Kellie Walsh
This past semester I have had the greatest opportunity to teach students English in Italy. After years in college, I was able to practice what I want to do with my life. Through this internship, I became more flexible and collaborative. I also learned that teaching is a realistic career choice for me.
My education internship required me to work constructively and respectfully with my coworkers and students. Since I was an intern, I needed to take directions from my supervisors, Lucy and Elena. It was necessary for me to be open minded to criticism and ideas. My goal every day was to be positive no matter what I was expected to do. If I was unsure of something, I would try to not show it and try my best. At about the mid point of my internship, however, I became my more honest self. I started voicing my opinions more. I was respectful, but I was not going to let anyone make me do something I was uncomfortable doing. Working in the teacher’s lounge was one of my favorite aspects of my internship because I was able to work with the Italian language teachers. They would ask me questions about English, and I would ask them questions about Italian. They were my first official teacher friends.
Many of the students I were given were beginners. It takes patience and a lot of energy to teach these students. Luckily, I have more patience than most people. It was easy for me to connect to these students and find similar interests. I could even make them laugh! The more advanced students were also lovely to teach. I could teach them idioms and figures of speech. It was nice to get a student who truly understood what I was saying.
Before I arrived in Sorrento, I was unsure if I was going to enjoy teaching English as a foreign language. After this internship, I absolutely love it. The connections I have made will stay with me forever. I can look back at this experience and be proud that I made a difference in my students’ lives. I love teaching and through this internship, I was able to do things I would not have the opportunity to do in my education classes at Akron. In the remaining semesters I have left at college, I want to take classes to get my teaching English as a Foreign Language certificate. This experience has shown me how truly hard it is to be a teacher but how rewarding it also is.
The first day I started my internship, I fell in love with it. I was overwhelmed moving to a new country, but when I observed lessons with Lucy, I was comfortable and happy. Some days I liked it more than others. There were many difficult days and even weeks, but I got through them and I am extremely proud of myself. I looked forward to the lessons I had by myself with my own students. I felt like a real teacher. I will never forget this experience and I hope I can come back to Sorrento to visit the city that gave me this unforgettable opportunity.