Student teachers Brendan McCorkle, Grace Finch, and Haleigh Bauer are gaining classroom experience at Mount Union Area High School.
By GIULIA WHITESEL | Journalism Student, Mount Union Area Senior High School
Mount Union, Pa. — Juniata College students Haleigh Bauer, Brendan McCorkle, and Grace Finch are preparing for their future careers in education by student teaching at Mount Union Area High School. These students teach in the classrooms of Ms. Susan Dimoff, Mrs. Haley Krause, and Mr. Benjaman Smith. Ms. Dimoff is mentoring Ms. Bauer in English IV and Journalism; Mrs. Krause is leading Mr. McCorkle in English II, and Mr. Smith is guiding Ms. Finch in Biology.
These Juniata College students are nothing but gracious towards their mentors. Ms. Bauer states, “I think Susan Dimoff is a great role model to me. To be honest, she’s been in my shoes, she knows what I need to do; she knows just how grueling and challenging it can be to student teach. So, whenever I fall, she’s always there to kind of pick me back up, which is something I really appreciate. I think it is such an amazing quality for a person to have to be caring about everyone while somehow remaining sane. I don’t know how she does it. I really don’t.” Ms. Bauer is very passionate about becoming a teacher. She said she knew she wanted to be a teacher when she looked back at her teachers that she was fond of and one of the principals she had that connected with her on a personal level. Ms. Bauer stated, “I decided that, if I was going to be a teacher, I was going to be like him. And then I went to Juniata to study education.” This shows just how impactful and inspirational school personnel can be for their students.
Student teacher McCorkle states, “I think young people, highschoolers, are the future of the world that we are trying to make. To try to build that with them is really cool.” Student teaching is more than just practice and grading; it is preparing these young educators to shape the minds of generations to come.
For many, the student teaching experience reinforces their desire to pursue a career in education. Ms. Finch is appreciative of her time at Mount Union. She states, “I like the community, and I like the small class sizes, and I haven’t had a bad experience yet. I still want to be a teacher; if anything, I want to be a teacher even more than when I started.” She also says that she wouldn’t pick another school to student teach in if she had the opportunity. In the classes Ms. Finch teaches, she says, “There is never a dull moment; it’s never boring.”
All of these Juniata College students are indebted to Mount Union for their experiences, mentor teachers, students, and the community. Their time at Mount Union Area High School will not only impact their lives but also the lives of their current and future students.
This article was published as part of Ms. Dimoff’s Journalism class at Mount Union Area Senior High School.
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