For many college students, the time between entering and leaving college is the most significant in their early adult lives—they’re learning specializations, juggling finances, and preparing to enter what may become their lifelong careers. For students in the School of Education, senior year marks the final stretch of student teaching before a full-time education career; and for Mary Grace Dempsey, a senior elementary education major with a focus on middle years, it marks the culmination of all of the experience she’s gained since her very first days at Drexel.
Dempsey recalls gravitating toward education far before her time at the university. “I've always loved working with kids; babysitting my little cousins, for instance,” says Dempsey. “But I'm also a dancer. I started teaching at my dance studio as a high school student. I was leading multiple classes in my junior and senior year, which is, obviously, around when I was applying to college. I just had this natural connection to working with students and leading a classroom. Though it was a dance studio, a completely different concept than a school classroom, I really felt I had control over that kind of setting. I loved seeing kids learn things from me, and that’s when I realized I want to pursue this professionally—so the education major just felt right.”
Those same early experiences, she cites, are what led her to a middle years specialization. “I knew that I didn't want to do high school. I knew that would be too old for me, personally; but I also didn't want to do the early education years, because I wanted to be able to teach content rather than the basics.” From the studio to the classroom, Dempsey maintains an emphasis on that learning process. “That's what led me to 4th through 8th—I knew I wanted to be in that sweet spot where they're young, but they're old enough to learn.”
That passion for process (and, of course, her experience with the middle grades) would coincidentally land her at Science Leadership Academy Middle School (SLA-MS) in all her college years. “It felt very full circle, because this year they actually brought the freshmen to SLA-MS, and I was the senior talking to them. In my freshman year, I was placed at SLA-MS for my first field experience two weeks after starting. It was surreal.” Dempsey laughs. “I literally just started college, and I'm in an elementary school now?”
That initial hesitation, however, would smooth as Dempsey realized the immediate opportunity that had presented itself. “Our connection with that school was instant,” says Dempsey. “I met a bunch of teachers that worked there, got their emails. Right away, we were given this awesome connection with the Philly community.” That first placement would go on to cement her faith in the School of Education; although, Dempsey adds, she had been long sold on the program.
“Drexel has a lot of connections to Philly schools. I felt I could really make connections and find opportunities here that I wouldn't get at a suburban school or a school in the middle of nowhere.”
But what really drew her to Drexel, she highlights, was “knowing it was going to be a small program.” Growing up in a small K-8 school with “a lot of community,” Dempsey “found the idea of a close-knit school very interesting. I visited tons of other schools, and their education programs just did not seem as personable, family-oriented.” Like many SoE students, Dempsey was taken under the wing of undergraduate advisor David Appleton. “I first came to campus, I want to say, February of my senior year of high school. It was Admitted Students Day. I met David, and just talking to him made an impact on me. He really stood out as someone that supports his students.”
From that day, Dempsey would go on in her freshman year to become a student ambassador, a frequent event-goer (which, she half-jokes, Appleton was very insistent on), and a much more learned teacher. “Freshman year was definitely my heaviest work year, which I expected. But it was all helpful. It never felt pointless. Everything I did in my freshman year classes was beneficial to what I'm doing now.” It’s a “building process,” says Dempsey. The lesson plan formats she learned in her freshman year, for example, were used in her placements, her co-op, and, now, her student teaching. “In this program, I never felt underprepared. If anything, I felt over-prepared.”
“I'm much more confident,” Dempsey says of her time in the program. “That’s been the biggest mental change I’ve recognized since my freshman year. I've always been shy. I still have that introvert side to me, but I've realized that things aren't always going to present themselves—I have to work and go get them myself. I feel more comfortable sharing my thoughts without being scared of what others might think. I've become a lot more vocal as a learner and as a teacher. Starting day one of student teaching, I was so ready.”
So, what, then, would Dempsey say to that shyer freshman self? “Enjoy every moment. Absorb everything that you learn. Don't be too hard on yourself.” And, most importantly: “Don't let other people's assumptions ruin your passion for teaching. I'm glad I haven't. Stick with it and remember why; because I feel like a lot of people forget why, and they get too overwhelmed with the workload, or one bad day at work sets them off.” Dempsey shrugs. “Trust me, I've had plenty of bad days at work, but I always try to remind myself of why I'm doing what I'm doing. Teaching is a very rewarding job. Just seeing a kid happy to see you one day—that's enough for me to want to keep doing this.”