Rachael Mott ’09
Welcoming Community
More than anything, I loved the supportive environment at 91Ö±²¥ÊÓƵ— a fact I appreciate more than ever after spending a graduate year at a large university. I was not just a number at 91Ö±²¥ÊÓƵ— I am still not a number at UNE. Everyone in the English and Education Departments not only knew everyone else, but took an interest in their progress, and this goes for faculty as well as students. I still email back and forth with a number of my fellow English and Education majors and professors and hope to continue doing so.
If I wanted to study something and there wasn't a class available, the faculty helped me design an independent study. I had a particularly memorable one working on Shakespeare. It was an encouraging and motivating environment to say the very least!
Hands-on Learning
Of all my experiences at UNE, I have no doubt that my student teaching experience during my final semester was the most valuable. I was able to bring together all that I had learned from both of my majors and put that knowledge to work in a setting that ended up being very like my real-life work environment, but with all the support I needed to ensure my continued progress and success.