Education Majors Serve as Student Teachers in the Emerald Isle

The Point
Summer 2019

While Ireland may be an English-speaking country, for student teachers from Point Park who taught in Irish schools last spring, that was often where the similarities ended.

Daniel Strickland, a secondary English education major with a dual certification in special education, was assigned to a school where he worked with English as a second language students who were residents of Spain, so even more challenging than the Dormont native expected.

“The experience gave me more of a world-view and allowed me to take some of the values of Irish teaching techniques and incorporate it into my own. That approach didn’t just change me professionally, it also changed me personally.  I think more about being content in the present – to just live, as the Irish would say,” said Strickland.

Cultural appreciation

That’s the kind of take-away Darlene Marnich, Ph.D. was hoping for when the first group of seven students journeyed to Ireland to teach at four Irish schools, three primary and one secondary.

Marnich, who heads Point Park’s School of Education, believes that teaching abroad is about more than an opportunity to live in a foreign country and do some traveling.  “We wanted our students to come away with an appreciation of another culture and lifestyle and learn the importance of opening your eyes to a world different than your own,” she said.

One of the ways the inaugural class of student teachers experienced a difference in culture was the mandate that they teach religion. While not something most students had experienced themselves, in Ireland, explained Marnich, teachers are required to teach all subjects, including religion. “One of our students who had not experienced any sort of religious teaching in school told me that what she tried to impart to her students was the universal goodness of humanity as something that is an essential part of almost every religion.” For that student, teaching religion became one of her favorite subjects.

Having little to no teaching experience before Ireland, students had to be flexible and adaptable to their Irish schools, and learn to problem solve, an important skill for any teacher, in any location.

International partnerships

Point Park partnered with SEK International School Dublin (primary and secondary), Kilcoole Primary School, Greystone’s Educate Together and Glebe National School to offer the student teaching programs. All are located in Wicklow, Ireland. The Student Teaching Experience in Ireland is part of the University’s study abroad options which include education partnerships with schools in Rome, Madrid, and London.

In addition to Strickland, the School of Education students who traveled to Ireland for the once-in-a-lifetime student teaching experience included Madison Gray, Mary Isaac, Alexis Kitchen, Abby O’Connell, Megan Oleksa and Madeline Walstra.

“My time in Ireland was epic. I can't thank my professors enough for this opportunity, and I am beyond grateful to Point Park for giving me the chance to study abroad in Ireland,” said Isaac, a Pre-K through fourth grade and Pre-K through eighth grade special education spring 2019 graduate. “I have had the ‘luck of the Irish’ on my side and got blessed with an amazing school, cooperating teacher, staff and host family, she added. “My biggest tip, for those who are looking to do this, is to have an open mind to everything. Be willing to jump out of your comfort zone and be one with the Irish!”

A new kind of independence

“For some of our students, it’s not only their first time abroad, it’s their first time on an airplane,” said Virginia Chambers Ed.D., who directs the study abroad programs at Point Park. “When these students get to their destination, they have to negotiate the academic part of the program as well as figure out the day-to-day necessities like transportation, a foreign currency, or even a different language.  “It’s problem-solving and learning a new kind of independence, all at once,” said Chambers. 

Upon their return, the students’ teachers, families and fellow classmates often see a difference.  “I have seen students’ confidence grow, especially the way they see themselves as teachers and human beings, and that’s really an invaluable part of the experience,” said Marnich.

Text by Barbara Vilanova
The Point is the magazine of Point Park University