Lucie Finley '21 has always known she wanted to pursue a career in teaching, and her passion for educating others led her back to where her own academic journey started.
Last week, the Lynx alumna, who is currently a freshman at UTChatt, returned to Lausanne's campus for an opportunity to shadow the classroom routines of second-grade teacher Robin Fessler and Lower School Learning Specialist Joy Stephens.
"I loved getting to work with both Ms. Fessler and Mrs. Stephens because they were one of many Elementary school teachers that made me want to work with young children," Lucie shared.
In Ms. Fessler's class, Lucie helped the students with their tasks for the day, including assisting the second-graders with patterns, number grids and story writing.
"It was such a unique experience to have Lucie back in my classroom, especially since she was a student in my very first class at Lausanne the year I began teaching here," Second-Grade teacher Robin Fessler said.
During her time with Mrs. Stepehens, Lucie observed one-on-one, worked in small groups, observed mini-lessons, and even talked with two avid readers in a book club.
"You could see the love of teaching in Lucie's first minute," Mrs. Stephens said. "It is clear that Lucy has a love for Lausanne and learning."
Lucie had the opportunity to ask meaningful questions about the teaching profession and take some ideas back to UTChatt to explore as an Early Childhood Education major.
"I learned so much about the day-to-day work of a Literacy Specialist. I never knew that there was a job like this one, and it made me interested to learn more and possibly add to my degree," Lucie said. I got to observe many different students and classes and the specifics of the work that Mrs. Stephens does. She has a way of making reading and writing so enjoyable for some students who find reading and writing incredibly daunting. She has such a positive mindset when working with these students. Mrs, Stephens shared so much knowledge and insight into what it means to be a Literacy Specialist and even provided a book for me to read to learn more."
With a caring and helpful attitude, Lucie felt completely engaged with students. At the end of the experience, the Lausanne alumna felt validated in her overall career choice and was even leaning toward becoming a classroom learning specialist.