Internship Insights

January 2025

The last four months I have spent in Ms. Smits's classroom have been one of my best experiences. At the end of last school year, I had nearly no idea what I wanted to do after graduating high school. As we got closer and closer to the beginning of my senior year people consistently asked me what my next step was. To which my response was always “I’m not sure yet”. I enjoy doing many things but none of which I wanted to pursue a career in. Yet I kept going back to the idea of teaching. My problem was what grade. I initially planned on pursuing elementary simply because I did not have a specific subject I wanted to teach. Yet the more time I spend in the classroom the more confident I am that this path is for me. I have learned countless skills by spending time with Ms. Smits. I have learned how key patience is when it comes to spending the day in a classroom. Ms. Smits has shown me how she manages a classroom, which if you spend any amount of time with first graders you understand just how demanding of a task this is. It has been so exciting to feel as if I am a part of the classroom. The students treat me as a teacher, which further helps me grasp the concept of how it will be in a few years when I am on my own. I loved Ms. Smits's class so much that I chose to spend another semester with her to see things like tests at the end of the year, and further insights into the student's progress. Ms. Smits has treated me with lots of respect and has trusted me to take on many tasks, such as spending time one-on-one with students to improve their phonics and math skills. This was a learning curve for me as I have not spent time breaking down phonics and basic-level math for years. With Ms. Smits's help and some practice, I feel confident in my ability to take these skills with me into future classrooms.