Joseph LeRoy, Education Major "I am majoring in secondary education in the area of mathematics. I went to ... high school in Jefferson City and chose Rockhurst mainly because of its location. I knew I wanted to major in education. Although I did not research Rockhurst a great deal before enrolling, I quickly learned I am in the right place. The professors here bring a level of experience to their classes that makes it very easy to feel comfortable learning from them. I am going to feel very confident entering the classroom after the instruction I have received from this department. I know any Rockhurst education student would have the same level of confidence I have after working with these professors for four years."

Department of Education
Field Experiences

At Rockhurst, you'll engage in field experiences early and often throughout your academic career. As a pre-service teacher in the Department of Education, you'll log about 20 hours per semester in a variety of urban and suburban schools with diverse populations. These experiences will help you develop strategies for communication, curriculum, assessment, as well as classroom management in preparation for your profession as a teacher.  These field experiences are conducted during the day to match school site hours.

• Courses such as Multicultural Clinical Experiences and the graduate Field Experiences and Action Research will provide you with immediate opportunities to observe, plan and engage in instructional problem-solving.
• You'll gain confidence in using various educational strategies by working with children in the Literacy Practicum.  You'll address critical issues of literacy in courses such as the Fundamentals of Literacy Learning.
• The Rockhurst University Office of Field Experiences acknowledges that field observations are a vital and mandatory component of your pre-service teacher program.  The observations allow you to have direct contact with schools and students throughout your coursework so you are aware of the demands and responsibilities of a classroom teacher and the differences in schools and students prior to student teaching.  To this end, the field experiences are designed to give you a broad perspective of socio-economic classes, diverse student populations, varying instructional strategies, and developmental differences in grade levels. 
• Download and print the Field Experience Log FELog

Student Teaching
After completing a variety of field experiences, students culminate their experience during the 14 credit hour professional student teaching semester. Students are placed in accredited Missouri and Kansas metropolitan area schools.  Graduate students who are already under contract with an accredited school may complete their professional semester of student teaching while under contract, providing they are teaching in the content area and grade level in which the student seeks certification.  The duration and design of the field experiences depend on the certification area. Our Office of Field Experience is available to work with students individually to help get the most out of the teaching opportunities. Find out more about student teaching requirements.

If you have questions about field experiences or student teaching, contact Carol White, Director of Field Experiences, at (816) 501-4342 or carol.white@rockhurst.edu.