Students from four lower Yakima Valley high schools are learning what it takes to be a teacher.

Twenty-four high school students who aspire to be teachers gained valuable experience this week, allowing them a chance to follow that dream.

The Recruiting Washington Teachers program launched with a three-day academy at Heritage University in Toppenish. Thursday was the final day of the academy, the first part in the year-long program.

"This program helps you get the confidence to share your ideas and go out and do what you want," said Xuxa Garza, 16, who will be a junior at the Yakama Nation Tribal school next year.

Being a teacher is something Garza has aspired to since she was in elementary school. The passion started by helping in the classroom of her younger brother, who has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Now she is on her way to following that dream.

For the past three days, aspiring teachers from Toppenish, Wapato, White Swan and Yakama Tribal School got an opportunity to connect with peers, pick up a few pointers about being a teacher and learn details about getting into college themselves.

"I enjoy being in the classroom and learning and stuff," Garza said. "School work was my way of getting away from my problems."

The teacher recruitment program is run through the Educational Service District 105 and is aimed to inspire students from diverse backgrounds who are underrepresented in teaching careers. The program also strives to get those students to teach in content-shortage areas, such as math, science, English language learners and special education.

Oscar Gonzalez, 17, a senior-to-be at White Swan High School, latched onto teaching after realizing he had a knack for identifying struggling students in a classroom. In some of his classes, Gonzalez noticed some students who were struggling but were not asking for help. So he offered it.

Now he understands that communicating with students and understanding what's going on with them could be his biggest challenge as a teacher.

The teacher recruitment effort is funded with a $128,000 grant from the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction's Professional Educator Standards Board.

State and federal efforts to bolster student's proficiency in math and science has made it difficult for many schools to find the quantity and quality of teachers needed to make that happen.

"We need math teachers because the state board is considering an extra credit of math in high school," said Terrie Geaudreau, director of math and science for ESD 105.

Throughout the next year, the students will also get to work with the teachers in their respective high schools as advisers and mentors as a way to prepare today's students to be teachers of tomorrow.

"We want to make sure that when these kids get out of high school they'll have choices," Geaudreau said.

* James Joyce III can be reached at 577-7675 or jjoyce@yakimaherald.com