![Kayla Zapcic](/_images/1.0_academics/1.1_majors_minors/1.1.67_education_teacher_certification/kayla_zapcic.jpg)
Major
Minor
Lean by doing
- Internship, Sudlersville Elementary School
- Sports Writer, The Elm
Extracurricular Activities
- Relay for Life
- Varsity Field Hockey
![Kayla Zapcic](/_images/1.0_academics/1.1_majors_minors/1.1.67_education_teacher_certification/kayla_zapcic.jpg)
Head of the Class
Kayla Zapcic
Class of 2021 鈥 Lancaster, PennsylvaniaMajor
Minor
Lean by doing
- Internship, Sudlersville Elementary School
- Sports Writer, The Elm
Extracurricular Activities
- Relay for Life
- Varsity Field Hockey
Since the beginning of her sophomore year, she has been interning at Sudlersville Elementary School in Queen Anne鈥檚 County, shadowing and student-teaching in both kindergarten and first grade classrooms. After being accepted into the program at the beginning of her junior year, she is on track to earn her teaching certification in the state of Maryland, alongside her human development major.
Working closely with the education department, Kayla is grateful for the guidance of her professors. 鈥淲hen it comes to finding your placement for your elementary school field experience,鈥 she explains, 鈥淸the department] is very diligent, making sure you have everything you need.鈥
After finishing most of her distribution requirements, she began focusing on her education course load throughout her sophomore year, while simultaneously shadowing in a kindergarten classroom. 鈥淚 love bringing the values and concepts we learn at 缅北强奸 to real life in the classroom,鈥 she adds.
The next year, in a first-grade classroom, Kayla put her teaching skills to the test - writing and teaching her own lesson plans independently. Each week in her Processes and Acquisition of Reading course, she writes a lesson plan, three of which will be taught throughout the course of the semester to her first-graders. Bringing her own lessons to the front of the classroom is nerve-wracking, yet exciting. 鈥淯sing the Maryland State Standards, I get to think of my own lessons and create fun, learning activities to bring to my class.鈥
In the education department, seniors are expected to teach full-time throughout their spring semester, a plunge that Kayla is thrilled to take. Immersing herself in the classroom environment, she can鈥檛 imagine a better way to prepare for her future as an elementary school teacher.
Back on campus, Kayla is consistently improving her teaching approach, particularly through her coursework. In Professor Clarke-Vivier鈥檚 Educational Psychology course, she learned new approaches to teaching, particularly as it relates to a student鈥檚 well-being and emotional health.
鈥淲e learn about teaching effectively in a classroom, while also making sure we don鈥檛 neglect the human aspect of a student,鈥 she explains, 鈥淗e/She is a human being with thoughts and feelings of his/her own, which we must take into consideration.鈥
Apart from teaching, Kayla is a Shorewoman at heart. Standing in the crowd at last year鈥檚 War on the Shore game, she truly felt the camaraderie on campus. Hundreds of students filled the stands as Goose Nation鈥檚 men鈥檚 lacrosse team fought Salisbury on the field. Regardless of the loss, everyone was unified and excited, and that鈥檚 a moment she鈥檒l never forget.