In her last semester of college, Penn State senior Caroline Clontz completes her student teaching with senior English teacher Jen Lowe. She credits her experience to be more instructional and practical than her other semesters learning strategy in the classroom. 

Q: Tell me about yourself. 

A: “I’m from Pittsburgh. I grew up with two sisters. I go to Penn State. I was deciding where to go to college during quarantine, and I needed a solid choice, a comfortable choice. I have a dog. I have a coffee addiction.”  

Q: What led you to choose teaching? 

A: “I decided to go into some type of education, and I didn’t know what type until my senior English class in high school. It wasn’t my favorite. And because it wasn’t my favorite, I wanted to do better for students and make an environment that students would want to be in.” 

Q: How does your student teaching experience compare to when you first started in the classroom to now? 

A: “Whenever I first started, I was really scared of the intelligence of the AP students and the potential behaviors of my English 12 kiddos. I had no idea where to start because you learn strategies for classroom management and teaching, but you don’t know anything until you start putting them in practice. Now, I feel comfortable with the fact that I’m probably not the smartest person in the classroom at a period of time. It’s much more comfortable. It’s much more fun now.”  

Q:Explain your bond with Jen Lowe.

A: “She’s like a nice maternal figure, but she’s also not afraid to give me advice and tell me what I did wrong and help me reflect and do better. Not only do I feel comfortable with her, but the trust we have is really nice to be able to throw risks in there and mess up and then do better. I have someone who’s going to support me throughout that no matter what.”

Q:What has been your biggest takeaway thus far with your student teaching experience?

A: “I’ve done a lot more learning than I anticipated. I’ve learned way more than I have any other semester at Penn State being in a high school setting and actually teaching instead of learning theories. They help you, but you learn way more through experience than you do reading a textbook. I’ve loved learning how to deal with each individual student: Learning how to appreciate and love beautiful students’ quirks and their personalities that help them learn differently.”