WINONA LAKE, IND. – Four seniors from Grace College were recently honored for excellence in student teaching: Kaitlin Broz, Hadyn Faur, Meredith Green and Katie Kleckner.
“These ladies exemplify the excellence, both in and out of the classroom, of Grace College graduates,” said Dr. Cheryl Bremer, dean of the School of Education at Grace College. “We are very proud of the effort that they put into their student teaching and education,” she said.
Each school year Grace College School of Education selects one or more students who demonstrate excellence in their role as student teachers. Recipients are awarded a plaque and recognition for their achievements in the classroom.
Kaitlin Broz of Dyer, Indiana, always knew she wanted to be a teacher, but it wasn’t until she was at Grace that she realized she wanted to specialize in teaching business.
Broz completed her student teaching in business education at Tippecanoe Valley High School, Akron, Indiana. During her experience, she taught an entrepreneurship class where she guided students in the principles of business planning. Two groups of students from her class competed at the Fedco First Pitch Entrepreneurship Competition and took first and second place.
“It was so amazing to have been part of the journey that led the students to success,” said Broz.
This fall, Broz looks forward to assuming the role of business teacher at Manchester Junior and Senior High Schools.
Auburn, Indiana, native Hadyn Faur was placed in a third grade class at Eisenhower Elementary School, Warsaw, Indiana. In her role, Faur was able to put what she learned at Grace into practice, and her exemplary work made a strong impression. A few days after she finished student teaching in December, she stepped into a role at Eisenhower teaching fifth-grade.
“It’s been a challenge, but it has solidified my understanding that this profession will truly be a lifetime of learning, growing, adjusting, failing and getting back up to try again,” said Faur. “My goal is to never stop trying to become a more effective educator. Teachers have such an amazing opportunity to influence the lives of so many people through the positive impact they have on their students. I do not ever want to take that opportunity and responsibility lightly.”
Also a December graduate, Meredith Green of Churubusco, Indiana, spent her student teaching experience in a special education classroom at Little Turtle Elementary School in Columbia City, Indiana. She immediately transitioned into becoming a full-time resource teacher there once she graduated.
Green was inspired to pursue teaching because of her grandma McFann, a beloved kindergarten teacher in Garrett, Indiana. Green grew up hearing people give rave reviews about her grandma’s teaching and the impact she made on her students.
“As I was able to hear about all that she had done, I realized that becoming a teacher is something that I wanted to do,” said Green. “I wanted to have the same impact on others that she did.”
Now, she is following in her grandma’s footprints, striving every day to give the future generation an education that fosters a love for learning.
The final award winner, Katie Kleckner of Camden, Indiana, student taught under fourth-grade teacher Angela Luecke at Jefferson Elementary School, Winona Lake. She has accepted a position teaching kindergarten at Eastlawn Elementary School in Burnettsville, Indiana, this fall.
“I knew I wanted to make a difference in my community,” said Kleckner. “Teaching is a profession where you can touch so many hearts and minds. I have always had a passion for helping others develop leadership and communication skills and the classroom has become a place where I can pursue my passion while developing the next leaders of our community and world.”
To learn more about Grace College’s School of Education, visit www.grace.edu/academics/undergraduate/academic-schools-departments/school-of-education/.
