By BROOKE BOYER-  Every year, student teachers observe and adapt to high school surroundings in order to meet their final graduation requirements to learn about teaching firsthand. This excellent opportunity allows IUP student teachers to learn more about being educators and gain skills that will prove invaluable in their later teaching careers. Beginning this semester, several students have come from IUP to teach in IHS classrooms for the remainder of the school year. They will be frequently seen in the hallways and within classrooms, so it’s important to become familiar with and get to know them.  

Miss Emily O’Donnell is one of the several student teachers at IHS this semester. O’Donnell is from Altoona, Pennsylvania. She is working with Mr. Nath and is able to observe a variety English Language Arts classes, including AP Language and Composition, Journalism, Public Speaking, and Creative Writing. When asked why she wants to be a high school teacher, O’Donnell answered, “I love working with teenagers, and I really want to show you guys that reading and writing can empower you and impact your lives.”

Mr. Ryan Caldwell is another student teacher here this semester. He is observing the second and fourth levels of Spanish classes with Mr. Henninger in order to learn more about teaching the language. Being immersed in these Spanish classes, Caldwell is able to learn how to teach a different language effectively. “I’m developing myself as a teacher so that I can succeed in my own classroom,” Caldwell expressed.

Mr. Henninger hopes to be a helpful resource for Caldwell this semester. “The biggest thing I hope to offer is my experience through conversation and my example. I hope to be someone that my student teacher can bounce his ideas off of, because that’s what we do as teachers,” Henninger stated.

Mr. Todd Fetsko is here under the supervision of Mr. Neil. He is able to observe the class of Civics and Government. Even in the short time he has been here, Fetsko has come to regard the school favorably. “I love my time here. I think all the teachers have been incredibly nice to me and offered any help that they could give. You can tell that they really care about their students,” he said. “My goal of being here is to refine my teaching skills and gain as much experience as I can from a great school district.”

The IUP students will be able to learn from the students and teachers here at IHS, while we will also be able to learn from them. There are still more student teachers this year. Also student teaching here at IHS this semester are Samantha Nichols with Mrs. Lyons in English, Magdalene Sukala with Mrs. McAnulty in Spanish, Jessica McDanel with Mrs. Miller in art, Alexandra Abbatiello with Mrs. Porter in art, Tyler Newcomb with Mrs. Hixson in science, Alyssa Bourne with Mrs. Dress in science, and Kayla Hancock with Mrs. Smith in guidance.  Hopefully the high school can be a place of many great experiences for these future educators.

[Photo by Brooke Boyer]

Photo Caption: Miss Emily O’Donnell and Mr. Todd Fetsko discuss ideas for their teaching plans.