When Megan Pickering was a kindergartner, her future career was already calling out to her.
“One day we had a sub, and I told her that I was going to take charge of the class. I told her I was going to read a story to all the kids in the class, and I did,” Pickering remembered. “But,” she added through laughs, “I really do like to be in charge.”
Her young self was onto something. Now 19, Pickering is working as a paraeducator in a Boyne City Elementary School classroom with teacher Mandy Richards, as a one-on-one aide to a student with a disability. The way her face lights up when she talks about the little girl she helps each day (“She is a little ball of sunshine!”), and being in the classroom environment, it’s not hard to tell she was destined for a career in education.
Pickering was recently celebrated by Char-Em ISD at a “Career Tech to Careers” signing event in the Rambler Room at Boyne City High School, where many special district recognitions take place. Career Tech to Careers events were established by Char-Em’s Career and Technical Education Department to recognize high school students who pursue careers after graduation based in part on their enrollment in career tech classes in high school.
Pickering graduated from Boyne Falls High School in June 2025. During her junior and senior years, she was enrolled in the Future Educator Academy, a Char-Em ISD Career and Technical Education class launched in 2022 that is focused on training future educators. Pickering was the first student to take the class two years in a row.
“What you see with Megan here is what she brings every day,” said FEA co-instructor, Erin Luckhardt, in reference to Pickering’s enthusiasm and positive attitude during the signing event. “During her time in the Future Educator Academy, Megan was always willing to participate, dive in, and contribute. There are some students who have the “it” factor, who thrive in the classroom, and who have found a career pathway. That is Megan.”
Students in the Future Educator Academy meet several times a year as a full group at Boyne City High School, the program’s hosting district. After being introduced to the program, students are placed in classrooms in their home district, typically in the grade levels where they have interest. In the classrooms, they learn alongside teachers and get hands-on, real-world experience of what it is like to be a teacher.
For Pickering, it was just as she imagined. During her junior year, she was placed first in a first-grade classroom and next in a fifth-grade classroom, both in her Boyne Falls home district. She preferred the younger students. “I wasn’t cool enough for the fifth-graders,” she said with a laugh.
She also found herself drawn in particular to helping students with disabilities. That led her to be placed in a Char-Em ISD special education elementary classroom during her senior year, learning from ISD teacher Jody Cosier. She spent 2.5 hours each day in the classroom for students with emotional impairments (EI), learning what it takes to be a special education teacher.
“I love the different behaviors and figuring out what triggers them, and then helping the students overcome those challenges,” Pickering said.
As additional training to prepare for her career, Pickering and her fellow FEA students participated in the pilot “Paraeducator Bootcamp” offered by the Michigan Association of Administrators of Special Education (MAASE) during her senior year. Pickering completed the learning, which included a mix of online learning modules, in-person review, and hands-on activities alongside the individuals working as paraeducators in her classroom placement.
Boyne City Elementary Principal Mike Amabile said Pickering has been an exceptional addition to his staff. He said it’s not common to have a person of her age enter into the classroom environment and excel so quickly.
“She’s excellent. I get nothing but compliments from our staff,” Amabile said. “She’s been great about asking a lot of questions and works really well with her teacher. I believe being in the Future Educator Academy really helped to get her ready to jump right into the classroom.”
While talking about the benefits of taking CTE classes in high school – the hands-on training and real-world skills – Pickering noted it also served the purpose of solidifying her instincts.
“I always knew I wanted to be a teacher, but I also wanted to make sure it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” she said. “Enrolling in the Future Educator Academy ensured that this was the path for me.”
As part of the ISD’s Career Tech to Careers events, Pickering received a $200 gift card to Office Max from the Mansfield Family Foundation, which has generously supported the ISD’s signing events and career tech initiatives for many years.
Photo caption: Pictured with Megan Pickering (seated, center) are, (seated, from left) Erin Luckhardt, Future Educator Academy co-instructor; Jim Rummer, Char-Em ISD Career and Technical Education Director; and Mike Amabile, Boyne City Elementary School principal; (standing, from left) Hannah Sanderson, CTE consultant, Char-Em ISD; Jody Cosier, Char-Em ISD special education teacher; Cathy Pickering, Megan’s mom; Amanda Loper, Boyne Falls Public School principal; Jen Spate, Future Educator Academy co-instructor; Adam Stefanski, Boyne City High School principal; MJ Grunch, Boyne City High School counselor; and Tory Thrush, Career/College Readiness Consultant for Char-Em ISD.