Teaching literacy Teaching literacy

Elena Nightingale, an education major with a focus on language arts, has learned a lot from her co-op as a literacy tutor at Wichita North High School. "Through my experience at North, I have become a better tutor, a better student and, hopefully, a better future teacher," said Nightingale. "I was exposed to many wonderful teachers who have become mentors for me in my academic journey."

One of those mentors is Jeff Freund. Freund, a former WSU co-op student, is now the assistant principal at North High. "I've benefited greatly from WSU and the co-op program on a personal and professional level," said Freund. "I love having the opportunity to provide these students with a chance to get that much-needed job experience."

Nightingale credits Freund with helping make her co-op experience meaningful. "Mr. Freund went above and beyond his duty to ensure that my co-op experience was beneficial to me and the (North High School) students," said Nightingale. "He was always willing to meet with me and to answer any questions, even though his schedule clearly kept him very busy. Thanks to the time and effort of Mr. Freund, my co-op experience has been nothing short of wonderful."