KATIE FISCHETTI Recipient of a Gail Bunn Fellowship A.B.Ed. in Elementary Education Class of 2013 Wilmington, North Carolina
My experience At the UNC School of Education, I have been given the opportunity to study under extremely wonderful and qualified professors who have helped me develop my methods for teaching. I have been given the chance to work in four different classroom environments in four different grades. I have been challenged to do my student teaching in rural communities, with support from a generous fellowship. And, I have formed a new family and support network in my cohort.
How the Gail Bunn Fellowship has benefited me The Gail Bunn Fellowship, which is specifically geared toward providing student teachers with opportunities to teach and live in rural communities, is giving me a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a UNC student of education. I was overwhelmed with excitement when I learned that I will have the opportunity to do my student teaching in schools that are very different than those I have been in previously. My two student teacher placements—at Pittsboro Elementary School in Chatham County and at Weldon Elementary School in Halifax County—will allow me to learn and practice in rural schools outside of Chapel Hill. I want to know that I can teach children effectively whether I am in a school with extensive resources or one with more limited resources, as is the case in many rural schools. I believe that all children will respond in an environment in which the teacher helps them feel supported, respected and valued. In summary, I want to teach at a rural school because of all the opportunities I will have to learn from the teachers, administrators and children in those communities, and I hope that, by using the knowledge I have gained at the UNC School of Education, maybe I will be able to teach them something as well.
Make an online gift TODAY at http://giving.unc.edu/gift/educ