WKU News

Serving as a classroom teacher before officially graduating may sound intimidating, but WKU senior Annabelle Goodman seized the opportunity to gain valuable classroom experience ahead of her peers.

“I am doing student teaching in a unique way since I spent the first nine weeks serving as a long-term substitute teacher for fifth grade math,” said Goodman, an Elementary Education major from Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

"From the first day of school, I have been these students’ one and only teacher.  While I still had a mentor teacher, she was not present and active in the classroom with me every day since she also had her own class down the hall.” 

Goodman said jumping in headfirst as a classroom teacher at Rockfield Elementary School allowed her to use strategies for lesson planning and behavior management she learned in her freshman and sophomore year education core courses and her past three clinical semesters.

“In elementary education clinicals, there is always at least one required professional event to go to with other teachers, which prepares us for all the work that teachers do outside just planning a lesson. I feel prepared to differentiate my lessons for students with disabilities and language barriers, equipped to contact parents about student behavior and student achievement, and I truly feel connected with all staff on my school's campus,” Goodman said.

But the excitement of this semester does not end with fulfilling a long-term substitute teaching assignment. As her substitute teaching assignment ended just before fall break, Goodman transitioned into the traditional student-teacher role working under a mentor teacher in the same classroom for a few weeks before her next challenge begins - studying abroad for the last month of the fall semester.

“I will begin a month of International Student Teaching in Barcelona, Spain, where I will be staying with a host family and teaching English to K-12 students,” Goodman explained.

In Spain, Goodman hopes to gain experience teaching students with varying backgrounds who speak multiple languages. She said she is interested in learning more about Spain’s education system and practical strategies that could be implemented in her teaching career.

A lover of travel, Goodman worked for three years as a front desk assistant in WKU Global Learning and International Affairs. This reinforced Goodman’s interest in study abroad. Last summer, she studied abroad in Seoul, South Korea.

“I took a class about South Korean culture and how it impacts the mental health and way of thinking of the Korean population. While this was super specific to one country, it still gave me insight on how I can be a better teacher for students that come from different backgrounds,” Goodman said.

Coming to WKU was an easy decision for Goodman.

“The campus size is great for feeling connected, but you are also always meeting new people. The price is extremely affordable for such a stellar education, and the opportunities for organizational involvement were prevalent during my tour,” Goodman said.

Now a senior on the Hill, Goodman is realizing that not only did she choose WKU, but WKU continues to choose her by constantly providing a strong education, great network with the community and preparation for her career.

“I'm lucky that my love for education and wanting to teach the next generation has not wavered even for a minute my entire time in college, and I think that is truly because of how amazing the program is in the WKU College of Education and Behavioral Sciences,” Goodman said.

Being a teacher is what she always aspired to do, so choosing to major in elementary education was a no-brainer.

“I truly feel like this program prepared me for my future while also having every professor I've been taught by remember me by name and cheer me on. This program was designed to make sure that future teachers not only feel confident, but have the skillsets necessary to be strong educators. It has proven true in every class I've ever taken,” Goodman said.

Goodman not only found a place to build a successful career, but also a community of life-long friends through her sorority.

“The first organization I joined at WKU was Alpha Omicron Pi. This sorority is full of 150 unique women who push me to be the most ambitious and confident version of myself.  I have been able to network with the greater Bowling Green community and give back to not only this campus, but on a national level as well,” Goodman said.

Goodman took on her first leadership position as a freshman, helping with sorority recruitment. She then went on to serve as Vice President of Membership Integrity during her second year, which taught her how to have mature and sometimes tough conversations while aiding members in following the organization’s policies.

“This past year, I served as Chapter President. I was not expecting to end my college experience with this incredibly fulfilling, but also difficult role. I cannot thank this chapter enough for allowing me to lead them and take advantage of every opportunity given,” Goodman said. 

Her involvement at WKU is expansive. She is part of Omicron Delta Kappa, an academic and leadership-based honor society; Order of Omega, a co-ed Greek organization Honor Society; and Rho Lambda, a women's-only Greek Council Honor Society. 

During her junior year, Goodman also served as a WKU Spirit Master. She described the student ambassador experience as an amazing “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” that she will never forget.

“The work that I was able to do to give back to the campus that continues to pour into me was an indescribable experience. I loved every second of getting to serve on assignments and connect with the campus leaders that I sat beside at weekly meetings,” Goodman said.

Caring faculty, such as Jessie Hussung, Instructor in the WKU School of Teacher Education, and Nick Fortune, Associate Professor in the WKU Department of Mathematics, also helped solidify Goodman’s connection to the WKU community and boosted her confidence as a teacher.

“Mrs. Hussung makes you feel like one of her own, that there are no stupid questions and that you have every right and possibility to succeed as long as you first believe in yourself,” said Goodman.

“She made me feel confident enough to take on this long-term substitute opportunity in a math classroom because of all the ways she modeled how to be a strong teacher, specifically in math so that students no longer fear this subject. The examples she taught us about how to better engage your students have been ones that I've used every day and have truly been remarkable in student growth.”

“Dr. Fortune was a professor I had my first semester freshman year for an elementary education math course. He has a unique teaching style where he can explain the content in multiple ways to connect with every student in the classroom. He gave me a huge confidence boost in my math skills and invited me on the year-long math research study. I would have never had the opportunity to be involved in research if it wasn't for him believing in me,” Goodman said.

After graduation, Goodman will begin a master’s program in education.

“I plan to graduate with my undergraduate degree and my masters in five years total. Following this, I plan to serve as a general education teacher. Then, hopefully, I will work my way up to a curriculum coordinator, and eventually leading as an administrator,” Goodman said.

For more information about a degree in Elementary Education, visit www.wku.edu/becomeateacher.