Hannah completed an internship at Canyon Elementary as a 3rd grade teacher. Here is what she has to say about this experience:
What day-to-day tasks were part of this experience?
As part of the internship, I was involved in everything a teacher does: preparing weekly lesson plans, printing copies, collaborating with colleagues, teaching lessons and managing a classroom, grading work and organizing curriculum, gather and analyze data from assessments, work with Individuals and small groups who are struggling, recess duty, and all the other things involved with being a teacher!
What would have better prepared you for this internship?
A class focused on the beginning of the school year prep involved (what is needed in a classroom, what procedures you need to have, what a day looks like for a teacher, etc.). More applied information instead of only learning philosophies.
Was this experience a confirmation that you are going in the right direction, or a pivot to something else?
Confirmation. I was always uncertain to an extent if teaching really was the career for me, because I never got the full experience of it. My internship allowed me to literally jump all in and experience teaching my own class and all the things required of a teacher. And I found out that I absolutely love it. Everyday I leave smiling because of my students and I know I’m in the right career.
Would you recommend this internship to other students?
I would definitely recommend it, although with a word of caution: this internship requires a very open mind and patience with yourself. There’s a lot of growth that happens and at first it feels like too much, but if you take one day at a time and focus on the connection you’re making with the students, it’s absolutely worth it. You can’t learn how to be a teacher until you teach, and this allows for the whole experience!
