For Asha Mendez, the most rewarding challenge of her academic career was student teaching.
Before graduating with a master’s degree in May, Mendez completed two placements: one at Poughkeepsie’s Noxon Road Elementary School and another at Fishkill’s Glenham Elementary School. Both times, she worked with a mix of general and special education students.
These classroom experiences have been “invaluable” to her growth as a teacher: “I walked away from both placements with tools and strategies that I know will be helpful to me in my career as an educator,” she said.
In addition to her student teaching experiences, Mendez credits the Mount’s Education program with helping her to be so successful in her field.
“I found myself using a lot of what I learned in my methods courses in my student teaching,” she explained. “The research and theory learned in these courses have really laid a strong foundation for me as an educator.”
She also thanked Jennifer Wutz and her mother, Priya Mendez, from the college’s Office of Student Teaching, “for taking care of all the student teachers each and every semester. I appreciate their support and encouragement at such an important time in our careers.”
The future is looking bright for Mendez, who lined up a long-term subbing position in the Wappingers Central School District for a teacher on maternity leave.
“It’s been my dream to be a teacher since I was 5 years old and I am excited to finally have that dream realized,” she explained. “My biggest goal is to make a difference in the lives of as many students as possible.”