Student does internship in her mom’s classroom
Kentucky School Advocate
July/August 2018
By Matt McCarty
Staff writer
Mackenzie Ezell, who graduated from Mercer County Senior High School this spring, has been around her mom’s classroom since she was born.
“I’ve always thought I wanted to go into education, just where I’ve been with her all the time and helped her set up her classroom during the summers and throughout the year,” she said.
She had the opportunity this past year to work even more in her mom’s classroom as part of an internship with the high school’s Principles of Teaching class.
Mackenzie Ezell watches as her mom, Mercer County Elementary first-grade teacher
Jennifer Ezell, checks an assignment for Elijah Bradley. Mackenzie interned in her
mom’s class as part of the high school’s Principles of Teaching class.
Jennifer Ezell, who teaches first grade at the elementary school, said she loved working with her daughter. “She knows exactly what it’s like to be in my classroom specifically, but she’s also been in the other classrooms, too. She sees other teachers in action and I love having her over here, love seeing her interact with the children,” she said.
Mackenzie, who plans to pursue elementary education, said the class taught her about different types of learning. “I didn’t realize there were so many different types of things they would need or different things to put together throughout the year; how many different things that a teacher would need to get throughout the day to put together for their classroom,” she said.
“I think anytime you can get real-life experience with any career that you’re going into, and not just learn about it in a classroom but actually see yourself in that setting and how you interact with those people in that setting, I think it’s a very, very valuable thing,” Jennifer Ezell said.
She has talked to her daughter about the future of the profession, advising her to take a wait-and-see approach to pension changes, but “even with the changes, it’s still a very worthwhile thing to go into.”
Mackenzie said it’s definitely made her think about her decision but, ultimately, teaching is still “the best career path for me.”