EDYS offers robust teacher education programs with licensing options at the K–9, secondary, and K–12 levels which transfer to 40 states. In December 2025, the department celebrated another cohort of ten majors who finished their student teaching semester in the Beloit and Turner School Districts. These students taught across a range of subjects—elementary classrooms, middle school social studies, and high school English, Spanish, art, and theater.

Selected student teachers and EDYS faculty at a dinner celebration in honor of the fall 25 student teachers

Five students completed their student teaching during their seventh term and returned to campus in January for their final semester of coursework before graduating in May 2026. The remaining five graduated in May 2025 before finishing their student teaching in their ninth term in fall 2025. All have secured or are in the process of securing full-time employment, both locally and nationally. Among them, Sania Khan ’25 headed to northern Wisconsin in early January to teach high school art, Paxton Giarritano ’25 accepted a contract as a stage manager with Norwegian Cruise Line starting this coming May, and Allissa Jones ’25, Sydney Harbison ’25 and Didac Llido Piquer ’25 are continuing their work in stateline-area school districts.

Student teachers reflected deeply on their growth and accomplishments over the course of the semester. Many described their experiences as transformative and deeply rewarding. Here are reflections from some of them:

“My student teaching experience was one of the most wonderful and rewarding times of my life. I believe the most rewarding feeling is watching each individual child grow over the semester in their learning and confidence, and knowing that I contributed to this growth through my teaching. Seeing this reminds me of my “why” and why I chose this profession. This student teaching experience was so memorable to me because I developed such a strong relationship with each of the kids, and I will remember them for the rest of my life, as they were an important part of my journey!”

–Jessalyn Coppe, ’26, K–9 license (student taught at Todd Elementary)

“During my final week, my class was learning about the First Amendment. When we discussed the right to petition, my students excitedly suggested creating a petition to convince me to shave my beard. I told them that if they collected signatures from all the eighth graders, I’d do it the following week. Even though I wouldn’t be there, their enthusiasm made it a memorable and fun way to end our lessons.”

–Ryan Novak, ’26, K–9 license (student taught at Aldrich Middle School)

“The most meaningful aspect of my student teaching experience was the relationships I built with my students, particularly those in my Spanish 3 classes. While I truly enjoyed working with all of my students, I developed an especially strong connection with the sophomores in Spanish 3. What made me happiest was how openly my students responded to me and the class. They felt cared for, enjoyed our time together, felt comfortable asking for help, and maintained a positive attitude throughout. This experience made me feel wonderful and has become a moment in time that I will never forget.”

-Francisco J. Orbezo Jr., ’26, K–12 Spanish license (student taught Spanish at Turner High School)

We are grateful for the department’s strong partnerships with local school districts, which enable us to place our student teachers with strong cooperating teachers. Each student teacher is closely mentored by Beloit College education professors, retired educators who return to support new candidates, and cooperating teachers from the area, including several Beloit College alumni. Our students and alumni continue to make a positive impact in the Stateline area and beyond. The department is deeply proud of these new educators and confident they will continue to make a lasting difference in the lives of their students and communities wherever they go.