Story by Sara Howell, Features Editor

Photo courtesy of Cassidy Neal

Students assume the days of waking up and going to high school are over once they enroll in college. For many education majors, going back to high school is one of the final steps to college graduation.

Student teaching allows future educators to have real teaching experience before going out into the work field.

Cassidy Neal, senior and agriculture education major from Murray, started her semester student teaching in Belize.

Neal decided to apply through the study abroad office after hearing about the opportunity from former Belize program participants.

“Teaching outside the US is extremely different,” Neal said. “In Belize, they are very limited in the resources available for their students. Also, the US is much more structured and methodical when it comes to handling misbehavior in the classroom.”

She said the experience was a huge eye-opener for her and she has made a series of unforgettable memories.

“I have gained a new look into how to help my students with limited resources,” Neal said. “Understanding that my students have as much to teach me as I have to teach them is also a real eye-opener. I have increased my agriculture knowledge and learned a few new tricks that I can take back to my greenhouse in the US.”

Now that she is back in the US, Neal will be teaching at Caldwell County High School.

“I will be student teaching in Ms. [Magen] Wood’s agriculture classroom,” Neal said. “I am looking forward to building relationships with my students and learning all about the various aspects of teaching high school aged students.”

She said Murray State has offered her a vast number of opportunities to interact with high school students and handle new and difficult situations.

Meredith Payne, senior and English/secondary certification major from Owensboro, Kentucky, is student teaching at Henderson County High School.

“It has been both exciting and challenging,” Payne said. “I am learning new strategies to improve myself professionally every day.”

She said she is gaining valuable real-world experience that will help in her future career.

“I enjoy learning how to best serve my students through my teachers and through the students,” Payne said.

She said she has also joined the prom committee and is excited to make students’ dream prom come to fruition.

“I’m mainly excited to see my students learn and grow along with me,” Payne said.

She credits Deborah Bell, English professor, Renee Campoy, education professor, and Cindy Clemson, education professor, for preparing her because they taught her valuable strategies to implement in the classroom every day.

“I constantly think back to their classes and use what I learned there in my current classroom,” Payne said.

According to Murray State’s website, the remaining student teaching orientation dates for students who plan to student teach in spring 2020 are Feb. 28 from 3-5 p.m. and March 5 from 2:30-4:30 p.m. It is mandatory for students to attend one of these orientation sessions.