In my practicum teaching English at a local high school, Liceo Scientifico Galeazzo Alessi, I gained experience in working with older students. I was able to create discussion questions, provide content-specific vocabulary and language, and utilize teaching skills I had learned both during my time at St. Mary's and in my education of multicultural teaching strategies at the Umbra Institute in Perugia. Also, instructing high school-level students was a completely new experience and required a new approach to my engagement. I was able to engage with them deeply and intelligently, enjoying a deep understanding of their lives in Italy and the cultural norms among teenagers in Perugia. 

As I navigated my new role teaching English, I also had to navigate my approach as I also worked with local middle schools in the school Ugo Foscolo. While similar to what the role asked of me, my approach needed to be scaled to the middle school level, with a lower level of English proficiency but a higher need for engagement and interactions with content. I deeply appreciated this experience because it allowed me to put into practice the educational theories that I have read for so long. While theories are beneficial to know, they are simply useless without actual applicable situations to engage them with.