Elementary/Special Education Testimonials

I just got my first teaching job in Connecticut. I was hired as a special education teacher for fourth- and fifth-graders at North Stratfield Elementary School in Fairfield. Every interview I went on, the administrators were incredibly impressed with the PC elementary/special education program.

-Monica Gorton ’19

I have taught students from Yale kindergarten to Arabic-speaking fourth-graders in the Middle East to Outdoor Montessori youth hikers. I have taught Dutch and French middle and high school speakers at an International School in Belgium. I have taught pottery to students who are deaf and mute in West Africa, and I have taught life skills to students with DiGeorge Syndrome. Providence College’s elementary/special education program has taken me to all of these incredible countries, cities, roles, and, most importantly, to all of these incredible children from all over the world who are gifted in every single way possible. I cannot be more grateful.

-August Siu ’15

Putting yourself in the shoes of another and having the opportunity to experience what it feels like to be an outsider is a humbling experience. The opportunity to teach abroad is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that cannot be replicated. There is beauty in a relationship that is formed based on connection and a deep understanding of another person regardless of differences in languages and backgrounds. I will be forever grateful for this teaching experience that has opened my eyes to seeing the whole student and having a greater appreciation for supporting them through challenges they may face. The elementary/special education abroad experience will teach you that as a teacher you will learn so much more from your students than you will ever be able to teach them and to never take that for granted.

-Emily Skaug ’20