Student Teaching - Spring 2015

by Amanda Mast - Curie Metro High School

You would think that moving to Chicago would have been a difficult adjustment for me. I grew up in Cresco, Iowa, a small town where the closest mall was an hour away, and now I’m living in a city where there is noise, lights, and commotion at all hours of the day. In May, I will graduate from Central College in Pella, Iowa, another small town and small college. So far, though, living in the city has been different but fantastic. I choose to do my student teaching here because I never had any inner city experience, so how would I know if I liked it or not if I didn’t try?

LaCasa ladies at the Bean in Millennium Park

There is so much to say about my experience so far that I am struggling to verbalize everything that is happening. I am starting week five of my student teaching, and even though I haven’t been here for very long, I feel very comfortable here and my routine seems normal. While waking up and getting ready is generally not a super positive experience, these students are so funny that it makes it all worth it. They are also curious about my life back home and how different it is. One class even describes me as being “fresh off the farm” (not that I have lived on a farm, but they can’t seem to understand that). These students have so much character and personality that they make coming in enjoyable, no matter how early I have to wake up to get here on time. I have also really enjoyed getting to know the other student teachers in the English department. We mesh really well, and the other teachers call us the “cool kids” and say we have too much fun. I have made so many great relationships and connections, and they support me so much in this demanding, trying experience.    

Curie Metro High School

Curie Metropolitan High School is a magnet high school with an enrollment of over 3,000 students-about the same as my hometown’s population. The majority of the students are Hispanic, and 95% of the students come from a low-income home. It is a school that appreciates art and believes that this is the key to being successful.  So many of my students are talented artists, writers, musicians, dancers, etc. The school’s mission is to prepare students "to become leaders and engaged citizens in a global society, enabling them to contribute positively and responsibly to their community." The building is large, but I only have to worry about the English wing. I don’t venture too far away from it. I got lucky on my first day of school because I happened to run into another English department student teacher on the train, so he was able to take me everywhere I needed to go. Unlike other smaller schools I have taught at, Curie’s teachers all have a desk in a department office rather than having set classrooms. They push around a cart with all of their materials for the day, and that, surprisingly, has been my biggest struggle. Everything must stay organized and your cart must be well stocked. It’s your miniature, mobile desk.