School of Education with Emma

Transcript

Okay, everyone, let’s catch up with Emma, a senior majoring in elementary education. Emma always knew she wanted to be a teacher and will be the four generation of teachers in her family. VSCU’s elementary education program was recently ranked number one in the country, so Emma knew she had to check out VCSU. The floor’s yours, Emma. Take it away.

– Thanks, Alex, I’ve always loved working with kids, whether it was coaching T-Ball, serving as a BIO Girls mentor, or even teaching swimming lessons. I’ve known for a long time that I’ve wanted to become an elementary teacher, and Valley City State University has one of the top education schools in the country, so of course I had to check it out. During my campus tour, the people, the university, and the education program just felt right. It was like the place that I needed to be. I’m proud to say I’ll be a fourth-generation educator in my family. My aunt, my uncle, and even my cousin all graduated from VCSU. My cousin even had some of the same professors that I have today. My younger sister is also here studying elementary education. I’ve had great experiences here, whether it was practicum hours in a real life classroom or working with professors who really do care about you. I’ve experienced many different learning styles and curriculums, which will help prepare me to lead my own classroom one day. One of my favorite things about the VCSU elementary ed program is all the real-world experiences. Students in this program get the chance to be a paid substitute teacher. It begins with a subbing partner to gain confidence. Then this leads into you running a real classroom as a teacher in charge. VCSU has recently finished a complete remodel of the education building, McCarthy Hall. The modern spaces and new technology have made this a fantastic place for future teachers to learn and reinforce VCSU’s reputation as a leader in teacher education. While I’m ready to become a teacher, I know I’m gonna miss it here. Whether it was sledding down Snoey Hill on one of our snow days or meeting my lifelong friends and teacher besties, my time here has been fantastic. Back to you, Alex.

– Thank you, Emma. It’s obvious you leave VCSU ready to lead your own elementary classroom. With required real-world experiences like subbing and student teaching, VCSU’s nationally-ranked education program is full of success stories like Emma, who leave prepared to make a difference as teachers. Good luck, Emma. We’re all rooting for you.