Purdue University Fort Wayne class lets students explore teaching as a career

Kayla Melchi’s earliest teaching memories date to childhood, when she would come home from class with extra worksheets that she could give to her sister when they played school.

Such tendencies didn’t immediately turn into career ambitions, however. Melchi spent three semesters studying biology at Purdue University before she realized that path—which she set early in high school—wasn’t for her.

Melchi enrolled in Purdue Fort Wayne this past semester and signed up for the experiential Exploring Education class. It was open to students of all majors and offered learning opportunities in K–12 classrooms throughout the city.

The course—which was offered in virtual and face-to-face, on-campus formats along with the experiential option—has the potential to expand the teaching pipeline, said Isabel Nuñez, School of Education dean.

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