Amherst Student Thrives in Work-Based Learning Placement Through Education Pathways Academy Program

Anna Rivett, a recent Amherst High School graduate and a member of the Education Pathways Academy (EPA) program through Erie 1 BOCES and SUNY Buffalo State University, took part in a two-week Work-Based Learning (WBL) placement designed to give future educators real-world experience in schools.

While these placements are typically observational in nature, Anna and her cooperating teacher, Lancaster Middle School French teacher Madame Rivett, recognized that Anna was ready for something more.

During her placement, Anna led a full lesson for a class of seventh-grade French students. Standing at the front of the room, Anna greeted the class with an enthusiastic “Bonjour, class!” and quickly established a positive and welcoming classroom atmosphere. She had prepared name tents for each student to help learn their names and began the lesson with a bell ringer activity supported by music.

The lesson, titled “ER Verbs in Action: Negate & Conjugate,” focused on one of the more challenging aspects of language learning: verb conjugation. Yet Anna transformed the topic into an engaging and interactive experience.

Students participated in choral responses in French, practiced verb endings together, and used visual and physical cues to reinforce grammatical patterns. At one point, students made large “X” motions with their arms to symbolize dropping the –ER ending from verbs before adding the appropriate conjugation.

Anna also incorporated music and rhythm to help students remember key concepts. During one activity, students enthusiastically sang along to a song designed to reinforce verb endings, some even drumming on their desks in rhythm as they practiced pronunciation.

The room was filled with energy, engagement, and participation. Anna frequently encouraged students with phrases like “You’ve got this!” and “You guys are so smart,” creating a classroom environment where students felt comfortable responding and taking risks with a new language.

Throughout the lesson, Anna circulated around the room checking for understanding, offering individual support, and celebrating student successes. The seventh graders responded enthusiastically, raising their hands to participate and even echoing Anna’s own encouraging language when working independently.

Experiences like this are powerful examples of the opportunities provided by the Education Pathways Academy, which allows high school students interested in teaching to take college-level courses while gaining hands-on experience in schools.

Seeing a high school student confidently leading instruction in a middle school classroom is rare. Yet Anna’s lesson demonstrated both the preparation and passion that programs like EPA aim to cultivate in the next generation of educators.

“This was one of those moments where you stop and think, this is exactly why programs like the Education Pathways Academy exist,” said Anthony Lleras, instructor of the program. “Anna stepped into that classroom with confidence, connected with the students immediately, and delivered a lesson that was engaging, supportive, and genuinely fun for the kids. Watching her teach, you could clearly see the instincts and passion of a future educator.”

To learn more about the Education Pathways Academy program, visit e1b.org/edpathways.