Alyssa Rosencrance

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

I graduated from Slippery Rock in 2017 with a BS in Education. I hold a license for PK-4 in Pennsylvania and PK-6 in Virginia. In the fall, I will be starting my third year as a first grade teacher at Winchester Public School. I am team leader in first grade and work in a dual language school. I also serve on our PBIS committee. I have loved teaching first grade and I have met some great friends and coworkers along the way. 

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

I always knew that I wanted to be a teacher, it is in my blood. I visited a family friend at Slippery Rock when I was in high school and immediately fell in love with the campus. Then looking further into the stellar education program, it was my only school choice. 

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

Enjoy absorbing all of the information from your professors, they have been in the field and helped to prepare me for the future. Field work is extremely important, you learn so much from your mentor teachers and this is the time to ask questions and figure out what kind of teacher you want to be. 

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

Dr. Amodei was my advisor and one of my advocates throughout my years at Slippery Rock. I was part of the professor protege program and was lucky enough to work with her. She provided me with opportunities, advice, and knowledge of what I would face after I graduated. Dr. Amodei was exactly the advocate that I needed to help me achieve my dreams. I graduated early and was able to obtain my dream job within 6 months of graduating. Thank you Dr. Amodei!

5. What makes a great teacher?

A great teacher comes from the heart. Building connections with your students and making sure they know that you are in their corner from the very beginning. The connection I have with my students is unimaginable, I love each of them and look forward to learning from them every single day. I don’t go to work every day, I go to one of my favorite places in the world. 

Troy Kroll

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

9th grade US History, 11th Grade Modern World History, AP Macro/Microeconomics, AP US History;  Great Mills High School, St. Mary's County Public Schools in Southern Maryland

2. What do you love most about teaching?

I don't imagine myself doing anything else.  I truly love the flow of a regular high school day.  Above all else, I enjoy seeing former students bragging about their successes.  Being a part of a team of professionals with a common goal. 

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

The most rewarding experience for me happens twice a year.  Once at graduation and the other is at senior night for the swim team, since I am the coach.  I enjoy watching parents' pride in their children's accomplishments.  I recently had a conversation with one of my current athletes of her aspirations to be a Social Studies teacher.  Those situations are truly special because she mentioned the impact of my department on her choice to possibly be a teacher.  

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

My advice for students in the program is to be open to teaching wherever and whoever! Do not wait for the perfect job/situation.  I learned more about teaching when there was no one in the classroom with me and it was me and 20-30 young faces staring back at me.  Make mistakes and learn from them, develop your own method and keep adding to your teaching toolbox.   And, if you can, take a class on school law, it will give you more insight on the decisions made from your administrators.  But above all else, remember it is a job, try to leave as much of it at school as you can.  The older teachers you will be working with want younger teachers there for the long haul, not burning out 5 years into the job.

5. What makes a great teacher?

Be a visible role model for students and how they should conduct themselves.  Conduct yourself in a manner in which you expect your students to do, whether its relationships with staff, other students, your spouse or child.  Dress the part, act the part, live the part.   The students also will know whether you like them or not, its something you will not be able to fake.  Jump in with both feet!