The Art of Teaching: Enloe's Student Teachers

Among the many different students that make up the Enloe community, as well as all of the teachers that keep us under control, is a hybrid species that seems to embody both characteristics: Enloe’s student teachers. A student teacher is an aspiring teacher who is in college, working towards having their own classroom. With its large population, and all of its unique students, Enloe proves to be the perfect host for student teachers to dip their toes in the art of teaching.

Ms. Vazquez currently attends Appalachian State University, and is on the path to becoming an English teacher. She especially enjoys the diversity that Enloe has to offer. Although Enloe yields many different groups of students, Ms. Vazquez’s passion for teaching is rooted in her own experience as a student. “I decided to teach because never once in my academic career have I ever had a Hispanic teacher,” she said. “I want to be a teacher so that other Hispanic students can think ‘she looks like me, I can do things like she can.’”

Even on days when a lesson does not go exactly as planned, Ms.Vazquez continues to work hard at what she is passionate about. “The challenging thing is struggling with just knowing how to teach,” she said. Being the leader of a classroom is entirely different from simply being a part of one. Although teaching has many challenges, Ms. Vazquez strives to be there for her students, and finds that being in the classroom is quite rewarding. “Coming to school and having the ability to be there for my students takes me away from my own struggles. Being there for them really lifts me up.”

Ms. Seal is also a student teacher at Enloe with her eyes set on teaching English. Originally a Biochemistry major at North Carolina State University, Ms. Seal found herself bending over backwards for her British literature class, and not so much for her science classes. When asked how handling the change from a more linear subject to a liberal arts one, she responded by connecting her experience with one she hopes her students get to have. “A huge part as to why I want to teach is because I want students to find something, because I got to find something, too. We aren’t going to find the same thing, but I think that being able to find something out about yourself or a different group of people is extremely important,” she said.

Ms. Seal explains the importance of the English subject because it opens the door for students to voice their perspectives. “The best thing is when I am having a conversation with students and they ask a question that highlights what I am trying to teach, yet includes something that I was not even thinking about. That really shows me that every student is truly different.”

Ms. Vazquez and Ms. Seal are just two of several student teachers that Enloe has been fortunate enough to have. Although both of them have only been student teachers for a few months, they are well acclimated to the Enloe groove, and hope to one day teach in schools that are as competitive and diverse as our own. Good teachers attempt to see the best in every student, and will do their best to see them succeed, even if they are still learning themselves.