First-year education majors’ efforts impress local school corporation

With more than 15 representatives from Fort Wayne Community Schools and another 10 from their School of Education watching intently, 28 future teachers from Purdue University Fort Wayne marched to the front of the room and assertively and cheerfully stated why they had chosen this profession and were so excited about it.

They were impressive and determined—especially noteworthy considering they were almost all first-semester freshmen.

That’s the transformative effect of the new Exploring Education class the offered by the SOE this semester. A few students even decided to become teachers after the general ed elective course started. No one dropped out, and everyone was empowered by what they learned during four weeks each at FWCS schools Bunche Montessori, Levan Scott Academy, Shawnee Middle School, and Snider High School.

“The first day that I met them, I could tell they were just eager to see what the world of education is about in action,” said Ashlie Simpson, principal at Levan Scott Academy. “It’s one thing to be in the classroom to learn about it, but another thing to see it in action. I could just tell they were really fearless and ready to be part of the work.”

Snider Principal Chad Hissong said he saw continual growth among the students, and his school would love to continue participating in the program in the future. In fact, he gave the students a pep talk before their presentation, encouraging them not to be nervous but to be lively and show their personality.

“Look at this like a first job interview,” Hissong said. “Show these people the growth I have seen throughout your time here.”

The students certainly looked confident and experienced. They also presented introductory résumés, knowing the district has openings for instructional assistants. PFW’s partnership with FWCS continues to flourish, including efforts to work with the schools to alter schedules so students can accommodate such positions.

The goal of the class is to take students out of their PFW classrooms on Wednesday mornings and into FWCS schools to gain experience. They observed for the first three weeks to learn from the teachers, built lesson plans, and then directed classes during the last week.

“They are doing things that are junior-level, so this has been an exceptional experience for them as freshmen,” said Holly Hullinger, clinical associate professor of elementary education. “They are already prepared to progress further in their academic careers when they will step into a classroom more frequently.”

Students were assigned to compile a toolkit of 20 ideas they want to implement in their future classroom. Most came up with more. It’s hard to imagine the students being more passionate about their chosen field.

“It’s been incredibly rewarding because instead of just sitting in a classroom with a textbook, we’re able to use these concepts and pour those into the students,” said Hallie Mounsey, a freshman elementary education major. “We can also learn more from the students than we could ever teach them in their work.”

The first time he stepped into a classroom, elementary education major Dylan Fiedler said he was very nervous, but now he looks forward to more opportunities. Most of the students will complete another 30 hours of classroom observation individually throughout northeast Indiana during the second semester.

“I feel more than ever like this is where I belong,” Fiedler said. “Going into my field observations, I want to see as many different things as possible. There are obviously things I still need to learn, such as classroom management, but this is my base because I’ve already built lesson plans and taught lessons.”

Emily Plattner, a middle school education major, said the nerves quickly faded as she learned to lean into assertiveness.

“It was very interesting to be able to see all the different age ranges at the different schools,” Plattner said. “The more I did things, the more comfortable I felt pitching in with instruction. This reinforces my choice, and I can’t wait to get more experiences in schools.”

Next semester, the upcoming group of experiential students will visit new locations at Whitney Young Early Childhood Center, St. Joseph Central Elementary, Lane Middle School, and Northrop High School.