Teacher Interview: Emma DeVooght

One of the new friends I have met this semester is Emma DeVooght. This is her first semester in OU's teaching program and she has told me that she plans on majoring in Language Arts with an Early Childhood Endorsement. She would most likely want to teach kindergarten or first grade "I currently work in an education center in our pre kindergarten class, consisting of four and five year olds, and I also work with some of our young school-age friends who come to the center after school. I absolutely love working with younger level students!"

I asked Emma if she has had any student teaching experience yet since transferring to Oakland and she said she just finished her first field placement. "I was in a second grade room at a very diverse title 1 school in West Bloomfield for six weeks. Many of the students there came from very challenging backgrounds and lives at home, which led to many challenging behavioral issues in the classroom. I also got to work with the school’s social worker during my field. We did a “check-in/check-out” program to identify goal behaviors and promote positive change and self management among some of the school’s more challenging students across all grade levels. Coming from a reserved elementary school in Port Huron, this was a big change and a good learning experience for me!" Personally, I think having the amount of field experiences that Oakland has for future educators is so important and Emma agreed.

Since teaching is such a passion filled career, I next asked Emma why she has decided to become a teacher. "I have always loved working and being around little kids, but I always swore that I would never be a teacher. During my final years of high school, I was planning on pursuing Music Therapy, but there was something in me that was holding me back. I took classes at a community college for a year after high school and spent time volunteering in a second grade room of a family-friend who taught in Port Huron -- and I fell in love with teaching! I loved being in the classroom and being a part of the learning experience for students who finally had that “ah-hah” moment. I really enjoyed being an influential part of young lives outside of just curriculum based learning and it was really rewarding to see how the class grew and changed from beginning to end of that school year. Those experiences drove my decision to become a teacher." It's so funny how diverse education students can be. Some start college knowing that they have wanted to be a teacher since they were eight years old, while others like Emma have just realized that teaching is what they want to spend the rest of their lives doing.

Finally, I asked Emma if she had any advice for other education majors, "Don’t stress about the decision(s). A lot of people will question your sanity when you say you’re going into elementary ed., but there are so many more who will support you along your journey -- whether that be other students, professors, educators, etc. Don’t be intimidated by other students who look like they have it all together or by people who look down on you. Enjoy your learning experience -- figure out what works and what doesn’t, learn from your mistakes, stay focused, and have a goal."