, along with career and technical education leading to certificates and associate degrees, college preparatory studies to prepare students for college-level work, workforce training, and continuing education. TSC offers 53 programs of study leading to an associate degree or certificate. TSC became independently operational in the fall of 2013, after engaging in a 20-year contractual arrangement with a public university.