The teacher population at Davidson School is up by half this fall after an unusually high number of interns took postings in classrooms throughout the school.
Interns Caitlin McCarthy, Alicia Hicks, Jennifer Gelleta, Randi Bender, Erin Toner, Kelsey Pragnell and Erin Palmier are presently immersing themselves in school life as they learn the ins and outs of teaching their various classes. The University of Regina and University of Saskatchewan education students are posted in one of the classes of Kindergarten, grades 2, 3 and 5 and the senior subjects of science and history, math and English.
“It’s been great so far,” said Pragnell, 22, who is working with teacher Laura Willner in the Grade 2 class. “I’ve been doing music for a while now with the Grade 2s. We’ve been doing rhythm and pitch. (Last Wednesday we started) to do rhythm sticks and then we’re doing some drums coming up right away. Then I have a little mini health unit and I’m going to be doing a few more health and science units coming up really quick.”
Like the other six interns, Pragnell is taking the first few weeks of her posting to watch, learn, ask questions and get to know the kids. The education students would then start to take over some classes before eventually moving into teaching the kids full-time for three weeks starting Nov. 10.
During this full-time teaching duty the interns’ cooperating teachers will complete an evaluation on them to help them improve their methods. The internship ends in December when the university students head back to their respective schools to complete their final year of their education degrees.
Toner, a 20-year-old University of Regina Faculty of Education student, said she is picking up a subject a week from Grade 3 teacher Chantal Walker Morey, but has been mainly teaching science so far. She said it’s been really easy to get to know the staff and students at Davidson School due to the small school atmosphere and welcoming spirit.
“Especially in the elementary school you know almost all of the kids already,” said Toner. “You’re seeing them when you’re out on supervision, you’re seeing them when you’re doing buses (and) you’re seeing them in the hallways. Then the staff, we had a week where we were just doing staff stuff where we had meetings, so you really got to know the staff then.”
Davidson School vice principal Cathy Rettger said the school usually gets a maximum of three interns each fall, so having seven new faces come into the school this year has been a bit different. She said the school is centrally located between Regina and Saskatoon and has a good reputation among previous interns, so that is why the school seems to be a popular destination for education students.
To read more please see the Sept. 30 print edition of The Davidson Leader.