Future educators start journey

Staff Writer

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link Staff photo: Alisa Boswell

Eastern New Mexico University President Steven Gamble asks College of Education graduates to please stand Saturday morning at Greyhound Arena as he recognizes the completion of their bachelor’s degrees.

Graduating education students at Eastern New Mexico University celebrated their success as a family on Friday.

Each student was awarded a medallion in front of their peers, family, and friends before they start on their journey as licensed teachers.

Alyssa Prince, 21, is starting her journey as a soccer coach at Mayfield High School in Las Cruces.

She plans on teaching health and physical education to elementary schools in that district but has yet to secure a position. She was offered a few positions around the state but she wants to work in her hometown where she will be coaching.

Jackson Bickel, 23, joins Prince in the desire to be a coach. Bickel assisted Portales High School this semester with its baseball team and hopes to find a position where he can coach as well as teach history.

“A new teacher trying to find a position has a lot of competition with older teachers,” he said. “It’s inexperience versus experience.”

Kelsey Poulin, 21, wants to teach a core class, mathematics, in high schools. Her hope is to teach without letting the fear of testing interfere with her lessons.

Prince’s said she wants to be respected as a teacher. She fears that she will be undermined since her class is not a core.

She wants a diverse classroom where she can watch kids learn, since that is the most anticipated part of her intended career.

“Kids are amazing, and watching them progress and grow is the most rewarding part,” Prince said.

Poulin, who will be the only math teacher at Floyd High School, prefers an organized classroom where she can utilize the management skills she received as a student teacher. She also wants to make sure there are a lot of mathematic applications in her classroom.

“I want kids to understand the why of math, why we are doing this,” she said.

Whether it’s diverse or organized, Bickel just does not want his classroom to be boring. He wants it to be hands-on and interactive with technology encouraged.

“If I am bored, they are bored,” he said.

No matter what kind of classroom they have, all three agree the most important part is the kids. They all are eager to watch students grow and develop with the knowledge they teach them.

“The kids are so much fun and helping them learn will be the best part,” Poulin said.