Josiah Smucker – Social Studies Education Internship

I am Josiah Smucker. Since January, I have been working as an Education Intern here at Garden Spot High School. I have been interning with Mr. Schneider, who teaches social studies, specifically government, and politics.

My day-to-day work varies depending on where we are in the class and what the schedule looks like on that specific day. One of my duties as an intern is grading papers and assignments the student’s hand in. Some of these assignments include Newsflashes, where students write a report on a current government-related event, worksheets that go along with videos we watch in class, and small quizzes. When grading papers, it is important to be efficient, so you don’t waste too much time, while also understanding the student’s work to be able to grade it properly. Grading papers helps me to better understand how the students are getting from the curriculum and how certain students learn best.  Another job I was given is decorating a bulletin board in the back of Mr. Schneider’s classroom for an educational purpose. This is a project I am currently working on and will have completed soon. As an education intern, I also occasionally put together lessons that I teach to the class under the direction of my mentor. This helps me to improve my public speaking and helps me to think of better ways to communicate information to students in a way that they retain the information and concepts best. I am also responsible to help students when they have trouble understanding content relating to the class or have trouble understanding the classwork.

This internship has helped me tremendously in gaining a deeper insight into what it means to work in education. As someone who is considering a career in education, I am grateful for this opportunity to see firsthand the basic day-to-day responsibilities of a teacher. This internship has also given me an opportunity to see how different students learn and operate in a classroom setting. Understanding how different people operate and communicate is vitally important not only in education but everywhere.

Whether I pursue a career in education or not, I have learned so much from this internship. It has been an experience that has made me more equipped for whatever path I choose.