By Onika Davis, Aquinas Reporter
As of Sept. 22, Intro to Education Aquinas students have started working in their field positions for the course and are now half way through their experience.
Intro to education students were assigned to various K-12 classrooms in the greater Grand Rapids area. With a range of 10-20 different local schools that are partnered with Aquinas for the program, it is not uncommon for all students being assigned to different schools or multiple being assigned to the same one.
Room 258 Academic Building, Introduction to Education classroom — Photo by Onika Davis
The course is being taught by Dr. Briana Asmus, who when asked what kind of work she expects from her students in their six-week period she shared that education students must submit their notes, field log and a summary essay of their experience. Students meet with their professor bi-weekly over Zoom for status updates.
When asked what she would say to incoming Aquinas students who may have an interest in pursuing education and what she hopes to see in them, Dr. Asmus said, “Coming from a place of caring to work with people younger than them, which I think is the most rewarding part of the job; feeling like you can influence younger students—to have an impact in their life.”
Students in the course when asked shared what it was like for their first few sessions in their field positions. Many commented on how different it was from their own experiences in elementary and high school, mainly in the population sizes. Some who had attended public schools were assigned at a private school, and vice versa.
Aquinas students made all-positive comments on the students they are working with, referring to the children as very responsive and well-mannered in class discussions. Teachers that AQ students have been with so far have assigned them work, including assistance with preparing packets for parent-teacher conferences and proctoring make-up tests and quizzes.
When asked what kind of teaching or classroom strategies they have witnessed so far, AQ students mentioned tactics such as phone-caddies, the use of whiteboards instead of scratch paper, and Grace Lothschutz said that her teacher “has a spreadsheet of schedule and routines, copies of assignments done a week ahead of time.”
One Intro student, however, made a comment about finding difficult to envision teaching as their future career.
“The part I found most difficult about deciding to be an education major was how would I feel actually being in the classroom,” said Kaitlynn Cockrun, a sophomore in the class. “Education wasn’t my only choice of major and something I realized while doing this field experience is that maybe teaching isn’t the best choice for me.”
This shines a light on another reason for having the field experience requirement for education students; to assist them in envisioning their futures and if they choose to switch their course of study.
Entrance to Wyoming High School, one of the locations that Aquinas Education Majors are positioned in — Photo by Kaitlynn Cockrun
“It can be really stressful preparing for it,” Lillie Tschirhart, an AQ sophomore who is placed in Wyoming High School, said, “But it really isn’t as much pressure as it is. You put more pressure on yourself than the teachers and students do. Everyone is there to help you understand.”
The Saint 