Student teaching at CW Longer Elementary School has been the most valuable experience of my educational journey. My veteran cooperating teacher, Mrs. Lori Stephens, has curated my experience masterfully and provided guidance to allow me to be successful and develop as a teacher of young music students.

The most valuable skills I have gained from elementary teaching are classroom management and effective scaffolding. I can look back on my beginning days of elementary teaching and say, “I understand why that didn’t work!”

At Longer Elementary, I’ve enjoyed using the Feierabend Curricula, which involves a variety of curated activities to teach students to move, dance, sing, create, and read music. My favorite aspect of this approach is to be able to have the students understand that you “may not enjoy what we are doing right now, but you will try new things, because soon we will be doing another activity.”

Quotes to borrow from Mrs. Stephens

“Be respectful, stay in your own space, try new things!”

“I’m not good at this, yet".”

Student Teaching at CW Longer Elementary

January 5 - May 1, 2026

Hollidaysburg, PA

Cooperating Teacher: Mrs. Lori Stephens

Subjects: 1st-6th Grade General Music, 5-6th Chorus, 5th Grade Band Lessons