Hollie Carlson

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

I was an undergraduate student at SRU from 2009-2014. I graduated with a B.S. Ed. in K-12 Health and Physical Education. My time at Slippery Rock was so unique and so special and I am very thankful that SRU was where I received my education. After graduation, I was a substitute teacher and coach at Rockwood Area School District for 1 year before returning to school to get my masters degree. I received my M. Ed. from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2016. While at IUP I completed a graduate assistantship, aiding in research and supervision of undergraduate students. Shortly after, I moved to Plant City, Florida and landed a position as a middle school physical education. I currently hold that position as well as serving as the school’s athletic director.  I also coach a variety of sports year round.

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

I have had so many rewarding moments with my students. I would have to say that my favorite interactions that I get to have with the students are when I see something truly click. When they make the connection between having fun in class and how this is really beneficial to their every day lives. I also spend many hours with them outside of the classroom and that has helped me form such strong and unique bonds with many of my students. They truly do teach me just as much as I teach them and I value the time I get to spend getting to know them. 

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

I knew pretty early on that I wanted to be an education major. Making a positive impact on the lives of the students I would get to teach was just as much of a goal for me as teaching itself was. I was blessed growing up to have some of the most amazing teachers who were there for me in challenging times both in and out of the classroom. I felt safe with them and happy to be there. I wanted to create that environment for others as well. I chose Slippery Rock University because of the reputation of their education program. Anytime I mentioned a career in teaching, there was always someone there to ask if I would be attending SRU. I also remember going on a campus tour and admiring the small town community feeling. I loved the size of the campus, the student to teacher ratio and how it automatically felt like home. 

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

My advice to current students would be to get involved! I was an active member in many organizations on campus. Those organizations have been a major stepping stone for me. Networking with other professions through those organizations helped me to achieve goals that I set for myself. I would also advise current students to really embrace the techniques that they are privileged enough to learn. There are so many things I have learned at SRU that are being introduced at different times in my career that I feel very comfortable with already because of the classes I was able to take. Your professors are your most important asset. They have so many great things to offer, please be willing to learn. My last piece of advice is to always keep an open mind and an open heart. There are millions of children out there who need us in different ways on different days, be willing to grow with them and build those relationships. 

5.  What makes a great teacher?

I can’t say for sure what makes a great teacher, but in my opinion there are several qualities a great teacher should possess. A great teacher should always be willing to listen. I have found that even on the worst days for my most challenging students, all they want is for someone to really hear what they are saying. A great teacher should be able to lesson plan and have a game plan, but be willing for that plan to go out the window sometimes because it’s not what your students need to learn in that moment. A great teacher should be compassionate and empathetic but have a firm stance on expectations for each students. Finally, a great teacher is someone who wants to teach. Someone who wants to be there for the students and make them want to be their very best. Someone who shows up for them, relentlessly, to show them that somebody care and that their education is important. I share a quote with my students often which says, “I teach because your life is worth my time.” I believe each student, all 160 of them that I see, are worth every ounce of time I can give. 

Leah Hoffman

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

My education background is a B.S.Ed. from Slippery Rock University. I hold a Pennsylvania teaching certification in Early Childhood Education PreK-4 and Special Education K-8. After graduation in 2017, I taught preschool for two years at Bright Horizons. Currently, I have a new position as a Special Education Teacher at The Hope Learning Center.  I have been with Hope since August, and I have already learned so much!

2. What do you love most about teaching?

What I love most about teaching is seeing a student improve and understand! Nothing compares to seeing a child's face light up when they understand a new concept or get all the answers right on a task. 

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

One SRU experience I will never forget is traveling with the Marching Pride to University of Michigan to represent SRU! It was an amazing experience being on the field, playing my mellophone under all those bright lights and huge crowd.

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

My mother is an SRU Alum; that is what originally brought me to Slippery Rock. I transferred in as a sophomore Biology major, but I always had a love for teaching. The following Spring semester I changed my major to Education because I had, and still currently have, a huge passion for educating children.

5. What makes a great teacher?

A great teacher is one that is constantly reflecting on their own style and approaches, is fun and energetic, is passionate about learning, and overall just loves to help children succeed.

