Academics > Majors and Areas of Study > Education

Alumni Success Stories

Mark Thompson - 2009 Graduate

Currently teaching Math at Hickory High School, Hermitage, PA



How has the Thiel Education department prepared you for a successful career in Education?

                     The Thiel Education department helped to prepare me by focusing the course work in each class to practices and strategies that are currently being used in schools.  Almost every piece of information I was handed during my first few years as a teacher, I had either worked with or seen in an education class.  Along with working on the strategies to become an effective teacher, I was also taught how to properly handle difficult decisions and situations that come with the career.  Also, one of the most important ways the faculty prepared every graduating education major was helping with the interview process.  We were shown what to do and not to do as well as doing everything we can to stand-out as a great teacher candidate.

 Do you have any words of advice for prospective and current education majors at Thiel?

                      Advice I would give any education major at Thiel is to always ask as many questions as they can.  With the wealth of knowledge inside the Education Department faculty, someone has dealt with every possible situation that can arise in the profession.  Whether it would be how to effectively engage students in a difficult lesson or what to do when an upset parent calls.  The faculty is there to help anyway they can and will always push for each student to do their best. 

What were some parts of the Thiel Education Department that were special to you?

                       A special part of the Thiel Education Department was the fact that the classes were designed to get you interacting with other students, the material and the professor.  Rarely was there ever a day that an education professor would lecture the entire session.  They would use strategies to get us discussing and developing our own thoughts rather than just copying notes from a powerpoint.  The best part was that we could take the strategies they used and apply them in our own classrooms. 

Jennifer Beach (Wilfong) - 2009 Graduate

Currently teaching Kindergarten at Mercery Elementary School, Mercer PA

How has the Thiel Education Department prepared you for a successful career in Education?

                  From the very beginning, the Education Department encouraged hands-on experience. How else can you know if you really want to be a teacher unless you have experience teaching firsthand? Beyond the experience, the Education professors were very current when it came to emerging trends and philosophies present in today’s educational society. When I began interviewing for full-time positions, I knew the answers to every question I was asked. I felt prepared and confident in my knowledge and abilities because my professors made sure of it.

Do you have any words of advice for prospective and current education majors at Thiel?      

                 My advice would be to take advantage of every opportunity that is presented by the Education department and the professors. Listen to everything that the professors tell you because they really do know what they are talking about, and most of them have really good connections with the schools in this area. You need excellent recommendations, and the professors will not recommend anyone they do not believe can excel in this field. Education is a tough field to be in right now, so it is even more important to make yourself stand out in any way possible (as long as it’s positive). Get as much experience in the classroom as you can, and make your own connections with schools. I had been to Mercer several times throughout my years at Thiel. One of the more memorable ones was with the Thiel Players to do a Children’s Theater performance for the students. The principal remembered my performance and brought it up when I was interviewing. Even the smallest effort does not go unnoticed.

What were some of the parts of the Education Department that were special to you?

                   By far the most special part of the Education Department at Thiel are the professors. They truly care about every individual that walks through their doors. I was able to talk to them on a professional level as well as a personal level. They supported me and encouraged me when I was having a difficult time finding a job. They believed in me and fed me the confidence that I could not exude on my own. I entered Thiel as a shy teenager, and I left as a confident, mature woman. I could not have done it without them. I continue to talk with many of them even now after graduating almost three years ago. They are not just professors; they have become friends for life.

Jeff Zelonka- 2009 Graduate

Currently teaching Biology at Leechburg Area High School, Leechburg, PA

How has the Thiel Education Department prepared you for a successful career in Education?

The Thiel Education department and program has put me a step ahead of almost every other applicant. I graduated in ‘09 feeling fairly confident in what I had learned but it wasn’t until my 2nd or 3rd interview when I realized how fortunate and knowledgeable about teaching and student learning I was. I was fortunate enough to make it pretty far in a number of my interviews and I know for a fact it was a result of the understanding I had with student learning. As they stressed for a number of years, and still do, knowing information only goes so far…understanding information allows an individual to work through higher order thinking processes and I am a definite truth to that.

Do you have any words of advice for prospective and current education majors at Thiel?   

Soak absolutely every bit of knowledge possible from the “gurus” you are learning from. The whole faculty of the education department has a common goal but their individual personalities were the aspect that I admired the most. I strongly encourage taking in as much of each professor’s teaching style as possible. More than likely you will not realize how much of an advantage they are putting you in until after you graduate.

What were some of the parts of the Education Department that were special to you?

The idea of the individual attention especially as you get deeper into your education curriculum is, as I look back, one of the more special thoughts. Every professor does an awesome job of keeping every little detail of the class relevant to our understanding and what is happening in the education world around us. Probably one of the most impacting examples of this is how they structured the class; not only presenting a strategy or concept, but making us a part of it. As if we were the high school class and they were our high school instructor. The whole Thiel environment is a very special thought to me every time I revisit in my mind. When I think of the people I learned and modeled from in the education department a huge wave of appreciation floods my thought process because I know and am grateful for what they instilled in me as tools to start my own career.