Stetson University’s Department of Education prepares aspiring teachers by providing teaching internships in classrooms across Central Florida. While education seniors are completing their internships, they are preparing for the future in their chosen field.

“Student teaching is the most exciting and challenging experience for education majors,” said Mercedes Tichenor, Ed.D., professor of education. “During this time, interns are presented with many opportunities to use the theories, ideas, and practices they have learned during their years leading up to student teaching. With the guidance of strong cooperating teachers and university supervisors, our interns formally transition from student to teacher during the internship. Throughout the spring semester, educator seniors worked in elementary, middle and high schools across Flagler, Orange, Seminole, and Volusia counties. For 15 weeks they trained and taught at these schools while taking courses connected to their own coursework in the classrooms. (Pictured right, Haileigh Fecteau conducts a class with the students at Citrus Grove Elementary.)

“The education internship was an amazing experience for me,” said Jay DeDon ‘14, recent music education graduate (pictured left), and one of the two recipients of Stetson’s 2014 Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award for service. “The education I received during this time inspired me to actually pursue a career in music education. I had the opportunity to completely design the entire curriculum for the three and a half months I was at the school. I was able to sincerely impact the lives of 768 students, and I was completely embraced into the Freedom Elementary Family as if I had been teaching there for years. I was able to work under an alumni who is also a brother of Stetson’s chapter of Phi Mu Alpha, bond with his family, and gain him as a new lifelong friend! The internship also helped me to transition out of college socially. I was working and functioning on the schedule of the outside world, however I was still able to socialize and be around the remarkable friends I had been growing with for four years. I now feel completely entirely ready to tackle the world of music education and start making an impact on the rest of the world,”

The following public schools have welcomed Stetson students into their classrooms: Blue Lake Elementary, Citrus Grove Elementary, Champion Elementary, Deland Middle School, Freedom Elementary, Hagerty High School, Indian Trails Middle School, Jackson Heights Middle School, Matanzas High School,Palm Coast High School, Sugar Mill Elementary, Winter Park High School, Winter Springs High School, and Woodward Elementary. The student interns help developed lesson plans, taught classes and worked with teachers in developing teaching skills.

“My experience was truly wonderful; Stetson had prepared me in so many ways for a successful teaching career,” said Brianne Buckley ’14, (pictured right) recent education graduate. “Our program is known to be rigorous and quite challenging. However, the support from the amazing faculty really helps ease interns into the internship. Stetson also works quite diligently with the county, to place interns with cooperating teachers. My cooperating teacher was supportive, caring and pushed me when I needed it. I don’t think I would have felt comfortable with any other education program but Stetson’s. The student teaching experience was the best thing of all my four years at Stetson. I’m beyond excited for my own classroom come fall.”

After earning a degree and completing the internship, music education graduates receive a certification to teach in Florida and are approved by the State Department of Education and the National Association of Colleges of Teacher Education.

“This internship gave me the experience and tools necessary to continue my education and pursue a career as a music educator.  I am grateful for the connections and insight I now have as I enter into the professional world,” said Andy Hunt ’14, recent music education graduate.

Each senior plans to take advantage of their internship experiences as they head into the education work field, and some have already used their knowledge to enter into their desired work field, “I am currently employed as the substitute band director at Sebring Middle School which is the middle school that I went to and the band program I started in! It has been a lot of fun and I have really enjoyed working with the kids,” said Tony Juliano ’14, recent music education graduate.

The following is an alphabetical list of recent graduating seniors who completed their student education internships, along with the name of the area schools in which they interned:

• Kathleen Audet – Volusia County, Champion Elementary
• Rebecca Bowles – Seminole County, Hagerty High School
• Brianne Buckley – Volusia County, Woodward Elementary
• Jay DeDon – Volusia County, Freedom Elementary
• Haileigh Fecteau – Volusia County, Citrus Grove Elementary
• Ray Fisk – Flagler County, Palm Coast High School
• Andy Hunt – Flagler County, Matanzas High School
• Anthony(Tony) Edward Juliano, Seminole County, Indian Trails Middle School
• Gabriela Martinez – Volusia County, Deland Middle School
• Emily Nichols – Volusia County, Sugar Mill Elementary
• Daniel Noyes – Volusia County, DeLand High School
• Matt Podell – Seminole County, Jackson Heights Middle School
• David Schoemmell – Flagler County, Buddy Taylor Middle School
• Michelle Ashley Urbaneck – Volusia County, Blue Lake Elementary
• Marli Varnadoe – Seminole County, Winter Springs High School
• Rebecca Vega – Orange County, Winter Park High School
• Alyssa Welsh – Volusia County, Blue Lake Elementary

“We’re proud of all our graduates and wish them the best as they enter the teaching profession,” said Tichenor.

by Grace Aguda