The previous section revealed the growth in internships in non-teaching environments; however, the GSU English Department also a remarkable increase in the number of internships in educational spaces where teaching or curriculum design were the focus. What I believe was the oldest document maintained in the department archives was a syllabus entitled “English 819: Internship in Teaching Composition,” dated Winter 1986. The syllabus included the purpose of the course:
The internship is designed to train students in the teaching of college composition. Students gain experience by working as teaching interns in selected writing classes; they also meet together weekly as a seminar to discuss pertinent issues and to report on research and other activities. (Georgia State University, English 819).
The course required two texts: William F. Irmscher’s Teaching Expository Writing and Erica Lindeman’s A Rhetoric for Writing Teachers. This internship was significantly different that the English 495 and English 4500 course internships as the students researched and prepared a lesson plan on a topic related to college writing and then taught the lesson in a college class. The students also observed college writing courses, had writing assignments (reports), wrote term
papers, kept reflective journals, and attended a weekly classes. Student grades were calculated based upon the lesson taught (30%), term paper (40%), and writing assignments/reports (30%). The course design resembled a composition pedagogy class given the assignments, discussions, and readings; however, moving the students to composition classrooms for observation and teaching experience provided the internship component. This syllabus offered a true learning experience alongside of experiential learning for English majors interested in classroom teaching at the college level.
Though I found the model for English 819 a very interesting model that clearly would adhere to the Department of Labor requirements for unpaid internships to focus on learning, it appears that GSU incorporated the teaching internship course into English 495 and, later English 4500. Review of the internship proposal forms from 2005 to 2010 included seven internships in teaching or educational environments. There was only one college-level teaching internship documented in the archival records. The internship mentor was a literature professor in the GSU English Department, and the tasks included scholarly research and teaching observation. Other traditional classroom internships included two elementary school language arts classes and one high school English class. These three internships had general descriptions that included
observation, teacher support, and some instructional opportunities. Another student completed an internship with a Department of Language Arts at an alternative school for at-risk high school students. This intern led writing workshops, provided instructional assistant to a teacher, and conducted research on the topic of mediation and invention in writing instruction.
The teaching internships also extended to other learning environments. For example, one student received credit for teaching middle and high school students abroad in Peru. There was no information on the form regarding the assignments the student would have on site, but,
presumably, she had to fulfill the English 4500 requirements. An internship in the GSU Writing Studio presented interesting ideas about other spaces where students interested in teaching might engage. This internship included a detailed list of assignments prepared by the internship
mentors, including tutoring, shadowing, reflective writing, analysis of the website, tutor interviews, and an essay. The detailed description provided considerations about how spaces such as literacy centers, afterschool programs, and writing centers—in the community, in a high school, or in a college—could provide opportunities for exploring pedagogical practices and professional teaching opportunities.
The seven internships described above represent the materials located in the larger, general English Department archives before 2011. In 2011, the teaching internships appear to have been separated from the industry-based internship materials because another faculty member took over this facet of the program. It appears that the two faculty members worked collaboratively to expand the English 4500 class to serve both teaching and non-teaching
internships. The English 4500 syllabus was modified to reflect “Secondary Education Internship” course focus. While the overall requirements for the course are the same (three conferences with the GSU faculty member overseeing the teaching internships, a reflective journal, and a final report), the purpose section was modified to reflect a teaching focus:
What an intern does:An intern works at a specific school or other educational institution, under the mentorship of a teacher or other supervisor. Duties may include assisting in preparing lesson plans, teaching a class, tutoring students, etc. You and your mentor should collaborate to design an internship that satisfies your needs as a student learning the teaching profession and the mentor’s needs for assistance. (Georgia State University,
The internship proposal form was also modified to serve education-focused interns with sections that are applicable to activities in a school, such as rules or requirements of the school system with respect to interns. In addition, the form was very specific about the course requirement of eight to ten hours a week dedicated to the teaching internship (Georgia State University,
Internship Proposal [Secondary English]).
The files also contained a letter addressed to “Prospective Secondary Education intern.” This letter, which is not dated, outlines the steps for teaching internships. Students were directed to procure their own internships at a school of choice. It was suggested that they might consider “the high school or middle school you attended; maybe you’d like to find a school near your home” (Georgia State University, “Letter to Prospective”). Students can intern in private, public or charter schools. In addition, they can pursue other educational opportunities, including literacy programs or education centers. The letter supplements the syllabus and proposal form with additional details about identifying and making contact with prospective internship mentors. The archives did not reveal how the letter was distributed and to whom; nonetheless, it provided valuable information as to how students connect with educational internships.
Like the non-teaching internships, a substantial number of internship proposal forms were maintained in the archives. These records revealed significant growth the teaching internship program. From 2005 to 2011, there were only seven proposals maintained related to internships in educational environments. The 2011 to 2014 files contained forty-eight proposals. Public high schools provided the majority of the interns with twenty-nine positions in eighteen high schools. There were also four college-level teaching internships, all at GSU, three public middle school internships, and one public elementary school internship. Seven students interned in private school environments and four pursued other kinds of education-based experiences. The public
school internships were arranged in eleven metro-Atlanta counties with Gwinnett County hosting the most interns, a total of fifteen.
This growth in teaching internships beginning in 2011 is noteworthy as it suggests that the addition of another faculty member to collaboratively build the program may have allowed for more outreach efforts for both English 4500 concentrations. Of particular interest were the internships focused on education outside of traditional school settings. For example, an internship with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta explored the academic needs of children suffering from health issues. The intern had some unique research, writing, and teaching opportunities: weekly reflective journal, participation in a writing workshop, research about chronic illness educational support, and a case presentation about one student. Working with the School Program Coordinator likely provided the student with an understanding of other kinds of education-related positions that called upon teaching and research skills. There were also two afterschool program positions with Breakthrough Atlanta, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing educational support for youths in the Northwest Atlanta community. While these two interns focused their time on understanding how to develop curricula for this program, the interns were also exposed to teacher training, administrative duties of the teachers, and team building exercises. These kinds of non-traditional classroom or teaching settings offered opportunities for students to develop skills that could help in their careers as teachers while revealing other kinds of education-focused careers.