Four alumni served as counselors and teacher interns during the 2023 Summer Program. Grace Cirimele ’21, Dasha Fiebach ’21, Laura Milde ’22, and Lauren Russell ’22 were selected as this summer’s teacher interns. The internship, now in its second year, provides alumni studying education or exploring the idea of education-related careers the opportunity to gain first-hand experience in a boarding school setting. 

“One of the biggest benefits of this program is the ability to get experience in the classroom before many of their peers get to experience teaching and designing lessons,” says Brittany Bloom, Cognition and Learning Teacher and Forman Summer Program Dean of Academics, who oversees the internship program.

Grace, Dasha, Laura, and Lauren spent four weeks learning how to plan and teach lessons and manage classrooms. During that time, they also receive support from Bloom and mentor teachers. 

“They start the summer feeling unsure if teaching is something they can do. It is amazing watching them grow and learn throughout the four weeks,” Bloom says. “This internship requires a lot of dedication, time management, and executive functioning skills, which can sometimes feel overwhelming, but it is also a great way to learn how to navigate that in a supportive environment.”

Grace interned in a Science of Studying course with Dr. Catherine Stines, Dean of Faculty; Dasha interned in a Going for Gold course, also with Dr. Stines; Lauren interned with Jeremy Marchand, Summer Program Teacher, in a Writing course; and Laura interned with Sara Reilly, Cognition and Learning Teacher, in a Critical Reading Skills course. 

“My mentors were extraordinarily supportive in my journey of learning how to be a teacher,” Dasha shared. 

The interns learned how to best support students in the classroom and encourage them to be excited about learning. Grace shared, “My favorite part of this program was being able to see the progress the students made.”

For more information about the Summer Program teacher internship, contact Brittany Bloom at brittany.bloom@formanschool.org.