TowerFall2021

18 TOWER | FALL 2021 BY C.J. HEMERLY, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, SPORTS INFORMATION Student Teachers Receive Unique Cultural Experience in Remote School District KU recently celebrated the 10-year anniversary of its partnership with an unexpected place – the Lake Peninsula School District in the state of Alaska. Dr. Kristen Bazley , an associate professor in the College of Education, started the Kutztown University Liaison Project in 2010. The program pairs Kutztown students with children in an Alaskan classroom to provide instructional assistance, both online and in person. The KU students hone their teaching skills while tutoring students in remote villages across the school district in Bush, Alaska, which serves 13 isolated villages along the Alaskan Peninsula. “The program has been one of the highlights of my career,” Bazley said. “It is extremely rewarding to work with our teacher candidates. I have been able to watch them over the past 10 years as they grow as educators, gain a wealth of experience and knowledge in areas such as differentiation, accommodations and especially within the area of cultural diversity.” Heading to Alaska Amanda Remick ’21 is one of three students who completed their student teaching in Alaska in the Spring 2021 semester. “The student-teaching experience in Alaska was amazing and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Remick. “I learned so much more about teaching strategies and grew in many areas of being an educator. I also met some amazing people who I still keep in contact with.” Remick worked with students in the PreK-4 age range. While in Alaska, she learned how to support them as they coped with emotional challenges. Madeline Spinelli ’19