Immersive Experience Builds Professional Confidence for Two-Time Student Teacher

Originally an English major with law school ambitions, Antonio realized his passion was education and worked with School of Education faculty and staff to pivot during his second year at Duquesne. 
 
Antonio’s professors walked alongside him and instilled the skills necessary for him to feel comfortable beginning his first student-teaching placement. In the classroom, he quickly found that the connections he made with students were just as valuable as the knowledge he could impart.
 
“My favorite moments are when I'm able to walk around when students are working or have independent time and get to know them more,” said Antonio. “They want someone who can relate to them and genuinely care. I recognize that they all have something valuable to bring, and I take a lot of pride in that.”
 
In addition to establishing trust with his students, Antonio found that his confidence and leadership abilities grew over time as he settled into his role managing a classroom. He also bonded with his cooperating teacher, who trusted in his potential and took time to mentor him.
 
“We don’t know what it’s like to be a teacher until we’re doing it,” Antonio said. “But once you start practicing and recognizing there are opportunities to learn and improve, it builds proficiency.”
 
At Deer Lakes High School, Antonio designed lesson plans and led discussions that made his classroom an exciting place to learn and grow. A poetry unit ignited important conversations and gave students the opportunity to challenge themselves, look for a fuller story and ask hard questions. 
 
“I provided statements on the board and labeled one side of the room ‘agree’ and the other ‘disagree’,” said Antonio. “Students moved based on how they felt. Being able to hear those conversations and hear students become more vulnerable in their answers gave me a lot of confidence, and it’s how I envision my own classroom in the future.”
 
Antonio recognizes that no two classrooms are the same, and it’s important to respect cultural differences and explore pedagogical approaches that benefit classroom learning for all students. 
 
Duquesne is one of a dozen colleges and universities in the country that partner with Indiana University to provide immersive student-teaching experiences around the world. Driven by compassion and empathy, Antonio took advantage of this opportunity and traveled to the United Kingdom for eight weeks to expand his horizons.
 
“I focused on taking in the experience of being the outsider,” said Antonio. “This is important because classrooms have students who have immigrated to the U.S. or speak English as a second language. I’ll need to understand how to work with them so they can succeed.”
 
Inspired by his time overseas, Antonio also is excited to bring fresh ideas to his future lesson plans and classroom-management style. “It was interesting to see how the United States’ system is different and if there are parts of the British system I can incorporate in my own classroom. I’ll get to add more to my toolkit.”
 
Antonio graduated with a bachelor’s degree in secondary English education in May 2024 and is pursuing a full-time teaching position. 
 
“I want my classroom to be a place where students can pull from their own lives to make meaning of things, inform their critical thinking and help each other learn,” he said.