Future teachers finding rewarding yet different experience amid pandemic

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UW-Superior education majors Kayla Raboin, left, Kristiina Thums and Johnathan Erickson needed to adapt for their student-teaching experiences in the Northwestern School District during the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Little that has taken place this school year resembles anything that has come before. With restrictions in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, traditional classroom time has shifted to social distancing, PPE and limited extracurricular activities – if learning wasn’t already transitioned completely online.

While coronavirus changes have been drastic for students, parents and educators, they’ve also brought about an unexpected challenge for UW-Superior education majors completing their student-teaching requirements.

UW-Superior students Johnathan Erickson, Kayla Raboin and Kristiina Thums have spent the fall student-teaching in the Northwestern School District and experienced the ever-changing academic landscape which began in the classroom before transitioning to remote learning.

“I was not anticipating I would be student teaching in the middle of a global pandemic,” said Thums, a senior majoring in instrumental music education. “Student teaching is such a pinnacle part of any education major’s journey and I have been looking forward to it for years. I thought that initially, it would be radically different and maybe even completely virtual. However, I was open to whatever circumstances were to come.”

Since its inception as a normal school in 1893, UW-Superior has been preparing future educators and today offers on-campus undergraduate and graduate degree programs and pathways to licensure. This reputation for excellence continues to inspire new generations of teachers.

“Overall, my experience in the education program at UWS has been amazing,” said Raboin, a senior elementary education major with an instruction minor. “The things that I have enjoyed the most are the experiences that I have had in the classroom. I have always been one to learn best from hands on experiences. No matter the level grade, whenever I am in the classroom, I am filled with absolute joy.”

UW-Superior’s Department of Education has an extensive support network, especially when it comes to the student-teaching experience, which assists in finding students to be placed in the best situation for success.

“I am really enjoying it,” said Thums, from Finland, Minnesota. “There have been many changes since starting my placement, but I have been open to all of it. I have had the opportunity to work with middle and high school bands and work with the faculty in the district.”

This fall, UW-Superior had 43 students throughout Wisconsin

Continue to read this article on the UW-Superior Website.




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