WKU News

“Within my first month of student teaching, I already had students coming to confide in me. It was such a full circle moment that I was already seeing results relating to why I started teaching, and it had only been a month,” said Kaylee Edelen, a Mahurin Honors College scholar and graduating senior in Elementary Education from Bardstown. 

Edelen started student teaching in August at Rich Pond Elementary School and is already planning to continue teaching 5th-grade social studies after graduating. She knows teaching is the life for her.

“I’ve always loved working with kids, helping others and math. Elementary Education was the perfect combination of all three. I’ve met a lot of kids who feel like they don’t have anyone in their corner, and I want to be their biggest cheerleader,” Edelen expressed.

For Edelen, every activity and accomplishment that she experienced helped fuel her to become the teacher she is today. 

Over the last two years, she assisted other Elementary Education majors as a math tutor. This motivated her to start a Certificate in Elementary Mathematics Specialist Endorsement. 

She also served as the secretary for WKU’s chapter of Educators Rising Collegiate, which is an organization for aspiring teachers. Edelen explained that holding a position in Educators Rising gave her the opportunity to network with teachers in the district and collaborate with other pre-service teachers. 

Serving as a College of Education and Behavioral Sciences (CEBS) Ambassador also created invaluable experiences. 

“This opportunity allowed me to get involved in my college, serve the WKU community and network with other educators,” Edelen said of her CEBS Ambassador position. “This leadership role provided me with numerous out-of-the-box experiences to volunteer for leading freshmen through M.A.S.T.E.R. Plan and the Kentucky Teacher Hall of Fame ceremony.”

Additionally, Edelen completed research relevant to her field. In collaboration with the School of Teacher Education and the Mahurin Honors College at WKU, she designed a research project on teacher interviews. 

“During the research portion of the project, I interviewed multiple administrators across Warren County Public Schools. This project gave me a significant opportunity to network and learn about potential future employers.”

Edelen explained that she has learned from her experiences at WKU and applied what she has learned in the classroom. “I’m using high-level thinking questions, cooperative learning strategies, classroom management skills and so much more. These things are key to making sure students are engaged and learning.”

Edelen will graduate with her Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from Western Kentucky University as part of the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences on Friday, December 8, 2023. 

• For more information about a degree in Elementary Education at WKU, visit https://www.wku.edu/becomeateacher/index.php

• For more information about the Mahurin Honors College at WKU, visit https://www.wku.edu/honors/.

#WKUGrad series: As part of our #WKUGrad series, articles on graduating students are shared in the weeks leading up to Fall Recognition Ceremonies. See all of their stories at https://www.wku.edu/news/articles/index.php?view=default&categoryid=799&multinewsid=187

-WKU-

Western Kentucky University prides itself on positioning its students, faculty and staff for long term success. As a student-centered, applied research university, WKU helps students expand on classroom learning by integrating education with real-world applications in the communities we serve. Our hilltop campus is located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, which was recently named by Reader’s Digest as one of the nicest towns in America, just an hour’s drive from Nashville, Tennessee.