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<\/a><\/p>\nOne can presume his style will emphasize the relationships he has enjoyed as a student.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always liked teachers and enjoyed talking to them. I would be the kid staying after class late to talk to the teachers about how their week is going \u2013 not mine, theirs<\/em> \u2013 just because I wanted to get to know them. If they\u2019re going to teach me, I have to have a personal connection.\u201d<\/p>\n Gifford said his internship has shown him more of the behind-the-scenes work of teaching. \u201cI knew they met, but I didn\u2019t how often and it\u2019s actually more. There\u2019s more planning in it than I realized as a student.\u201d<\/p>\n Next door to Gifford at Brandon Middle, his Tallwood VTFT classmate Ashlyn Hockman was preparing to teach her first lesson in Adriana Collins\u2019 math class, who is a former Virginia Beach City Public Schools VTFT student herself.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m happy, a little nervous,\u201d said Hockman just before students began to arrive. \u201cI\u2019m really excited for the experience.\u201d<\/p>\n And the students were excited to see Hockman. One ran to give her hug as she arrived to class. Another student wearing a Brandon track jersey stopped by to chat about her upcoming meet.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve earned a lot of respect for middle school teachers,\u201d said Hockman of her internship experience, which she said has solidified her decision to become a math teacher. \u201cI\u2019ve also learned how to deal with disruptions in the classroom. Just seeing how the teachers interact with the students \u2013 \u2018Whatever you\u2019re doing doesn\u2019t affect our relationship and I want the best for you\u2019 \u2013 still loving the students but making sure that they are disciplined.\u201d<\/p>\n Another revelation Hockman shared: \u201cI\u2019ve learned that you have to be ready and prepared, and to already be thinking, like, 20 steps ahead.\u201d Her cooperating teacher, Collins, chuckled in agreement.<\/p>\n Working to stay ahead of and keep up with first-graders is what was notable to Dakota Hager, a Green Run High School senior, during her internship at Windsor Oaks Elementary School.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I\u2019ve learned is that teachers don\u2019t get the recognition they deserve,\u201d said Hager. \u201cYou can see how difficult it is for teachers keeping that many little kids quiet and on task and entertaining them. There\u2019s just so much to prepare for little kids. It\u2019s a lot more work than it seems.\u201d<\/p>\n Hager\u2019s VTFT classmate, Kiyah Wise, interned in an eighth-grade physical science class at Larkspur Middle School.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a student, you\u2019re just obtaining the knowledge and trying to understand what\u2019s going on. As a teacher, you are responsible for what they\u2019re learning \u2013 the impact you create on them. It\u2019s been really rewarding to see the progress over time.\u201d<\/p>\n Seeing the progress of his sixth-grade band students is what Justin Thornton has found rewarding during his internship as a VTFT II student. The band room at Independence Middle School is one the Princess Anne High School senior knows well.<\/p>\n \u201cI literally sat in those exact chairs in the exact same spot they\u2019re in,\u201d said Thornton before one class. \u201cIt\u2019s so cool. I never expected it to be so interesting talking with the students and being able to teach them.\u201d<\/p>\n Growing up as the son of a music teacher, Thornton said he was already familiar with the work of teachers.<\/p>\n \u201cI knew teaching was good, but I didn\u2019t realize how rewarding it really was until you step into the classroom. People can tell you, \u2018Oh, this is such a good profession and you\u2019re going to have a good time\u2019 \u2013 those are just words. Once you get in the classroom and start seeing them learn and make progress, it\u2019s just amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n Thornton also acknowledged what he described as the \u201ctedious\u201d side of teaching.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is a lot of stuff that goes on behind the scenes for teaching that I didn\u2019t realize, such as grading papers, and Ms. Duggan does a lot of fundraising and planning for all the concerts they have.