Professional Development
Throughout my time at Longwood, I have been very fortunate to participate in several events, organizations, jobs, practicums, etc. that have shaped me as a professional.
During my freshman year, I was elected president of the Honors Student Association, a position in which I served through the end of my sophomore year. I was also accepted as a Longwood Ambassador, or tour guide, which led to the development of even more leadership skills as well as public speaking skills. I was also accepted as a member of Alpha Lamda Delta First Year Honor Society as a freshman. Freshman year was also when I experienced my first one-week practicum in a first grade classroom. It was mainly observation, but it solidified my desire to become a teacher!
During my sophomore year, I had the unique experience of volunteering at the 2016 U.S. Vice Presidential Debate which just so happened to be held at Longwood that year. I also was surprised with a ticket to go inside to be a member of the audience the night of the debate. Two weeks later I was on a plane to Seattle, WA to participate in an Idea Exchange with other Honors Student Association executive boards from across the country. I was also offered a job working in the Office of Admissions at Longwood, where I was trained on multiple computer systems, perfected my telecommunication skills, and learned to give the Admissions presentations usually given by Admissions counselors. I continued to serve in my role as a Longwood Ambassador and was elected as the Ambassadors Alumni Relations committee head, a position I served in through my junior year.
During my junior year, I continued my work with the Longwood Ambassadors and the Office of Admissions. As much as I love teaching young students, I discovered I also love helping older student find their new homes and learn what educational opportunities await them after high school. I experienced my 60-hour practicum during my junior year as well. I was placed in a 2nd grade classroom in Chesterfield county schools. I learned a lot about my teaching style that year, particularly that I had a lot of confidence building to do! It took lot of nudging from my cooperating teacher and my professors to let loose a little bit and just enjoy working with my students without worrying about my lessons being picture-perfect. Kids have more fun and learn more when the teacher is having fun, too!
Senior year brought with it my participation in the Geist Chapter of Mortar Board Senior Honor Society which planned Oktoberfest on campus as well as a continuation of my time as a Longwood Ambassador. I had the privilege of being in charge of the campus-wide bonfire to kick off spirit week (which led up to Oktoberfest) through Mortar Board. Because the professor who had emceed the event for decades had retired, I was able to revamp the entire event and double the food offered, which still turned out not to be enough! My first semester of senior year was also my Partnership semester, during which I was placed in a 5th grade classroom in Fluvanna County. The oldest students I had ever worked with previously were 2nd graders, despite having been in elementary classrooms regularly since 10th grade. I was nervous, but excited to see a new side of elementary school. I ended up being in a middle school, though, which shocked me. I was very nervous since I knew middle school was not where I want to ultimately work. I ended up having a fantastic semester, though, and the students taught me as much as I taught them. I worked on targeted math remediation with two small groups of students, targeted literacy tutoring with one student all semester, a targeted behavior coaching strategy for a student who struggled significantly with impulse control and social norms, as well as several whole-group lessons in math, literacy, and science. Take a look at the summation of my literacy tutoring in the document at the bottom of this page. Additionally, here is a link to my Teacher Work Sample.
My next and final step in my undergraduate career is student teaching. I will be placed in a multi-level K/1 classroom in Cumberland Elementary School. I am anxiously awaiting all that I will continue to learn before becoming employed as a full-time teacher!
