Julia Schuerle

     

 

1. What is your educational background and what positions have you held?

I started at Slippery Rock University in the Fall of 2014 with a dual major in Early Childhood (PreK-4) and Special Education (K – 8). I graduated in May of 2018 and currently am a fourth grade teacher in Laveen, Arizona. I instruct 27 fourth graders in all content areas.

2. What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?

There are many rewarding aspects of being a teacher. The most rewarding part of teaching for me is when you can see the lightbulb go off when a student finally understands something. There is nothing worse, and defeating, than teaching something and the students not understanding. The best part is when you go back and reteach and you get to see the ‘ah-ha’ moment for the students. Another thing that is really rewarding is making personal relationships with your students where you get to know them as not just one of your students but as a nine or ten year old too.

3. What advice would you give to current students who are enrolled in the teacher preparation program, and to SRU students generally?

Advice that I would give to current students in the teacher preparation program is to find what makes you happy and strive for it. Going into teaching you want to be happy and being happy is part of what is going to make you most successful. Additional advice I would give to students is to get involved. While at SRU I was involved in several education clubs but the one I was most involved in was Student PSEA. I think this club gave me opportunities and experiences so that I could have the tools to set myself up for success.

4. Name an SRU experience or faculty that had a positive influence on you and explain why.

Dr. Bieniek, who is a professor in the Special Education department was one of my professors who had a positive influence on me. The passion that he has for what he does really conveys in his teaching. Sometimes when I’m with my students I stop and think “what would Dr. B do right now,” and it helps me think more clearly about the situation. One thing he would always talk about in class was data and how important it was and that is one thing that I have found to be incredibly true. Every good teaching decision is based off of data. Dr. Bieniek is an excellent professor and I hope to be the positive influence he was on me to my fourth graders.

5. What makes a great teacher?

What makes for a great teacher is not only someone who knows how to teach academics but can also be there for the students emotionally. There is so much more to teaching than teaching the standards. You have to be there for the students physically, academically, and emotionally. It is difficult to balance all three but I think what makes a great teacher is someone who finds that balance and incorporates it daily into the classroom.