A young woman from Seymour recently had the experience of a lifetime, student teaching in New York City for a semester.
She was one of just a few Butler University students chosen for the teaching program.
Last spring, near the end of her junior year, 21-year-old Sam Silver learned that one of her professors was hoping to send a few elementary education majors to New York to teach during the fall semester.
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“Two professors, Dr. Pangan and Dr. Hochman, both love New York City so much and had been working so hard on making it a reality,” Silver said. “I knew right away that I at least wanted to apply.”
When she found out she had been accepted, she said she was hesitant to say yes at first.
Then after some encouragement from others, she decided to seize the opportunity. Now that the experience is over, she doesn’t regret it at all.
The daughter of Steve and Shannan Silver, Sam graduated from Seymour High School in 2015 and currently is a senior at Butler. She is majoring in elementary education and minoring in mild intervention and English as a new language.
“Sam told us about the opportunity last winter and expressed that it was something she would really like to do,” Shannan said. “We told her to apply, and then to make a decision if she was accepted.”
When Sam received her letter of acceptance, Shannan and Steve both knew the New York trip could be a reality for their daughter.
“When she asked Steve if she should do it, his reply was, ‘This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You should do it,’ and that sealed the deal,” Shannan said. “We were nervous about sending our daughter to live on her own in New York City but felt that God had a plan.”
Shannan said Butler was really great about securing housing in a safe area and assigning the student teaching in a reputable school. They also knew from their experiences with Butler that Sam would not be thrown into an unsafe situation.
“Sam is a very independent girl, but she has never forgotten her roots,” Shannan said. “Most days, she would call one of us on her walk to the subway station. It was really exciting to hear about all of her adventures.”
While in New York City, Sam lived in Brooklyn, but the school she student taught at was in Greenwich Village, located on Manhattan’s lower west side.
“The school is called LREI (Little Red School House and Elisabeth Irwin High School), and I was assigned to the Little Red School House,” Sam said. “David Schwimmer, Ross from the TV series ‘Friends,’ has a daughter that goes to the school. It was definitely cool seeing him in the halls.”
LREI is a progressive private school and has approximately 654 students in prekindergarten through 12th grade. Tuition currently is $45,485 for the 2018-19 academic year, according to the school website, lrei.org.
Sam said it was such a different experience teaching at a school in such an urban area. She was in a first-grade classroom studying under a head teacher and an associate teacher, and they had 20 students.
“Little things like walking them to recess was so different than in Indiana, and the kids would have recess at different places each day,” Sam said. “Two of their playgrounds were located in parks near the school, so I had to learn how to navigate the New York City traffic with 20 students.”
The other playground was located on top of the school, which is common in New York City. From there, they could clearly see the Empire State Building, World Trade Center and more during recess, she said.
“I think I gained a sense of how to be even more independent, and I always considered myself pretty independent being an only child,” Sam said. “When I got to New York City, I learned how to feel comfortable taking the subway on my own, grabbing dinner on my own and even just sightseeing on my own.”
Sam said a lot of her spare time was spent with friends doing fun things, but it was a good opportunity for her to grow into a more confident person.
“Coming back to Indiana has actually felt so natural. I hadn’t driven for months, so I was a little worried about that, but of course, it was fine,” she said. “It sounds so simple, but it honestly just feels nice to be back with my family and friends and return to Butler.”
Presently in her last semester of college, Sam is starting to realize how sad she will be when she graduates, so she is taking everything in.
“I will say that I actually do miss the subway,” she said. “People think I’m crazy to say that, but it’s such a convenient way to get around and made my 20-minute commute to work pretty relaxing.”
Sam has considered going to New York to teach, but a master’s degree is required first, so her path would be very different if she chose to teach there rather than Indiana.
“I do want to get my master’s degree eventually, but the timeline will depend on what state I am in,” Sam said.
She also is involved in her college sorority, Pi Beta Phi. In 2017, she was on the executive team as the vice president of philanthropy, and currently, she is serving as the social media chairwoman.
Last month, Sam started her second semester of student teaching in the rehabilitation unit at Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health in Indianapolis.
“This is something I have wanted to do since freshman year of college, so I am very excited, and I’m positive I will learn so much,” Sam said.
Shannan said they will be forever grateful to all of those who helped make Sam’s experience a great one.
”Sam had many great teachers who served as role models throughout her years in the Seymour Community Schools system,” Shannan said. “They have been a part of her journey to becoming an educator.”
Shannan said it speaks volumes for the importance of having qualified teachers who have the skill not only to teach subject content but who care about their students.
”When I asked Sam what she would miss the most about her class at LREI she said, ‘Holding the kids on my lap,’” Shannan said. “When you have a heart for children, that’s when you know you’re in the right profession.”