For the first semester of the 2023 – 2024 school year, Fair Grove schools are hosting eight student teachers to prepare them for their profession in education.
Colleges across the state reach out to various schools and ask if there are any teachers willing to sponsor a student teacher. According to Rhonda Perryman, the secretary at the central office of Fair Grove High School, this is run through Dr. Christian Overstreet and the school board at Fair Grove.
Student teaching is a process where students study to become teachers and aid a classroom under the supervision of the teacher. Across the high school, middle school, and elementary there are eight student teachers. These young teachers include Rebekah Abker (Jennifer Anglen), Lauren Brown (Stephanie Brown), Isaac Helterbrand (Audra Harmon), Levi Loughridge (William Reed), Brandon Martin (Mike Stockton), Brian Neumann (Jeremy Faubion), Jacob Supancic (Amy Johnson), and Lexie Sutherland (Lindsay Dunning).
Jacob Supancic, who graduated from Plato High School in 2017, is currently student teaching with Mrs. Johnson in all Government classes. Supancic stated, “What made me pursue teaching was a love for education and a passion to help give the next generation the best education possible. Both of my parents are educators so they both have given me a great inspiration and passion for teaching.”
Johnson explained that while the student is teaching, the teacher reviews their lesson plans and finds ways to improve and incorporate different teaching strategies into the student’s teaching. Johnson furthermore commented, “We work out problems and try to solve issues with lessons together so that the student teacher has support and can develop great skills to use in their future classroom.”
Lindsay Dunning, a science teacher at Fair Grove High School, added, “Students just have to learn how to adjust to each style, and adaptability is definitely a skill that will prove useful to them throughout their entire life. I think one of the most important skills for a new teacher to have is being able to think on your toes and make quick adjustments on the fly.”
The student teachers slowly take charge of the classroom over the span of the semester. This helps them become more independent with class engagement. Supancic mentioned, “Student teaching so far has impacted my journey to teaching my own class by just showing me it’s not easy being an educator. There is a lot of work and preparation put into every lesson, but the payoff at the end is worth the work.”
Lexie Sutherland, who graduated from Fair Grove High School in 2019, is a student teaching with Dunning in Biology and Chemistry. Sutherland said, “Being an alumnus of Fair Grove schools has allowed me to not only adapt to the environment here at Fair Grove but thrive. We have an amazing group of educators in the Fair Grove District. I feel honored to be a student teacher alongside Fair Grove teachers.”
Supancic added, “Fair Grove has been an amazing place. The staff have been very helpful and supportive in the learning process I am going through. The students are excellent, very well behaved and passionate about learning.”
According to Perryman, there will likely be more student teachers beginning their training at the start of second semester.
