Learning a New Approach

Jane

Jane Dudzinsky '19, The Franklin Institute

Majors:

Educational Studies, English.

Internship title:

Discovery camp classroom support intern.

How I got this internship:

I got this internship by responding to a listing on a company website or search engine.

What I do, day to day:

I spend the day with a class of about 20 students, working specifically with students who have various disabilities, disorders or learning differences. With the students, counselors and interns visit exhibits and live science shows in the museum and do experiments, among other things. I help to adapt certain activities or experiments that we do to work best with the students’ mixed needs. During the activities that we do at the camp I help, alongside other counselors or interns, to field questions and pose questions and just spend time getting to know the children in the class.

Other internships:

I haven't been involved with an internship before. I'd definitely like to do something similar to this experience in the future, though.

Most valuable part of this experience:

The most valuable part of this internship is that I am not confined to working with students of just one age group. I have the privilege of interacting with students who are aged four to fourteen; it is interesting to compare my experiences and observations when working with the different groups. I like getting to forge relationships with so many different students over the weeks. Through this, I learn how to effectively speak with and work with a really diverse group of children. I am able to gain knowledge about the innumerable amount of ways that a disability can present itself in a child and a teenager and better understand the ways to adapt a project for and with them.

Advice for students considering internships:

Even if an internship feels like a long shot or you may not feel 100% qualified when you read the description of the job, apply for it anyway—it can’t hurt to get your name out there. I think it's important to recognize early in the experience that you are not always going to feel perfectly comfortable. There is a lot of knowledge that can come from being in a new situation that one may not know a whole lot about. It allows you to evaluate yourself in a situation that you are not used to and you will have the potential to learn so much.

How this internship has helped me:

This internship has given me a deeper understanding of the way that children interact with one another and the different ways they learn. I think that it has helped me learn ways to effectively facilitate a lesson all the while making it fun. I hope to be able to apply this new knowledge to certain classes I will take in upcoming semesters and maybe eventually to wherever I go after Dickinson.

Post-Dickinson plans:

I'm not sure what I'd like to do after graduation. I hope that I'll be working collaboratively with others or working with children in some way. I really like their collective, genuine enthusiasm for life and learning; it's an energy I'd really like to be around.

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Published October 2, 2017