Education Outreach Club Hosts Teacher Panel

GMercyU’s Education Outreach Club hosted a Teacher Panel on Tuesday, October 22 for current students to hear about the experiences of alumni in the classroom. This is the third year the club has hosted the event, and each year members have seen attendance increase.

This year’s panelists were from a variety of backgrounds, from urban to suburban settings, Catholic schools, charter schools, and public schools within elementary education, special education, and secondary education settings. Panelists included:

• Alexandra Merlino ‘23, 10th grade Mathematics Instructor at MaST III Charter School in Philadelphia, Pa.
• Melissa Walter ’24, Dual Certified Student-Teacher at Marlborough Elementary School in Upper Perkiomen School District in Pennsburg, Pa.
• Katie McGovern ’24, Kindergarten Teacher at St. Matthew School in Philadelphia, Pa.
• Sofia Reisinger ’24, Second Grade Teacher at St. Rose of Lima with Independence Mission Schools in Philadelphia, Pa.

“With this wide range of educational placements, we hoped to target different education students to draw in a larger crowd and hear different ideas during the discussion,” shared Julia Bates, senior Early Childhood Education/Special Education major and President of Education Outreach Club.

Prior to the event, Education Outreach Club collected questions from students that would be used during the panel discussion to guide the audience and speakers. This year, the panelists covered topics such as classroom management; planning and preparation; diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI); curriculum design; the first day of school; special education with a focus on family engagement/cooperation; and making cultural considerations in the classroom.