Encouraged by former teachers to chase her dreams, Bonnie Skye was committed to becoming an educator who meaningfully impacts her students鈥攋ust like the ones she had throughout her schooling.
鈥淕rowing up, my teachers have always meant a lot to me and made really big impacts on my life in a positive way,鈥� Skye said. 鈥淚 wanted to do the same because I had that experience.鈥�
Overcoming obstacles like navigating a learning disability, battling a melanoma diagnosis and unexpectedly moving out of state, Skye, a student in the 91社区 (USF) College of Education, will graduate this weekend with a Bachelor of Science in English Education.
Skye, whose husband is active duty in the military, started her college journey at Oklahoma State University before transferring to USF when he was restationed at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa. Right before beginning her teaching internship鈥攖raditionally an in-person experience completed in one of USF鈥檚 partner school districts鈥擲kye was told they would be relocating again to Bellevue, Neb.
To finish her degree, Skye was placed with a collaborating teacher at , a franchise of 91社区 Virtual School that provides virtual instruction to K-12 students in .
By completing her field experience from a distance, Skye explored what it takes to be a certified teacher through a unique and timely lens. She says teaching online gave her a new understanding of what it鈥檚 like to be an educator in today鈥檚 digital learning environment.
鈥淚t kind of rocked my world at first,鈥� Skye said. 鈥淚 think a lot of us have myths that online teaching is easier or you鈥檙e going to have all of this free time. I kind of had those misconceptions going into it, and it鈥檚 just the complete opposite.鈥�
An example Skye shared about the difference between the brick-and-mortar classroom and teaching at Pasco eSchool is the online school鈥檚 operating hours. It鈥檚 open from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. to allow time for online instruction, grading and lesson planning and virtual conferences with families to share updates on student progress.
While she misses the face-to-face interaction with students, Skye said she鈥檚 developed a new appreciation for online teaching because of the strong emphasis placed on student learning outcomes.
鈥淭he tools that we have now online have just blown my mind,鈥� Skye said. 鈥淚鈥檓 trying my best to stay within the online curriculum just because I love it that much. It鈥檚 very different but it鈥檚 very rewarding to see students work themselves through the modules, especially because online schooling is very student-centered.鈥�
A nameplate Bonnie Skye uses as d茅cor in her virtual classroom at home.
Skye says her USF professors have been a tremendous help while studying at the university, and that frequent check-ins with instructors and her internship supervisor helped her stay on track toward graduation.
When asked about Skye鈥檚 participation in the virtual field experience, Laura Sabella, PhD, director of field and clinical education at the College of Education, said this version of clinical education required some flexibility and creative problem-solving, but that it also offered a new learning experience for the students completing their final semester in USF鈥檚 secondary education program.
鈥淲hen we have students who complete their clinical experiences in nontraditional settings, such as online teaching environments, it creates a richer conversation amongst students in our program who are learning from one another,鈥� Sabella said. 鈥淎s a result of her final internship experience, Bonnie was able to bring back her perspective to share with other pre-service teachers in Senior Seminar. It was a win-win all around.鈥�
After graduation, Skye will be working in the childcare center at the military base where her family is stationed. She鈥檚 also working on the application to transfer her educator certification to Nebraska, so she can begin her teaching career in a high school English classroom. In the long-term, she said she plans to pursue graduate school, starting with a master鈥檚 degree, and aspires to one day become a college professor.
As she prepares for graduation, Skye says the advice she鈥檇 like to share with other education students at USF is despite the many obstacles you may face, it鈥檚 important to continue working towards the finish line.
鈥淓ducation in itself is not going to be easy, but it will always be worth it,鈥� Skye said. 鈥淣ot only for yourself, but it鈥檚 a gift you can give to other generations as well. It鈥檚 something that continues on, and it never stops.鈥�
USF's English Education program develops and supports secondary teachers of English Language Arts of all backgrounds and at all levels as they expand access to literacy, empower language users, encourage critical thinking, create and deepen professional communities, and continue to learn and share what they know.