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| Megan, Sarah, Lauren, Daniel, Alayna, Paige, and Carole |
Imagine that an education major from your college is
considering student teaching at Chicago Semester. Consider what you would
tell that person in order to encourage him/her to apply to Chicago Semester
Sarah Boyer –
Judson University
Student taught at
Peterson Elementary
I enjoyed the
people the most during my student teaching experience. I met twenty or more new people and I have
made lasting friendships with them. This program shows you people you may have
never met, and that is great to see a new perspective in the world, yourself,
and your teaching.
Additionally, I
would add that on top of having great staff at Chicago Semester, great staff at
your Chicago Public School, you are surrounded by the greatest city! Living and teaching in Chicago allows you to
have a new experience every day. You can
travel 10 minutes and be in a totally new environment, where the primary
language could be very different from your native language. This exposes you to
lots of new culture, food, shops, and people.
Chicago Semester has the best of both worlds; great placements in
Illinois’ largest school district and living in Chicago which is the greatest
city.
I have learned that
this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I want to teach in a big city with a lot of
diversity. I have learned so much about
acceptance of others and acceptance of myself.
Chicago will always have a place in my heart because it is what exploded
the passion inside for helping, inspiring, and teaching others.
Lauren
Hughes – University of Mount Union
Student
taught at Farnsworth Elementary
The most enjoyable
part about the Chicago Semester experience is living in the city and working
with such a diverse group of students. I felt that by working in the city I was
able to experience more here than I would have been able to by doing my student
teaching back in Ohio. I truly enjoyed my teachers and teaching experience at
Farnsworth, I have had two great cooperating teachers and lots of great
students.
Another enjoyable aspect
of the Chicago Semester experience was the city itself. I have had a blast
exploring the city and seeing all that it has to offer. If you sign up for this
experience you owe it to yourself to make sure you spend time getting out on
the weekends and going to the different neighborhoods.
While being in
Chicago, I learned more about myself than I expected to. I learned more about
my own teaching style and how I handle different situations that may arise
while teaching, along with how I handle being on my own in a city. I learned
that I was able to find my way around the city and use the CTA without a
problem, which was a big concern of mine before coming here. I learned a lot
about myself by being here without my family and main support system. I learned
about how I can be extremely independent, which was good for me to grow as a
person and as a professional.
I had an amazing
Chicago Semester experience and would encourage anyone who is thinking about
taking this opportunity to do it because it was the best semester of college
for me.
Paige Myers - Central College
Student taught at O.A. Thorp Scholastic Academy
I truly enjoyed my
experience here at Chicago Semester. I loved being in a big city with all the
entertainment you could want at your fingertips. Weekends were a great time to
explore the city and hang out with the other students in the program. Now that
it is close to the end of the semester, I have a feeling of great
accomplishment. Student teaching is hard no matter where you are. Chicago Semester
added to that for me because this is the first time I have been this far, for
this long from my family and friends. There are other contributing factors like
the commute that make it harder than other placements. The commute for me was
close to an hour and fifteen minutes each way. That wears you down. The class
sizes are bigger and the resources are limited. Knowing that I can teach under
these circumstances makes me feel like I can take on any job thrown at me. I
would say do it for your personal growth and to have that feeling of
accomplishment at the end of the semester!
Alayna
Mucci – University of Mount Union
Student
taught at Jamieson Elementary
Chicago Semester is
a wonderfully diverse and challenging experience. I have learned so much about
the profession of teaching, the city of Chicago, and most of all myself.
Through my student teaching placement I have learned how to best accommodate
diverse students and their families. I have also learned what I would like my
classroom t environment to be and the role I can play in students’ lives. I
have also learned that the city is where I meant to be and that is here in the
fabulous city of Chicago. Student teaching through Chicago Semester has been
one of the greatest learning experiences of my life. Challenging? Of course, but worth it?
Absolutely.
Megan
Rensink – Central College
Student
taught at O.A. Thorp Scholastic Academy
In this fourth
grade placement, I was very fortunate to be working with the teacher I was
given. With my first placement not working out right away, she was able to take
me in and gave me the exact encouragement that I needed to see that this is
what I really am supposed to do with my life and I shouldn’t let anyone
discourage me. Your cooperating teacher is the person you spend most of your
time with each day and my experience was that much more wholesome because of
our relationship.
In more ways than
one, I have learned that I prefer working in an elementary school placed in a
small-town setting rather than the big city like Chicago. I feel like since
that is just what I have always known, that is where my heart is and that is
what I’ll always love. Student-teaching in Chicago has been a huge learning
experience, but I feel that I have seen the great benefits of teaching in a
small public school and that is where I’ll always prefer to teach.
Daniel
Schreiber – Judson University
Student
taught at Peterson Elementary
While the Chicago Semester program provided a great number of
positive experiences over the semester, the experience I enjoyed the most was
the opportunity to teach an incredibly diverse student population in an urban
setting. This experience was quite
different from the previous practicum experiences I had in suburban Chicago
schools, which did not have anywhere near the diversity at the school I was
placed at by Chicago Semester. As a K-12
physical education teacher, I debated which grades I enjoy teaching the most
before I entered my student teaching placement.
Through this experience, I learned that I truly enjoy working with
Elementary students. While I enjoy
teaching middle and high school students, I discovered that I work especially
well with younger students. Since I plan
to teach in an international school after graduation, Chicago Semester's
placement in a diverse school was a perfect fit to help me in my pursuit
towards an international teaching career.
