The Pekin PDS program fosters a partnership between Illinois State and Pekin District 108. This comprehensive, year-long internship provides total immersion in the classroom along with a full ISU course load during the first half of the school year. Interns return to one (or, in my case, both) of the initial placements in a traditional student teaching capacity during the second half of the school year.

Benefits of the PDS program

• Comprehensive year long internship
• Total immersion in the school culture
• Intensive and extensive clinical experience
• Opportunities for practice, reflection, and collegiality
• On-site methods course work
• Linkage between course content and teaching practice
• Involvement in school-community relationships
• Cohort experience
• Promotion of best practices
• Quality Mentor-Intern team
• Preparation for the “real” teaching world
• Problem-based learning
• Technology-rich learning environments

PHASE I

• Orientate to the beginning of year classroom activities
• Begin methods course work
• Experience a K-3, 4-6 or 7-8 classroom

I spent my Phase I placement working in a fifth grade classroom in Wilson Intermediate in Pekin. Participating in beginning of the year activities such as Meet the Teacher and learning about the students helped to establish myself as an authority figure in the classroom and better prepare me for my formal student teaching phase.

PHASE II

• Place in new grade level
• Continue methods instruction
• Experience a middle school setting
• Observe specialists in a variety of areas

During Phase II I moved to Broadmoor Junior High working in a 7th & 8th grade math class. There I had the opportunity to continue learning new teaching strategies, improving on classroom management techniques, and utilizing alternative assessments.

PHASE III & IV

• Begin in-depth student teaching
• Produce a quality professional portfolio
• Prepare for job fairs, job searches, and interviews

Because I had such a positive experience at both placements first semester, I chose to do a dual placement during my student teaching. This unique experience afforded me the opportunity to create standards based, hands-on lessons in both intermediate and middle school settings. The experience gained and lessons learned through my student teaching have shaped my teaching skills more than any other previous educational experience.

"The whole art of teaching is only the art of awakening the natural curiosity of young minds for the purpose of satisfying it afterwards."       ~Anatole France