Sylar Mohler – Elementary Education Internship

My name is Skylar Mohler and I am currently interning at New Holland Elementary School. My mentor is Meghan Esslinger, a first-grade teacher at New Holland Elementary. I have been in this internship all year long, which is such a privilege. I arrive at my internship at 10:30 am. I am able to do this because of the block schedule offered at the high school building. I am enrolled in a Harrisburg Area Community College online course, which allows me to complete assignments whenever I’d like. This allows time for me to go into my internship earlier than other students.

While at my internship, I assist another first-grade teacher, Michelle Chowdhury, with her language arts class. I help the students with their sight words and team time assignments. Then, I return to Mrs. Esslinger’s classroom to help with social studies/science time. The kiddos go to recess/lunch, then return to math class. Students are separated into different first-grade classrooms, based on their STAR math tests and other assessments. A group of four students work at my table where we work on packets, games, and lessons with. I create or find these supplements on my own, most of the time, but often ask for help from my mentor. We are currently working on unit four, which includes money and graphing. All the math students have been working on coin recognition and data collection. The picture shows an example of an activity I have them complete regularly. For President’s Day, we created books with some of the famous presidents from the U.S. For Dr. Suess’ birthday, I read the book ‘Oh The Places You’ll Go’ to them and they created balloons stating their own future goals of where they’ll go! The kids love completing crafts and being able to take it home to show family and friends.

During the busy daily classroom schedule, I find time to grade papers, complete clerical work for my mentor and other teachers, and prepare materials for my math station. This internship can be stressful at times, but it is much more rewarding. When our first-grade students were asked, “Who is a trusted adult in your school that could help you with a problem?”, lots of kids picked me as a trusted adult. Just knowing that I have made such an impact on my students has inspired me to pursue my dream of becoming a REAL teacher! I look forward to my teaching training which I will receive from Shippensburg University with a dual major in Early Elementary Education (PreK-4) and Special Education, and a minor in Mathematics.

Lastly, I have been observing in other classrooms once a week. This has included gym class and third, fourth, fifth, and sixth-grade classrooms. Other teachers at New Holland Elementary have been very available to allow me to observe in their classroom, which I am very grateful for. I have experienced other teaching styles and have created relationships with other educators. I am so blessed to have been able to get this experience and I will miss my mentor/students very much! Thank you to Mrs. Hackman and the ELANCO school district for supporting internships in our school. It is a privilege to be able to do my chosen profession before even going to college! And, thank you to Mrs. Meghan Esslinger for being a wonderful mentor and role model for me in this field!