Taylor Reinsel

1. What school district and grade/s do you currently teach?

I teach in Lexington 2 school district in South Carolina. I teach ninth grade World Geography and eleventh grade US History.

2. What do you love most about teaching?

What I love most about teaching are my students I get to spend each day with! Each day is a new opportunity with all of them. 

3. What attracted you to Slippery Rock University, and in particular, the education department?

I am from Erie, PA and Slippery Rock was the perfect distance from home for me! I loved the school and knew they had a good education program. I loved the education program so much that I am even doing my masters degree through SRU’s special education program! 

4.  Name one SRU experience, in general or specific to the field, that you will never forget and explain why.

It’s hard to pick just one experience through my four years there, but one thing I’ll never forget is an education trip to Costa Rica! Dr. Lynch took us to Costa Rica and the places we got to visit, the new friends I made, and the knowledge of their culture was one of my favorite things I got to do while I was there! 

5. What makes a great teacher?

A great teacher is someone who cares, listens, learns, and keeps growing. A great teacher is someone who not only helps their students learn, but also learns from all of their students. A great teacher is someone who can take on the responsibility of caring for someone else’s child each and every day. Slippery Rock, the professors, the atmosphere, and all of the other future educators you get to spend so much time with, helped me develop into the teacher I am today, and I will always be grateful for that!

Heather Laurent

1. What school district and grade/s do you currently teach?

I teach K-5 STEAM at Pittsburgh Woolslair in Pittsburgh Public Schools. We are the elementary STEAM Magnet School for the district, meaning we not only serve students in our neighborhood, but from across the district!

2. What is one positive experience that you have had with a student? 

I work a lot with my students on perseverance and being willing to make mistakes. Last school year I had a second grade student say to me, "Failure is not an option, try and try again is the only option." This came from a student in one of my toughest classes, it proved to me that our students really do listen to what we say.

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

While college can't fully prepare you for what it is like to be working full time as a teacher, it gives you an incredible base of knowledge that you pull from. Also, when you do start teaching don't forget what it is like to be the student!

4. What do you love most about teaching? 

There is so much I love about teaching, but what I love most is helping students understand how and why. In the past when I've taught 5th and 6th grade math and now as a STEAM teacher, especially with computer programming, seeing the students when they finally realize how or why something works is incredible! 

5. What makes a great teacher? 

A teacher is great when they understand their content and know their students well enough to teach that content in a way that works for their students, even if that means changing how you teach each year, or sometimes even each month, week, or day!

Adam Huck

1. What school district and grade/s do you currently teach?

I am an Assistant Professor of Education and Director of Initial Certification Graduate Programs at Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester, NY. I was an elementary classroom teacher for 13 years in the Rush-Henrietta Central School District in Henrietta, NY where I taught grades 3, 4, and 6.

2. What do you love most about teaching?

I enjoy my time in the classroom working with pre-service teachers and helping them gain a deeper understanding of their students and teaching as a profession. The best part of my job is the one-on-one conversations I have with new teachers and the opportunities to advise and guide them. As a classroom teacher, I worked with student teachers and it was rewarding for me to watch their professional and instructional growth. This was one of the reasons I pursued a position in higher education. In my current position, I work with many new and emerging teachers as they develop their pedagogical skills. Becoming a great teacher is a long journey and I am fortunate to have the opportunity to contribute in the early stages of their careers.

3. What has been your most rewarding experience as a teacher/professor? If you cannot narrow it to one, describe one rewarding experience.

Hearing from former students is always incredibly rewarding. It is wonderful to have someone share their successes with you. Recently, a former student teacher asked if I could write a letter of recommendation and serve as a reference while she searched for her first teaching position. About a month ago, she contacted me again and was overjoyed when she shared with me the great news that she was offered a contract and will teach second grade. She is a great teacher and it was well deserved.

4. What advice would you give to current students who are enrolled in the teacher preparation program at SRU?

Any time I speak with pre-service teachers I give three pieces of advice. First, ask questions. It shows an interest in the profession and a desire to learn. Second, make reading a priority in your life. You will obviously read children's books as you plan your lessons, but read for your own enjoyment and share your reading interests with your students. Additionally, continue to read professional books about teaching after you graduate. Teachers are always looking to improve and you should keep current with new ideas, trends, and research. Often, course textbooks can get expensive. However, try to identify some to keep for the creation of your professional library. Third, recognize the foundation that education has built at SRU and carry your Rock degree with pride.

5. What makes a great teacher?

There is a personal connection with great teachers. They have a deep understanding of not only the content, but also their students. They know their students' personalities, interests, and academic strengths in order to create learning experiences that endure. Additionally, great teachers are "lifelong learners" and are always looking to improve in all facets of their profession.

Lexie Nieri

1. What school district and grade/s do you currently teach?

I teach students, ages 3-21 at the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children and coach field hockey and track at North Allegheny Senior High School.  

2. What is one positive experience that you have had with a student?

One of my favorite teaching moments is providing a student with their first experience in a pool.  Each student reacts differently to their first swim, whether it is trepidation, skepticism, or enthusiasm.  As the students get to know me, the pool, and learn about water safety, I see their fears ease away.  Many of my preschoolers finish the school year by blowing bubbles, climbing out of the pool on their own, jumping into the water and righting themselves, and some even begin to swim under water.

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

Try everything and volunteer as much as you can without burning yourself out.  You will meet more people and discover new interests that will influence your professional career.  

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

Thanks to Mr. Ogoreuc for convincing me to add the aquatics minor freshman year.  I did not realize how pivotal the minor would be on my career as a college student and a professional.  I benefited from the extensive, semester-long lifeguarding class by getting a competitive and well-paid waterfront lifeguarding position each summer.  I was able to assist my supervisors further by training and certifying my coworkers through the Lifeguarding Instructor certification.  The Water Safety Instructor certification has been crucial to my teaching career as it has been either a strong preference or requirement for employment.  My first physical education job involved teaching a few swim classes which led to becoming one of the swim coaches that season.  Unaware at the time, these experiences along with the adapted aquatics and management courses prepared me for my position today as the Adapted Aquatics Instructor for the physical education program at my school.

A huge thank you to Mrs. Fagan for her positive influence on me in grad school.  My year was engulfed in Envision Blind Sports, Blind Hockey and a passion for individuals with blindness and visual impairment.  I was hooked from the beginning and look forward to continue working with the great programs she has created.

5. What makes a great teacher?

I believe empathy is the keystone between great teachers and their students.  Great teachers are those who are able to create a safe and engaging learning environment while understanding and working with the diverse needs of the individual students in an ever-changing world.