They're hoping to make a difference someday in the lives of young people.

Simran Dosanjh, Tamera Nelson, Bibi Khaliq, Macy Brothers and Judith Tod are Sierra High students in Manteca Unified's Advantage Future Teacher program and career pathway.

On Tuesday, they got a taste of what it takes to be educators. The five young aspiring teachers in Berenice Cervantes' career in technical education class at SHS had a chance to implement their carefully designed lesson plan to young children and their families at MELS Garage in the district office complex.

"It was a nice experience," said Tod, who is a SHS sophomore. "We got to see what teachers go through."

She and her classmates led in hands-on exercises such as "Fall Fun with Magic Dancing Popcorn" -- the lesson plan had the youngsters learning about the chemical reaction of mixing popcorn kernels with vinegar and baking soda.

The volunteer young students had a chance to express that experience using words such as "hypothesis," "properties," and "carbon dioxide" in their vocabulary.

Brothers, a junior, read aloud "The Popcorn Book" while sophomore Nelson led in the making of "Popcorn Turkey Hands."

Added Nelson: "I liked how they got excited (about the lesson plan)."

Brothers thanked one of her favorite teachers for her inspiration into education at a young age. "I was told that I was a natural (teacher)," she said.

For Khaliq, her goal is to make teaching fun.

As for Dosanjh, she only had to look at home for her inspiration. "My mom is a teacher," said the SHS junior.

According to Stacia Lagomarsino, who oversees the Future Teacher Career Pathway program for the district, high school students can greatly benefit from this experience, especially after graduation.

Their career pathways appear set.