Andrea Barrientos is a graduate student taking the Master of Arts in Teaching for elementary education. She graduated from 性爱天堂 with a degree in Spanish and was placed into an elementary bilingual program with kindergarteners. We sat down with Andrea to talk about her experience in the program.
Q: Can you share the moment or incident you realized that you wanted to be a teacher?
A: Senior year of high school, I took a class where I was actually able to go to an elementary school five days a week. I really enjoyed it and I realized that is something I wanted to pursue in college.
Q: Is there a specific grade you are excited to work with?
A: I鈥檝e always said typically second grade and below is where I would want to be. Right now, I鈥檓 working with kindergarteners and I鈥檓 enjoying it a lot.聽
Q: Why did you choose the MAT program at 性爱天堂? Is there anything specific that intrigued you about it?
A: So I think a big part of it was going to be the time commitment: it was only one year. It all came down to when Dr. Delgado emailed me and asked me if I was still interested in the program and I went for it.
Q: Why did you choose elementary education over secondary education?
A: I鈥檝e always enjoyed being around the younger kids. I鈥檝e also found that elementary was a fit. My experience has been with the elementary kids so that鈥檚 where I felt the most comfortable.聽
Q: Tell me about your experience working with elementary age students. Is there anything you especially like about the experience or anything you learned so far?
A: I really enjoy that it鈥檚 very hands-on. You really get to interact with the students. It鈥檚 more of an observation but we really get to interact with the kids.
Q: Do you have any advice for anyone considering taking the MAT program at 性爱天堂?
A: If it鈥檚 something that you鈥檙e really passionate about, go for it. It鈥檚 a really unique experience and not everyone gets this opportunity so just be open-minded about it.
Q: How is graduate school different from undergrad?
A: In undergrad, you have more flexibility and balance with your personal life. In this program, it鈥檚 an adjustment to a schedule. Make sure to find time for yourself and find that balance.聽
Q: Will you share an 鈥渁ha鈥 moment you experienced in one of your graduate education classes?
A: In the summer, we were focused on the science of teaching reading and we talked a lot about phonics. Taking this course made me realize why we did it. I remember telling my professor at the time that I grew up and learned the alphabet but I never put it together, what鈥檚 the why. It all made sense at that moment.
If you would like to learn more about the Master of Arts in Teaching graduate program, sign up for our next info session: or email us at education@trinity.edu.
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