Carly Killmeyer

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

I attended Slippery Rock University, where I received my Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood/Special Education. During my senior year at Slippery Rock, I became the co-president of Autism Speaks U-SRU. I also was working full time at a daycare in the neighborhood.  When I attended Slippery Rock I student taught at Slippery Rock Area Elementary School. The classes I student taught in were K-2 Learning Support with the amazing Jean Allison, as well as in Kindergarten with the wonderful Kathryn Denholm. Two days after graduating from SRU in 2018, I moved to a new state, and started my dream job as a teacher of students with Autism at Belmont Elementary School in Woodbridge, Virginia. I am currently into my second year of teaching, working with students who have mild-moderate autism ranging in grades Kindergarten-3^rd Grade. 

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

The most rewarding aspect of my job is seeing student growth, as well as making real life connections with the little learners I am interacting. It makes my heart so full when a student of mine achieves a short-term objective or can finally identify all of the letters in the alphabet. Seeing these children learn and grow is so powerful. Student relationships are NUMBER ONE in my book. The feeling you get when a student loves you and trusts you is so hard to explain. My students know that no matter what, I got their backs and when they step into my classroom they are important and valued.   

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

To all of those students in the teacher preparation program, ENJOY EVERY MOMENT, BE PROACTIVE, and TAKE THE INITIATIVE!  Enjoy the carpools to student teaching with your friends. Enjoy eating lunch with your co-ops while picking their brains with all of your questions on the field experience or about the lesson you are teaching for the first time. Enjoy creating fun lessons for your students. Be proactive about interviews! Make the time to reach out to other schools even though you haven’t graduated yet! Be proactive with your goals. Set goals for yourself that you would like to achieve during this experience. Take initiative with your co-op! Make those copies, come up with new ideas, start the math lesson with out being instructed to do so! YOU GOT THIS!

SRU Students in general, enjoy being at the ROCK! Time flies while you are there and all of a sudden you are out here in the real world. Also, enjoy your weekends with all of your best friends around you, because soon enough you all will graduate and move on with your careers and other endeavors. 

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

Two words. MICHELLE MCCOLLIN! I could not even begin to imagine what my experience at SRU would have been like with out Dr. McCollin. When I met her my first semester of school we instantly connected due to her class being my favorite. I would visit her during office hours to expand my knowledge on what was discussed during the lecture, as well as vent about my issues at school. Her office became a safe space for me. I felt like no matter what was discussed in her office it was confidential and she really cared to make a difference in the life of all of her students. When I was expressing self-doubt or my confidence was lacking, Dr. McCollin was always there to give a pep talk, or keep it real with advice on what to do next. As I moved into my Jr. year at SRU I realized that Michelle McCollin was more like a friend or family member. She would take me out to lunch and discuss how I was doing, how classes were going, as well as introduce me to her amazing eyes for Africa organization. She instantly became a person I contacted with all my successes and failures! She sadly passed away during my senior year at Slippery Rock University. Something she said to me that I will always value is “ We as advocates have to be compassionate ALWAYS, judgmental NEVER. “

5.  What makes a great teacher?

What makes a great teacher.. That is such a fully loaded question. What makes someone a great teacher to me is someone who values students and their relationships, an advocate for all students regardless of background or ability, as well as someone who is dependable, flexible, and consistent.

Cara Nicewarner

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

I am currently a 6th grade, Science and History Special Education teacher in Frederick County Public Schools in Virginia.

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

One positive experience that I have had with a student was when a student that I had previously taught in sixth and seventh grade, who had a difficult time focusing, managing time and completing work in class, would come back to see me to tell me about the improvements he was making in each of those areas during his 8th grade year because of the strategies we had worked on together over the previous 2 years.  Over the course of his last year in middle school, he would be sure to share his successes with me and was excited to see what he could accomplish as he moved on. 

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

My best advice to current students would be to always make sure you are making connections with the students in your classroom.  Ask them how they are doing or what they have coming up over the weekend.  Building positive relationships early on in the school year can be so valuable to your students and it truly is the small gestures that go a long way.  You never know which of your students will need those questions to know that you truly do care about them beyond what they are able to show you in the classroom. 

4. What do you love most about teaching?

What I love most about teaching is getting to see my students everyday, sharing in their excitement for learning or helping them find it throughout the year, and supporting them each day so that they have the opportunity to reach their fullest potential.  When you are working with a student and they hit their "a-ha" moment, it's so great to see their smiles and the joy for learning come out. 

5. What makes a great teacher?

I think a great teacher is someone that takes the time to build positive relationships with their students.  It's maximizing the potential in the classroom while also letting your students know that you care about what is going on outside of those school walls.  I also think that a great teacher never stops learning.  Whether you are continuing your career path or seeking new and innovate teaching tools/strategies to use in your classroom, a great teacher never stops striving to find what will be best for their students.