About Me
My name is MacKenzie Delahaut. I am currently a senior at St. Norbert College in the Elementary Education Program. The time has FINALLY come and this semester I will be completing my student teaching. My first placement is at Sunnyside Elementary School in a 4th grade classroom. I will be with my 4th graders until the middle of October and then will be heading to New Zealand to complete my second placement. While abroad, I will be in a Year 0/1 classroom (Kindergarten). Having the opportunity to teach abroad is something I could not say no to. I am excited to see what the next few months bring me.
Why Abroad?
My Family & I
First of, I love to travel and explore different places. Secondly, my advisor at SNC sold me on it. When I was looking at colleges, the thought of going abroad has always been in my mind, but I never knew if I could be away from my family for a full semester. So, when I sat down with my advisor we were talking about the education program and he began to tell me about student teach abroad. He shared some of the students blogs with me and had me contact a former student. It wasn't long before I called my advisor back and told him I was coming to SNC because of this amazing opportunity.
Traveling and teaching—two things I love. How could I pass up the opportunity to do both at the same time? I have a love for learning and knew this experience would be one full of it.
My Goals
Having the opportunity to teach abroad is an experience that I know will allow me to grow as a person and a teacher. It will challenge me to do things completely out of my comfort zone and expose me to a culture that is completely different from my own. Adjusting to a school whose education system is very different than our in the United States will allow me to become more flexible and strengthen my classroom management skills. New Zealand is known for strong literacy within their education system, so it is my goal to soak up every bit of knowledge I can about their reading curriculum. From this experience, I hope to bring some of what I learned at Swanson School back into my own classroom one day. Lastly, I hope to create memories and build friendships that will last a lifetime.