The world’s your classroom

Beeghly College of Education launches overseas student teaching initiative

Two years ago, Courtney Lundgren and a group of students in YSU’s Beeghly College of Education set out on a study abroad trip to Palacky University in Czech Republic, with side trips to Poland, Austria, Slovakia and France.

But there was one place in particular left on Lundgren’s European bucket list – Spain.

“I’d love to have the opportunity to see Antoni Gaudí’s architecture,” she said.

This spring, Lundgren was planning to fulfill that desire, and more.

A senior Education major, Lundgren, pictured in the photo on the right, was one of two Beeghly College of Education students planning to do her student teaching abroad during the spring semester - the first YSU students to complete their teacher training overseas.

“I wanted to student teach abroad because it would allow me to expand upon my understanding of education in an international setting,” said Lundgren, who was planning to student teach in Ourense in northwestern Spain, about an hour north of the border with Portugal.

A few days before Lundgren was to set out for Spain, and her classmate, senior Education major Marissa McCabe was to head to Ecuador to student teach, the coronavirus pandemic exploded, and both of their trips were cancelled.

“Unfortunately, neither of us had the opportunity to travel,” McCabe said. “It was for the best, though, I’m sure.”

The trips to Spain and Ecuador were part of the Beeghly College’s new membership in the Consortium for Overseas Student Teaching, consisting of 16 U.S. universities and headquartered at Grand Valley State University in Michigan. COST places student teachers in English language schools in 15 countries spanning six continents, from Costa Rica to New Zealand, the Netherlands to South Africa.

The Beeghly College plans to continue to offer the option.

“We firmly believe in offering as many experiences and opportunities as we can for our students on their journey to becoming school teachers,” said Charles Howell, Beeghly College dean. “This new teaching abroad option, we believe, allows students to bring an international perspective into their classrooms.”

Three years ago, YSU was one of a select few colleges asked to join COST, said Ann Gardner, assistant director of the YSU International Programs Office. “We were lucky to be invited,” she said.

Under the program, students are placed in local schools for student teaching and then travel to spend the last six weeks of the academic year teaching abroad.

McCabe of North Lima was student teaching at Salem High School before her trip to Ecuador. Instead, she remains at Salem and is teaching remotely. “Right now, my main concern is helping my students through this really unusual time by facilitating an online classroom that feels safe and secure in the midst of everything else,” she said.

Lundgren of Niles was student teaching at Girard High School before plans to jet to Spain. Instead, she remains at Girard, also working remotely.

Both students credit Therese Kightlinger, administrator of Student Field Experiences in the Beeghly College, for her leadership and guidance for their overseas assignments

COST is only the latest overseas initiative introduced by the Beeghly College. In addition to the one-month study abroad trip to Czech Republic, the college has sponsored a two-week trip to Taiwan to work with English language learners and a study abroad opportunity at the University of Javaskyla in Finland. More information on the Beeghly site at www.ysu.edu.