Texas A&M International Students Interning At Local Schools

Texas A&M International University Education students enrolled in a 13-week Teaching Internship course this semester are gaining practical experience which will help them become better professional educators.

Teresa Hein-Lopez, Director of A&M International's CPDT Program, said the Teaching Internship pairs Education students with a mentor teacher at a specified elementary or secondary public school. The student interns "shadow" their assigned mentors in their work environment in order to experience real-world teaching situations.

"If a mentor is in the classroom, so is the intern. If the mentor is in a staff meeting or conference, so is the intern. This exposure to the day-to-day work of the professional educator provides our students with the preparation they need to enter the teaching field," said Hein-Lopez.

The internship also provides students with an opportunity to take control of their mentor's classroom for two weeks.

"Once the interns have successfully completed the observation portion of their internship, they become the teachers and the mentors shadow them," she explained.

The students are videotaped leading their class. At the end of the 13-week internship course, the students and faculty from the College of Education review the tapes and a portfolio of work the students complete during their internship. To pass the course, students must successfully defend their work and the experience they garnered.

"We examine the students' creativity, planning, and intrapersonal and interpersonal skills. If the student passes the course, they are well prepared and able educators," Hein-Lopez added.

Students interning at Finley Elementary School are Elma Cortez, mentored by Blanca Elender, and Griselda Villarreal, mentored by Herlinda Duncan. Finley Principal is Pamela Juarez.

Interning at Kazen Elementary School are Martha Atwell, Teresa Banda, Amy Juanita Negrete, Patricia Reyes, Jessica Siegfried, Mirta Silva, and Patricia Moran. Their mentors are Virginia Garcia, Albert Perez, Bresida Ramirez, Michelle Barrera, Myra Solario, Patricia Lanas, and Yolanda Arizola, respectively. Principal is Diana Rodriguez.

Interning at Kennedy-Zapata Elementary School are Lisandra Cerda, Criselda A. Flores. Margarita I. Garcia, Ana Melissa Lopez, Veronica Lozano, Marissa Molina, and Olga A. Ortiz. Their mentors are Leonel San Miguel, Nora Madrigal. Aurora Hawkins, Rosa Canales, Diana Padilla, Mary Moreno, and Jay Sepulveda, respectively. Principal is Juanita Zepeda.

Interning at Matias de Llano Elementary School is Julissa Gonzalez mentored by Lana Boyd. Principal is Patsy Uribe.

Interning at Tomas Sanchez Elementary School are Edith Chapa, Nelia Gil, Ma. Amparo Ramirez, Martha A. Vela, and Diana Ugarte. Their mentors are Marylou Cobos, Sarah Appling, Gloria Evans, Alma Villarreal, and Abby Willett and Laura Cordova. Principal is Virginia Flores.

Interning at Lamar Middle School are Gerardo Montes, Cordelia Ramirez, Olga Rodriguez, Lily Trevino, and Dolores Villarreal. Their mentors are Cynthia Cantu, Lydia Martinez, Adriana Vidaurri, Veronica Martinez, and Mary Rojas, respectively. Lamar Principal is Alfonso Ornelas. Assistant Principals are Blas Martinez, Sara Perez, and Linda Perez.

Interning at Washington Middle School are Rebecca R. Adan, Gloria Costilla, Analia Esquivel, Irma Guerra, Merritt James, Jose Luis Ojeda, Juan Salas, and Rafael Trevino. Their mentors are Yvonne Gonzalez, Myriam Vasquez, Laura Vela, Cristina Palacios, Gloria Gutierrez, Robert Cruz, Irma Montemayor, and Ed Priest, respectively. Washington Middle Principal is Mary Molina.

Interning at Cigarroa High School are Melinda Madrigal, mentored by Rene de la Viña, and Elizabeth Slight, mentored by Gus Hein. Cigarroa Principal is Mario Guzman. Assistant Principal is Amira Mejia.

College of Education faculty who supervise the Teaching Internships are Hein-Lopez, Arturo Limon, Visiting Instructor of Education; Dr. Patricia Lozano, Assistant Professor of Bilingual Education; and Dr. Linda Medearis, Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education.

For additional information on A&M International's Teaching Internships, contact Hein-Lopez at 326-2694.

General University office hours are 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Monday - Friday.