McKay School of Education > News > McKay Student Receives “Teacher of the Month” Award at Internship
McKay Student Receives “Teacher of the Month” Award at Internship
Completing an internship during her senior year at BYU, Stephanie Peterson was chosen Teacher of the Month at her school. Shortly afterward, Stephanie graduated from BYU (in April 2009) with a bachelor’s degree in special education with an emphasis in severe disabilities and a minor in psychology. In the days following graduation, the Jordan Education Foundation honored Stephanie as an Outstanding First-year Special Educator.
Stephanie interned as a teacher at South Valley School, a center in West Jordan, Utah that provides transition and vocational training for young adults with disabilities. “I was the main teacher in a classroom with 14 students with severe disabilities who ranged in age from 18 to 22,” she explained. “I also had two full-time instructional assistants and two part-time instructional assistants.” In her classroom Stephanie taught students basic functional and social skills to help them become more independent. Every day the students participated in job training in the community with job coaches assigned to provide instruction and assistance. “I loved my internship at South Valley because I love working with young adults,” Stephanie expressed. “It was easy for me to relate to my students, which makes teaching fun.”
When she heard her name on the loudspeaker at her school one morning, Stephanie was surprised to find out she was receiving a Teacher of the Month/Making a Difference award. “I was not expecting it because there are so many great teachers at my school,” she commented. “I felt honored for receiving the award. It was really fun because all of my students cheered for me.” One of her fellow teachers nominated Stephanie for the award.
After graduation, Stephanie plans to begin working toward a master’s degree in special education. “I want to be a behavior specialist because I love working with families,” she said. “I would love to develop a positive set of tools to manage behaviors, improve outcomes, and generally make life easier for families.”
15 June 2009