TEXAS – Even with the strongest internet connection, your child’s connection to his or her online work may be weak. Some teachers are still struggling with virtual learning.

A new generation of teachers is learning how to reach students online right out of the gate.

Ready, Set, Teach is a program for high school students who want to become teachers. Everything is now online and that fact is giving these future teachers a leg up.

Being a student in online classes during the pandemic is great practice for soon to be teachers. Cedar Hill High School students Jessica Graciano and Sydne Webb are picking up lessons from their own teachers about what works and what’s frustrating from a student and teacher’s perspective.

“The conversations are deep, but they help me understand how they do critiques and how they teach the class – how everyone is different: kinetic, visual, logical,” said Webb.

Webb is a junior and plays on the girls’ soccer team at school. As part of the Ready, Set, Teach program, she helps elementary students in math, English and other subjects – all online. This is her first real-world, hands-on experience in her journey to become a teacher herself. She says doing everything online can slow things down, but she’s getting the hang of it.

“You have to share your screen and look up what they’re working on in the subject and how can you teach them online,” Webb said.

Unstable Wi-Fi connections and other obstacles of online learning aren't intimidating to Graciano either.

“I still want to be a teacher, yes,” she said.

The high school senior hopes to teach music and become a band instructor one day. She says she’s learned to have a different tempo over the computer as she guides students. This means she’s prepared to have a lot of patience with her young musicians.

“Well, I see how they work hands-on. In the camera if I see that they struggle, I just let them know that it’s okay, I’ll do it for you and I’ll show you from my computer. I show them as much from my computer that they can’t do yet,” said Graciano.

When it does come time for these high school students to become teachers, they’ll be better equipped to handle more teaching scenarios than the generation of educators before them.