Eight USAO education majors received a taste of the “real world” Tuesday, July 25, with a parent-teacher conference held in Gary Hall.

Each student was tasked with tutoring a child over the course of the summer trimester, meeting with their child every Tuesday and Thursday for one hour. The students also met with their peers during class time as well as with Dr. Linda McElroy, professor of education, to discuss their sessions with one another.

The “real world” feeling was further amplified with the fact that each student was tasked with developing a curriculum on their own; none was provided for the first time in their education journey.

“Overall, this course was challenging,” said Phoebe Smith, senior elementary education major. “I think the teaching part is natural, based on my past experiences, but still, there’s a lot that I’m doing for the first time.”

Smith along with her colleagues had to submit a report to the parents of their child at the conference. Though this was the most challenging part for Smith, she said the parent of her student is a current teacher, and that made things easier.

Along with the report given at the conference, each student had to write a detailed log of what happened at each and every tutoring session.

The sessions covered many things, such as reading, writing, and even the interest and attitude of the child.

Dr. McElroy said that this summer class, EDUC-4323 (colloquially known as Reading 3), has been a part of the education curriculum before she became a part of the faculty. The class has become well-known to the community of Chickasha and Grady County as a whole.

“We send letters out to all the principals of the various public schools in the area, and the schools choose how they want to do with that information,” Dr. McElroy said. “It’s become well-known that this class happens in the summer, and some parents reach out to us before summer even starts. Typically, the parents are accepted in the order that they apply.”

Dr. McElroy said some schools send out letters to all parents, while some send letters to parents of students who may need extra help with their studies.

There is also a similar class held during the spring trimester, with USAO partnering with Grand Elementary to offer student-tutoring to children.

“This was their capstone for the summer semester,” Dr. McElroy said. “They will still be meeting with me for the rest of the summer, and we will also be focusing on preparing the students for their certification tests.”

Along with their certification tests, the next-step for most of these future educators will be student-teaching.

“I think for future Reading 3 students, I would say that this class is hard, but it prepares us for our field,” Smith said. “The class helps us to be dedicated to the process, and to trust that it prepares us to be the best educators we can be.”

Paul Tointigh is a fourth-year communication major at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.