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We Are ... back in the classroom
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or as much effort that went into making Penn State’s College of Education accessible remotely during the pandemic, the equally significant endeavor to re-establish something that at least resembled normalcy this fall hasn’t gone unnoticed by the people who benefit most from it — students. Maddy Russo, an elementary and early childhood education major from Selbyville, Delaware, is doing her pre-service teaching at West Branch Area Elementary School in Clearfield County and was more than pleased to put a halt to online classes.
By Jim Carlson
15 months got some love and attention,” he said. “We revamped some spaces. We also learned during the pandemic that we could be more efficient, digitizing business operations … work orders … conference room reservations. The takeaway for the last 19 months was to not totally discard everything we were doing.” The college and cooperating school districts collaborated to get prospective teachers back in the classrooms.
virtual route, and the Advising and Certification Center was wellpositioned to make the quick switch because most student information already had a digital footprint to enable advisers to work remotely. “And we’re at a point now where we’ve attempted to come back to a normal, pre-pandemic way of doing things,” said Greg Mason, the center’s director.
Establishing relationships is what attracted Sarah Russell — who also is doing her pre-service “The College of Education (and teaching at West Branch — to an Bald Eagle Area School District) education major, and the fourthhave been awesome in trying to year student from Pittsburgh is pleased to be back in the classroom. “Being a senior and knowing what “I am an extrovert, it was like to have smaller so finally getting to be classes within the College around people in the Penn of Education, I was able State community has felt to understand all that we great so far,” said Russo, a were missing while being fourth-year student who is online,” said Russell, an enrolled in the 4+1 Special early childhood education Education Graduate major with minors in Program. “Zoom made Photo: Annemarie Mountz special education, deafness everything feel slightly and hearing studies and more ‘casual,’ even though Students were back in the classrooms around campus and within the human development and it was not, and this caused College of Education this fall. family studies. me to feel less planned out ensure that student teachers are in and organized. Fourth-year student Meghan person this semester,” said Maddie Gerrity completed her pre-service “I find it interesting to teach in Mineo, a fourth-year student from teaching virtually and is pleased to such a unique time in the world. Downingtown, Pennsylvania, who be in the classroom this semester at I would have struggled with is doing her pre-service teaching at Indian Valley Elementary Center in teaching lessons virtually, as the Milesburg Elementary School. the Mifflin County School District. students never would have gotten “Both worked with us ahead of the opportunity to bond with me in “I am an out-of-state student time during pre-student teaching person prior to this.” and having the in-person option to let us know that some schools made returning to State College The opportunity for students may be requiring vaccinations for much more exciting and optimistic,” to get back to “normal” didn’t student teachers to be in person said Gerrity, who is from Basking come easily. Much of what was which was really helpful in giving Ridge, New Jersey. “Learning that done within the college during us time to get that done. It’s really the College of Education was doing the pandemic had to be undone. great to be back in person and be everything it could to return their Facilities set up to be socially able to have the opportunity to student teachers back to in-person distanced were changed and all gain that experience of being in instruction helped to alleviate my classrooms underwent a similar a classroom to pursue my future anxiety. I actually felt motivated transition, according to Julian career.” and enthusiastic about my full-time Morales, director of operations in Counseling about students’ student teaching after pre-service the College of Education. careers also was forced to go the student teaching virtually.” “Rooms unoccupied for Penn State Education
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