In January, I received an email that brought my attention to this internship. This email was a followup to a conversation from the previous semester about opportunities outside of teaching in the field of education. This was one such opportunity. With a basic understanding of how unions work as a PSEA member and wanting to know more about union operations, this internship was the perfect opportunity. Now, as the internship comes to an end, my understanding of not just union operations — but also journalism, lobbying, personal relations, research, interviewing, and writing — has expanded.
PennWest Edinboro student Ian C. Hall visited the Pennsylvania Capitol as part of his summer internship with APSCUF’s government-and-communication department. Click here to learn more about APSCUF internships. APSCUF file photo
The skills learned from the last 10 weeks are ones I can use in my future career as a teacher. From talking to members of the general assembly to writing profiles on APSCUF members, this internship has helped me become a better communicator. A teacher’s job is to transmit information from themselves to the students. The vast majority of time, the teacher is the only person in the room who understands the topic before the lesson, thus, for students — who have to work within the context of what they know — to learn, teachers have to be able to communicate and present information in a multimodal fashion to ensure the best come for students. This internship had me present information in a few different ways: orally, in writing, and visually. Each time, this information was reaching a wide audience with varying skills, experiences, and backgrounds.
I have also learned a lot about data sets. Part of this internship was analyzing and creating data sets. These data sets were both quantitative and qualitative, giving experience with both kinds of data sets. For various assignments, I would either have to gather data and compile it or, in one instance, find raw data to compile and create a new data set. This skill can also be used as a teacher. Teachers keep gradebooks for their students. These gradebooks are data sets. Having spent time working with data sets, it will be easier for me to identify areas where students are struggling, looking at trends in their grades and quality of work. Overall, this internship has helped me hone many skills I will use as a teacher.
This internship was also a lot more than just a way to gain experience for my future career, but a fun learning experience as well. I have learned just how difficult journalism is and have gained a much deeper respect for the field because of it. It was also a cool experience getting to talk to members of the general assembly on topics that affect me as a student as well as a future educator. Not to mention meeting the amazing people who work at the APSCUF office.
My favorite part of the internship was interviewing people for membership profiles. I enjoyed listening to them and their stories. From where they grew up, to how their interest in their fields has developed, it was nice talking to them as people, rather than as mentors. Everyone also gave me great advice on what to expect as an educator and to understand that every lesson I teach will be just as much of a learning experience for me as it is for the students.
All in all, I had a great time this summer working with both Kathryn Morton and Sean Crampsie. They both taught me a lot about their positions and responsibilities. I would also like to thank Assistant Professor Erik Bentsen for bringing this internship to my attention and Professor Marc Sylvester for writing a wonderful letter of recommendation. Without them, I cannot say I would have had this amazing opportunity.
—Ian C. Hall,
APSCUF intern