\u201d<\/p>\n Thornton continued, \u201cI think getting this opportunity to see the other side of it \u2013 I\u2019m just so thankful for all that teachers have done for me because I didn\u2019t know how much time they put in to make sure our 1.5 hour or 50-minute session goes smoothly.\u201d<\/p>\n Like Thornton, Tara LaRusso\u2019s mom is an educator and someone with whom the Cox High School senior has shared her daily teaching revelations throughout her VTFT internship.<\/p>\n \u201cI definitely have a newfound appreciation for the amount of work that goes into this job,\u201d said LaRusso. \u201cI come home after a day here and say, \u2018Oh my gosh, this happened today.\u2019 She\u2019ll say, \u201cNow<\/em> you see what I\u2019m saying.\u2019 We kind of get to relate a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n For the fraction lesson she prepared to lead in Karen Callis\u2019 class at John B. Dey Elementary School, LaRusso brought in M&Ms \u2013 \u201cjust to make it easier for them because fractions are difficult. I remember not understanding it.\u201d<\/p>\n What Joe Sendzik remembers from elementary school is Sarah Sykes, his teacher at Landstown Elementary and the teacher he is interning with as a VTFT student at Landstown High School.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I was in Ms. Sykes\u2019 class I always thought she was the greatest teacher and now that I\u2019m in there with her, I see it was true,\u201d said Sendzik. \u201cShe\u2019s the best teacher I\u2019ve ever seen in my life. She relates to the kids and makes it more of a family. When I was in her class she felt like a second mom.\u201d<\/p>\n Keonte Porter, a Landstown High School senior like Sendzik, has had a similar experience at Landtown Elementary while interning with his former teacher, James Daub.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s still the same as when I was here eight years ago,\u201d said Porter. \u201cHe\u2019s still funny and friendly with all the kids in the class. If you need help, he\u2019ll help you. He\u2019s still the same way \u2013 loving to all of the students.\u201d<\/p>\n Both Porter and Sendzik say the VTFT class has encouraged them to consider teaching as a career.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I first started taking this class, I was like, maybe \u2013 maybe not,\u201d said Porter. \u201cNow that I see how Mr. Daub works with kids when they need help and you love the subject\u2026I\u2019m going to culinary school so I\u2019m thinking maybe I go back and teach culinary in high school \u2013 after opening my own restaurant or owning a food truck.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIn the beginning,\u201d said Sendzik, \u201cI didn\u2019t know if I wanted to teach, but after I\u2019ve done it, I really feel like it\u2019s something for me. Besides the paperwork \u2013 I do not<\/em> like all that paperwork \u2013 it\u2019s like you get a new job every day. You don\u2019t know whether the kids are going to come in happy or sad and you have to deal with it, and that\u2019s why I like it.\u201d<\/p>\n Sendzik has his sights set on middle school if he becomes a teacher. \u201cThey\u2019re in that stage where they don\u2019t know who they are in life and I want to guide them to become better people.\u201d<\/p>\n On the last day of her internship in Nicole Prater\u2019s class at John B. Dey Elementary, Taylor Schoolar presented superlative awards to recognize each student. The Cox High School junior was inspired to do so after a VTFT assignment asked her to describe how one student had impacted her.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t want to pick just one because I love them all,\u201d said Schoolar. \u201cSo I decided I would do what made me excited when I was little \u2013 the Paper Plate Awards. I took each student and I figured out something unique about them or how they made an impact on me \u2013 like, one is Most Likely to Brigthen My Day.\u201d<\/p>\n Standing in front of the class, Schoolar shared kind words about each recipient as she presented that award and others one by one: Small But Mighty. Most Likely to Make Me Laugh. Growing Confidence. Hardest Worker. Mr. Facts. A Friend to Everyone. Life of the Party. Ray of Sunshine. Most Likely to Change the World. <\/em><\/p>\n Changing the world is what Schoolar is convinced teachers do.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s a very rewarding job and it\u2019s one that can definitely put a smile on your face,\u201d she said. \u201cThis internship has made me realize how much work teaching is and how often teachers aren\u2019t recognized for how much work they put it into it \u2013 as much as they could be.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n