Student Teaching Makes The Difference

Two of my best friends here at Oswego are Education majors who are super passionate about what they do and what they will do in the future. Olivia Grecco and Rachel Fogel spend a lot of their time grading papers and making lesson plans for their students.

Although the Pandemic threw a wrench in their plans for student teaching in person, they’re still getting a lot out of the virtual experience each week. Hopefully this won’t be something they have to prepare for again in the future but the way school works in person may be changed forever and they are getting experience with it now as students.

Olivia is a Childhood Education major with a concentration in English. As a Junior here at Oswego she was super excited to have her first year of student teaching, even though it wasn’t how she expected.

I talked to Olivia about her experiences with student teaching, “It provides us with real world experiences of what we hope to pursue in the future,” she said. “I am grateful for student teaching as it allows us to foster connections with both current teachers and students.”

Olivia is super passionate about all things in life and I can see her being the most amazing teacher. Whenever any obstacle is thrown at her she finds the best way to overcome and keep going. I am grateful for our friendship and so excited to see her grow as a student and future educator.

Rachel Fogel is a Senior at Oswego who plans to come back for a 5th year to complete her Masters. Oswego has given her countless friendships and memories that she wants to continue to make here. Oswego has given Rachel so many opportunities and she is so excited for what’s to come.

“Student teaching gets us more involved in a classroom,” she said. “It gives us more experience and knowledge on what a real classroom would be like. It also helps us learn about the different kinds of learners there are to help us better adapt in the future.”

I have seen Rachel get so excited about her students submitting work and just participating and trying in general. Virtual learning is not easy for anyone and it really shows when the student isn’t motivated.

Rachel is a double major in Adolescent Education and English and spends a lot of her free time writing papers of her own and preparing things for her next week of student teaching. She is so passionate about her students and how much they have improved over the course of this semester, even with all of the challenges both the students and teachers have faced.

Looking forward I am so excited to see where my friends go and believe they will be the kind of teachers to change lives and make a difference. Their passion and effort speaks louder than their words, and they will be the kind of educators that there should be more of in this world.

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