Ashley Zawojski

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

I graduated from Slippery Rock University with my Bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education in May 2021. I currently teach as a second grade teacher at Yeshiva Schools of Pittsburgh, a private school in the city.

 

2. 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 my freshman move in day, and WOW weekend. I met some of my closest friends that weekend, ones I roomed with for the rest of my time at Slippery Rock. I also met many friends in my major who I had classes with up until student teaching and graduation!

 

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

An SRU faculty member that had a positive impact on me was Dr. Monique Alexander. Dr. Alexander was one of the most caring, compassionate, and engaging professors I had at my time in the college of education. She continued to keep in touch with me after my semester in her class, putting good words in for me at schools I applied to. She inspired me to be an inclusive and diverse educator. I am forever grateful for what she has done as a professor!

 

4. What initially piqued your interest in pursuing a degree in education?

I’ve always enjoyed working with children, whether it was babysitting or hanging out with my younger cousins. My senior year of high school, though, I got a job as a teaching assistant at a local childcare center. The kindergarten teacher was a Slippery Rock alumni, and allowed me to assist her in her lessons and teaching. She let me teach while she planned, or fill in for her when she was out for the day. That experience made me realize how much I enjoyed seeing children learn, and watching their faces light up when they finally grasped the content!

 

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

The most rewarding aspect of my job is knowing I get to mold the young minds in my classroom. The children in my classroom are the future, and I get to help lead them into their future. I prepare them not only academically with subjects like reading and math, but also socially by using partner and group work, and having them learn what it means to be a responsible person with class jobs and routines. There is no better feeling than seeing my students grow and learn everyday! 

 

6. What makes a great teacher?

A great teacher is a person who is passionate about teaching each and every student in their classroom. Someone who promotes equality, diversity, and inclusion in their room. Building those close and understanding relationships with your students will set the tone for the rest of the school year. It builds trust and respect, which will make the quality of learning that much better for the students, and yourself as a teacher.

Paula Joseph

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

I have a BS in Elementary Education with a minor in Early Childhood Education from SRU and a Masters Degree in School Librarianship from Longwood University.  I am currently a high school librarian in Spotsylvania County in Virginia.  I have taught in preschool, elementary and middle school classrooms.  This year will be my 31st year in education.

 

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

I made lifelong friendships at SRU and am forever thankful for them!  This past summer my friend group got together in PGH for a mini-reunion.  

 

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

Dr. Mary Allice Paul was a big influence on me.  She was my professor for my early childhood classes.  She always shared her real life teaching experiences and they left an impression on me.  She always took the time to get to know her students and had a wonderful sense of humor.

 

4. What initially piqued your interest in pursuing a degree in education?  

I wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember.  When I started school I came home and taught my younger sister everything I learned.  Playing school was my favorite thing to do as a child.  I couldn't wait to be in a classroom teaching!

 

5. What do you love most about teaching?

The students!  

 

6. What makes a great teacher?

I don't have fancy lessons or bulletin boards, but I am a great relationship builder.  My students know that I love and care about them.  I am very lucky in that I have taught at all three levels.  I teach some of the kids now who I taught in elementary school so we go way back!  It is very fun and rewarding seeing them grow up.

Kaya Weeks

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

I graduated from Slippery Rock in 2021. I am currently teaching 9th grade World History 1 and 11-12th grade psychology at Rappahannock High School and Richmond County, Virginia. 

 

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

One experience I will never forget is my student teaching experience. I had the best cooperating teacher and I’m very thankful for all they taught me. I do not think I would be where I am today if it wasn’t for my co-op and my academic advisor, Dr. Hogue. 

 

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

Dr. Mark Hogue. Dr. Hogue was constantly pushing me and encouraging me to be my best and was always there to offer guidance and words of wisdom when I needed it the most. He was one of the first people I met whenever I declared education as my major my sophomore year and his excitement and knowledge about the field of education inspired me from the beginning. 

 

4. What initially piqued your interest in pursuing a degree in education?

I had several awesome teachers in high school but I would say it was my AP Government and Politics teacher I had my junior year, T.R. Smith. Mr. Smith would go out to Utah and grade the AP tests and he had such deep knowledge and passion about the subject and I saw how students reacted to him and respected him and I knew I wanted to make that impact. Also my volleyball coach, Mrs. Holli Smith. She developed me as a player and a person and I cannot thank her enough for that. 

 

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

The most rewarding aspect of my job is watching students develop and grow. I live for those “aha” moments. I would also say the fact that as a teacher you never stop learning. I very much enjoy learning from my students, coworkers, and others about how to be the best teacher I can be. Each day is something new and there is always a new way to improve. 

 

6. What makes a great teacher?

A great teacher is enthusiastic and forgiving. They are someone who is passionate and enthusiastic about both their content and, most importantly, watching their students learn and develop as people. Being forgiving is huge because everyone makes mistakes and it’s about how we learn and move forward from those mistakes.

Kassidy Boots

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

I attended Riverside High School in Ellwood City, PA and graduated in 2016. From there, I started my college career at the Community College of Beaver County. While enrolled, I obtained my associate’s degree. In 2018, I transferred to SRU and loved every second of it! In December of 2020, I graduated with my Bachelor’s in Early Childhood and Special Education. Since graduation, I was a substitute teacher, but the experiences I have gained thus far have been unforgettable. I taught in a Life Skills Classroom at Riverside Middle School for about a month and really enjoyed the time I had with those kids. After that, my cooperating teacher (from when I was a student teacher) went on maternity leave and I took over for her. Gaining experience in her grade 6-8 learning support classroom at Riverside really benefited me as a new teacher. Currently, I am teaching in a self-contained learning support classroom.

 

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

I’ll never forget the experiences I had with the people that were in all of my classes during my education classes. We were all like a little family and we helped each other conquer all obstacles that came our way, especially when one of our semesters fell short due to COVID19. We did a lot together, from completing projects to having dinner. Those experiences made me feel like those classmates were another family of mine, for that I’m forever thankful!

 

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

All of my professors made an impact but Dr. Jeremy Lynch is the most unforgettable. He made his classes enjoyable. We didn’t learn by listening to him read notes off of PowerPoint. We learned from his stories, projects he had us do, and activities we completed. Dr. Lynch showed us he genuinely cared for each and every student he taught. You could see the passion for his profession.

 

4. What initially piqued your interest in pursuing a degree in education?

I had some of the best teachers in elementary school. They were teachers I could go to for advice, help, etc. They each made an impact on my life and I still keep in touch with some to this day. I realized later in my schooling career that I want to impact a student as much as my teachers have impacted me. I want to be that person students feel comfortable talking to.

 

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

Seeing that “ah-ha!” moment during a lesson is the most rewarding aspect of teaching. When a student grasps a skill or task, it is so rewarding not only for the teacher, but for the student as well. I love seeing students learn and grow once they understand a concept. 

 

6. What makes a great teacher?

A great teacher is someone who not only teaches the content to achieve the goals. A teacher is someone who shows they genuinely care about the students they teach. They teach from the heart. They connect with the students, and they don’t just pay attention to the outcomes. They pay attention to the students.