From the moment students enter the Elementary Education program, their preparation is rooted in real classrooms and learning spaces. Beginning in their junior year, they spend at least one day each week in-person in an educational environment, paired with a peer to observe, practice instructional strategies, and learn directly alongside children and educators. These early, consistent opportunities to apply their learning helps students connect what they’re learning in foundational and methods coursework to the realities of today’s elementary classrooms.
This work ultimately builds toward the program’s capstone, a year-long student teaching internship during the students’ senior year. In partnership with mentor teachers at a local public school and faculty who stay actively engaged throughout, students gradually assume responsibility for planning, instruction, and assessment — leaving with practical experience, a strong teaching toolkit, and confidence in their ability to support young learners.
All placements are made in collaboration with district partners and guided — though not guaranteed — by student interests. Most internship sites are within 40 miles of Chapel Hill, and students are responsible for their own transportation.