Administration

Communications

C-SC education program successfully prepares student teacher
Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Photo Cutline: Senior Jessica Bunch helps first graders at Mendon Elementary School with subtraction problems using number lines.

CANTON, Mo. – Jessica Bunch, a senior elementary/special education major from Quincy, Ill., is wrapping up her last semester at Culver-Stockton College as a student teacher, convinced that she has made the right career choice and relying heavily on skills she learned at C-SC.

She originally looked at C-SC as a choice for college due to its location, but as Bunch began to look more closely at C-SC she realized that the small class sizes and personal, one-on-one relationships with professors and staff at C-SC are something that she would not have at other colleges. She said that those things are what make a difference and what made C-SC the right place for her.

Bunch chose to pursue a degree as an elementary/special education major because of her aunt who is mentally challenged.

“I have seen through the hard work and dedication of her special education teacher; and also through the work of the individuals at Transitions of Western Illinois in Quincy, how much she can accomplish and how they have given her the opportunity to be successful and function within everyday life as best she can with her disability. I have seen how rewarding it is for her, and I want to be able to do that for my students, show them the skills they need to be able to be independent,” said Bunch.

Bunch has been student teaching in the first grade at Mendon Elementary School since the beginning of the school year with Cheryl Wittland. Bunch finished teaching in Wittland’s classroom the last week of October and then began working with first-and second-grade special education children at Mendon Elementary with Melissa Obert.

“Jessica is professional and personable. She came to us well prepared, yet eager to learn more,” said Wittland. “Jessica was punctual, asked great questions and jumped right in wherever she was needed. She will truly be missed in our classroom.”

Bunch said she feels that C-SC prepared her very well, not only for her student teaching, but also for the future. She credited the hands-on experience opportunities at C-SC in curriculum development and management that will help her form a productive and exciting learning environment in her classroom. Bunch also believes her professors have taught her how to plan activities and learning experiences that will engage her students through curiosity and interests – skills she will rely on as future resources after graduation.

“I have really enjoyed my student teaching experience,” Bunch said. “I really do feel that CSC has prepared me for the experience I am having student teaching. They have shown me what to do within the classroom and now I can take what I have learned and apply it within my classroom while student teaching.”

“Jessica is reveling in her work as a student teacher. She and her cooperating teachers work well together and are a formidable duo as they motivate and inspire their students,” said Terry Sherer, associate professor of education and division chair of education and applied arts. “Jessica often references her class work at Culver-Stockton, uses the SMART board like a pro, keeps her lively group spell-bound with a reading of Skippy Jon-Jones, never gets ruffled by the demands of her guided reading groups, and provokes kids as they select personal topics for their daily journal writing. Using research-based best practices, Jessica balances the high expectations she has set for herself as well as her class with a genuine sense of concern and caring for her kids.”

“I love going to Mendon and mentoring a future pro,” added Sherer.

Bunch believes the students in her classroom are what make the teaching profession so rewarding.

“I have formed very close relationships with my students so far. The connections you make to your students while student teaching, not only on an academic level but also on a personal level, are what make the experience worthwhile. Now that I have started student teaching, it has solidified my decision to be a teacher. The students are what matter and they are what make the experience what it is,” said Bunch.

While attending C-SC, Bunch has been involved in the Sigma Kappa sorority and the Wildcat Educators Teacher Organization. She has also been accepted into the Pi Lambda Beta Education Honor Society and the Who’s Who of University and College Students.

Bunch will finish her student teaching at the end of the semester and graduate from C-SC in May 2010. After student teaching ends, she plans to be a substitute teacher until the end of the school year and then look for full-time employment after graduation.