Meet Some of Our Education Students

In Champlain Elementary School in Burlington, I was a student-teacher! I was in the classroom twice a week helping the teacher, practicing teaching lessons, and running activities for students who were in kindergarten. Champlain Elementary School was actually my first ever placement. I was able to practice assessing students in reading and math. I learned about behavior management. I even got to be the substitute in the classroom and got paid for doing so. Lastly, I got to build great relationships with students and my amazing mentor teacher, Katie Paige!

I believe that Champlain really prepared me for not only my internship but my entire career. With each assignment and project, I was able to build on skills that are important to have in a classroom. I feel like Champlain College's Education program is the best anywhere! I am extremely satisfied with how much hands-on learning I have done, how much incredible work I have done and will do in the future, the mentor-teachers that I had the pleasure of working with and learning from, and lastly the feeling of being highly qualified to work in a classroom.

Overall, I have loved all my classes in Core and my Ed major! If I had to pick one, I think it would be the Infant & Toddler class I took in 2019 with Kathy Apgar. I was actually expecting when I attended the course, which was pretty ironic. What made it special was being able to play with infants. I love children, and that is why I chose to go into the field of education, but I also love babies! It was also very special because during exam week, my classmates and professors decided to give me a baby shower! It is something I definitely hold deep in my heart and will never, ever forget!

Through my student teaching at Orchard Elementary School, I really got an idea of what life would be like as an actual teacher. I was in the classroom for roughly 40 hours a week. I learned different classroom management techniques and creative ways to teach academic content. Because my internship is so connected with the work I'll be doing in my career, I think that I am very well prepared. Though I'm going into the workforce as a first year teacher, I've had tons of experience in a variety of classroom settings thanks to Champlain.

I've been a mentor at Champlain's chapter of the DREAM program since my first year. We work with youth ages six to eighteen living in low-income housing in Milton. Every Friday, we do different activities together, like apple-picking, bowling, playing at local playgrounds, and so much more. Being a part of this club has been so rewarding. As much as I hope I made an impact on my mentees' lives, I know they made an even bigger one on mine.

In the spring of 2019, I studied abroad in New Zealand through the Auckland University of Technology. I took classes on both the Maori culture, as well as education in New Zealand. One of my favorite experiences was getting to volunteer at a primary school while I was there. I worked with year one students-equivalent to kindergarten in the U.S.-so I got to see New Zealand's education system in action. I plan to implement elements of their education system into my future classroom.

I came into Champlain as a Psychology major, but in my second year I decided that I wanted to add a double major in Education. I started with a class in Elementary Education, but then realized that Secondary Education was a better fit for me. I grew up with depression and anxiety and tried to seek help, but found the mental health system lacking qualified therapists and support for queer and trans youth in particular. I wanted to dedicate my life to providing the support that I knew I needed, but never received, so no one else would have to suffer. But on the other hand, I've always felt drawn to the world of education. In high school, I helped out at our embedded preschool program, designing lessons for three and four-year-olds. I hold my elementary school teachers as the basis for the strong support I had growing up and the desire to always keep learning more. I couldn't decide on just one major or one career path, so I chose to study both because I feel they're deeply interconnected fields that often get separated into singular specialties.

Both the Psychology and Education programs are held in the EHS Division, and we're like a big family. We connect with different majors all the time in our classes; I have friends from basically every major in EHS. Being two of the smallest majors also means we have the chance to really work with our professors in their fields of expertise on projects that we feel inspired by. I also love that EHS students take Service Learning classes as part of our curriculum so that we can engage in meaningful work for the local community. Our motto sums us up the best: "We do good work."

I took a Core class called Interdisciplinary Project Studio, which is a course where students can pitch their own project ideas on any topic they want to focus on throughout the semester. I  worked on developing a unit plan to teach 9th grade students about the modern history of the Korean peninsula. This not only gave me the chance to add something to my portfolio when I go into the field looking for a job as a teacher, but also allowed me to explore my own heritage and culture more deeply in a project that is both relevant and meaningful.

From a very young age, I always wanted to be a teacher. Teaching has always been my passion. My goal is to leave a positive impact on the lives of future doctors, lawyers, engineers, and future teachers. I chose Early Childhood/Elementary Teacher Education, specifically, because I want to be one of the first influences in a child's life. After all, you probably won't forget your kindergarten or third grade teacher.

I love the idea of living on campus because you get to meet new people and build a community with those who live in the same hall as you. I met some really cool students who lived in my hall. It's great to hang out with people who have nothing in common with your major at times. Not only do you get to share information with them, but you also get to learn new and exciting things from their lives.

After graduation, I plan to move to a large city and find a school that's hiring teachers. My plan is to teach for about five years, then apply to grad school to get my master's degree. My ultimate dream is to become the principal of a school that I found and open.