Ashley Phelps ’26 and Aiden Irish ’26 worked with Dr. Marcela Garcés (Professor of Spanish, Siena University) and MaryBeth Becker (Retired English and Spanish teacher; current part-time ENL teacher at Brittonkill/Brunswick Central Schools) as their content and clinical supervisors during the spring of 2026. Ashley and Aiden were observed by both Becker and Garcés multiple times, which is a great feature of Siena’s Education program as mentoring is in depth and consistent, helping students to grow. In addition, both worked closely with full-time teachers in their placements, receiving invaluable on-the-job experience to prepare them for the future.
Ashley Phelps spent the semester student teaching at Shaker High School with her mentor teacher, Kelly Mattice. Reflecting on the time she spent there, Ashley stated: “My experience in my student teaching placement pushed me to grow in ways that I didn’t know were possible. My most joyful moments have been collaborating with my mentor, Kelly Mattice, and connecting with the awesome students in our classroom.” What a great experience Ashley had! She will move to Syracuse, New York to pursue employment opportunities there this fall.
Aiden Irish’s student teaching placement was at Bethlehem Middle School, where he worked alongside his mentor teacher Vanessa Treffert. Aiden reflected: “my favorite part about student teaching was the connections that I was able to make with my students. While the content and the skills gained through learning a new language are important, it is imperative as an educator that I strive to connect with my students and provide them an environment where they feel respected, cared for, and aware they have the potential to do anything they strive to do.” It’s clear that Aiden connected Franciscan ideals to his work in the classroom. He has already secured a job for the fall, and will be a 7th grade Spanish teacher in Ravena, New York.
Dr. Garcés finds it really gratifying to work with students in Spanish Education, a truly professional preparation program. There are many job opportunities for Spanish teachers currently, so we hope that more students will join our Spanish Education program to serve as teachers in our area and beyond!