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| Lindsey, Margaret, Ginnie, Amber, Lisa, Karley, Caroline, & Steve |
Lindsey Springstroh – Hope College
Student Taught at Curie Metro High School
I would
encourage anyone who wishes to become the best teacher possible to student
teach in Chicago through Chicago Semester. Living and student teaching in
Chicago expands your worldview, and helps you understand life outside of
Michigan. It is unlikely that many of us will land a teaching job in Michigan,
so it only makes sense to practice your teaching in another state. You will
meet many challenges while student teaching in Chicago (ie. truancy, language
barriers, lack of funding), but as your cooperating teacher helps you overcome
these, you'll feel prepared to tackle anything that comes your way in
your future teaching career. I truly feel that I would not be nearly as prepared
for my first year of student teaching if I had stayed at Hope. My cooperating
teacher was wonderful, and helped me understand how to teach in an urban
setting. Regardless of whether I teach in a big city in the future, student
teaching in Chicago will look great on my resume (and on yours), because it
shows that you are capable of adapting to diversity, which is key for
educators.
Margaret Snyder – Central College
Student Taught at Cooper Elementary
The thing
I liked most about the Chicago Semester experience was that it gave me a sense
of being grown up and out in the real world, but I was still walked with and
guided. I was scared to be out on my own, so I wanted a mixture of independence
but also support; Chicago Semester gave that to me. One thing I learned about
myself the most was probably how independent I really could be. Class was no
longer a three-minute walk, my meals weren’t made for me, and there definitely
wasn’t a cleaning lady coming every Thursday leaving me a sweet note on my
mirror. I thought I would hate the transition, but I found I genuinely enjoyed
the whole process. I now take ownership of the meals I cook, bathrooms I clean
and the trust in myself to get where I need to go. I have truly enjoyed every
second of being here and I wouldn’t have traded it for anything in the world!
Virginia
Norrgard – Central College
Student
Taught at Curie Metro High School
Chicago Semester was an excellent place to complete
my student teaching. Having already gained experience in rural and small schools
in Iowa, I wanted to be exposed to an urban classroom to better understand
education through a different lens. At my placement I was given the
opportunity to collaborate with a diverse group of students and faculty in a
large school setting. One of the greatest challenges, yet most rewarding
experiences I had, was teaching in the bilingual program. Here I was guided in
providing instruction in Spanish to my students who are English language
learners in the bilingual Spanish program. By having this experience in Chicago,
I learned many things about myself. Perhaps the greatest of these is my ability
to be adaptable to any situation. I learned how to communicate with all my
students and also to change my lessons to fit their needs for each given
day. This experience may seem intimidating to you right now, but you need
to know that your cooperating teacher and the Chicago Semester supervisors will
provide you with all the support you need. I highly recommend this opportunity
to any prospective teacher who is curious about urban education. This student
teaching placement will equip you with knowledge and experiences that you
cannot find in Iowa.
Steve Cabassa – University of Mount Union
Student Taught at Kelly High School
If you are
thinking about student teaching in Chicago with Chicago Semester, you should
definitely do it! I feel so much more
prepared after going through the rigors of this program. I learned so much valuable information and
was really able to grow as a potential teacher.
The best part by far though was being in the big city! For a small town guy like myself, it was a
truly eye opening experience that I thoroughly enjoyed. Also, having taught in Chicago looks so much
more impressive on a resume than the typical small schools in Ohio. So, if you are looking for an experience that
you will always remember and set you apart from all the other job applicants,
look no further than Chicago Semester!
Karley
Jones – University of Mount Union
Student
Taught at Ray Elementary
There were many endless things that I enjoyed about
my experience in Chicago. The city alone was simply amazing and had so many
things to offer. I was never bored between the fun city life and planning for
lessons the next day. Living in the city was a huge adjustment for me but it’s
easy to quickly get the hang of things and I felt like I belonged here in no
time. The school where I student taught exceeded my expectations I had prior to
arriving in Chicago. The diversity within the walls of the school was a wonderful,
different experience for me and I learned so much from my students. I have
learned over the course of these 14 weeks that I am much more open-minded than
I thought I was. In order to enjoy this experience I had to accept many
differences and uncomfortable situations. Fortunately, I found myself falling
in love with the city and what it offered me. My students helped ease my stress
of being away from home because I was so busy planning lessons and preparing
things for class the next day. Overall, the experience in Chicago was so much
more than I had ever planned for myself. It wasn’t long enough, in my opinion.
I truly enjoyed student teaching in such a large classroom setting, thanks to
the amazing staff and my cooperating teacher who I have become friends with. I
have met wonderful people during my 14 week internship and I wouldn’t change
any of it for the world.
Amber Moore – University of Mount Union
Student Taught at Ray Elementary
You may
come from a small town or come from a medium sized city. Either way, everyone has a comfort zone that
they are fearful of stepping out of.
Coming to do my student teaching was the best decision I’ve ever made
during my time in college. I have heard
so many classmates complain and confide to me how they wish that they would
have done it; I didn’t want to be one of those people. One of the things that I enjoyed the most
about Chicago Semester was my placement for my student teaching. Although I was gaining lots of knowledge at
my school and through my various placements, I would have never had the
experience as diverse as this one if I stayed in Ohio. Doing my student teaching through Chicago
Semester gave me so many opportunities professionally and personally. There will be stressful times along with good
times, but you take those in stride throughout your entire time here and remind
yourself that it will all be worth in the end.
Don’t be afraid to leave your comfort zone, and don’t let anyone deter
you from this experience. If you can do
it, then do it, or find a way to do it.
Caroline
Bartko – Central College
Student
Taught at Cooper Elementary
Chicago gave me a great experience teaching a
diverse group of learners. I really enjoyed trying to get to know each student
and learning about things that motivate them. This helps me to understand what
I need to do as a teacher to keep them interested in my class. Most
importantly, teaching at Cooper helped me to understand how to teach ELL
students and how to modify my lessons to fit their needs. This will help me in
my future because I want to work with ELL students and a diverse group of
learners. I think that this placement helped me to prepare to continue pursuing
my goals.
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