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GREETINGS
Hi! I'm Jenna Perazzone, a junior at Lycoming College from Cedar Grove, New Jersey. I'm an English Literature major and working toward my teacher's certification in Special Education.
When I began my freshman year, I had no idea what I wanted to study. I was comforted knowing that students have until their sophomore year to declare a major. However, I did know that secondary education was an interest that I wanted to pursue and was advised to begin my coursework right away.
After my first year at Lycoming, I had a change of heart. I decided to take on a summer job as a teacher's aide for a special needs summer school program. I was placed in a mixed-disabilities pre-school where I had the opportunity to gain the valuable experience of leading a classroom. After talking with the teacher, I was convinced that teaching special education was the fit for me and changed my certification to Special Ed.
During the first week of my sophomore year, I met with my advisor and notified him of my decision to change my certification. I was already scheduled to take Intro to Ed that fall, and would start with my Special Ed curriculum the following semester. I learned so much from my Intro to Ed professor, Jay Gordon, who is a very experienced and gifted educator and takes the time to know each student he is teaching. The personal attention he invests in his classes allows his
students to fully understand each lesson that he is
teaching.
Spring semester came along and I took my first methods courses: Teaching Reading in the Elementary School and Reading for Special Populations. I gained valuable insight from the professors as well as many classroom ideas and various assessments that I now feel confident in performing. Having only two other students in my Reading for Special Populations class allowed for personalized instruction and learning.
At Lycoming, I have taken advantage of offerings outside the classroom. Last semester, I became an executive officer for United Campus Ministry, and a co-Team Leader for the SEARCH retreat. And not to forget about my English major, this past spring I was inducted into the Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society.
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Now that I am a junior, I am excited to continue my vibrant college life along with all of my friends at Lycoming. If you have any questions, or just want to talk, feel free to e-mail me at perjenn1@lycoming.edu.
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