Hello, my name is Rebecca Wells, and I am graduating with a double major in Childhood Education (Regular and Special) and Psychology. This past semester I was fortunate enough to find an internship that combined these two majors beautifully. I did my student teaching at the New York Center for Autism Charter School while taking my capstone courses, “School, Diversity & Society” (ED 580) and “History of Psychology” (PS 441).

NYCACS is a charter school for students diagnosed with autism. I knew from my previous courses and field placements that I wanted to be in a special-education setting for my student teaching. Dr. Mapy Chavez-Brown had e-mailed a flyer put out by NYCACS to all of the education students preparing to student teach. I thought this internship could be something that would set me apart in this field for the future. I decided to go for an interview, and I got the intern position. I could not have asked for a better experience!

During my placement, I worked in a classroom with three students (ages 5 to 7) and three teachers. I went into my student teaching with no experience working with children with autism, but I was highly motivated to work hard and learn as much as possible. My cooperating teachers and directors were more than helpful. I was pretty nervous in the beginning, but the teachers each took the time to meet with me and answer any questions I had, no matter how silly I thought my questions were. My cooperating teachers allowed me to jump right in and work one on one with each of our students. Their philosophy was “practice makes perfect,” and now I am grateful to them for allowing me to get my feet wet so early on in the internship. There was always someone I could turn to for help, which made me feel very comfortable. They treated me like part of their team, which was highly motivating. I was always being encouraged, and I was taught how to implement various interventions associated with Applied Behavior Analysis, along with being given just the right amount of responsibility to feel what it is like to really be a teacher who works with children with special needs. However, it was still nice to have a safety net. I saw what it takes to be a teacher, along with the importance of building relationships with students. This experience showed me that I do want to work with children with special needs after college, and that I am capable of handling a lot more than I thought I could. I learned a lot about myself, such as that it takes time to become good at something, and putting in lots of time and effort does pay off.

The Teacher Work Sample is the equivalent of a senior thesis for education majors. I did my TWS as a case study. I chose to implement a “Preparing Breakfast” program with one of my students. This program falls under the Life Skills domain. At the beginning of this program, this particular student had no skills associated with preparing a meal. After teaching him to make breakfast, from January to April, he was able to make oatmeal independently. I was so proud of the both of us! I chose this program because I felt that once he mastered all of the steps involved, his life would be changed for the better because he would be more independent.

Dr. Mapy Chavez-Brown taught ED580. During this course she was always available to meet with me and discuss my thoughts and concerns as a future teacher. She observed me four times during my internship and was always motivating and encouraging. During the course, all of us would share our experience along the way and help each other out with issues we were having in the classroom and as new teachers trying to find our way. This course brought all of my education courses and field work together. I realized how important and applicable some of the things I learned about in the past few years were. I feel very confident graduating and going into the work force in the near future.