Natalie Neuhaus ’25 knew she wanted to teach, but it took coming to Cornell College to nail down the details of who she wanted to teach.
“Originally I was set on teaching high school, but after my first practicum experience, I knew that middle school was the right age group for me. As I continued throughout my education classes and hands-on experiences, it became more and more clear this was the path for me,” she says.
The English literature and secondary education graduate accepted a position in Colorado where she will teach middle school English.
It wasn’t just the classroom experiences that helped her in her goal to become a better teacher. Working at the Dungy Writing Studio as a consultant gave her the experience to know herself as a teacher and grow to be a better one.
“I loved getting the chance to help students from all academic disciplines, which not only helped me improve my teaching skills, but gave me the opportunity to learn about various subjects and topics I was unfamiliar with,” she says.
During her time here, Neuhaus was greatly influenced by her advisor, Professor of Education Jill Heinrich, and her work-study boss, Writing Studio Director and Director of Fellowships and Scholarships Laura Farmer. Their guidance and willingness to talk, whether it was academic or just to catch up, gave her the support to be successful in her time here at Cornell.
Neuhaus also had the opportunity to travel to San Pedro, Belize, for one of her education classes. Teaching in a local school while there gave her the chance to immerse herself in another culture’s education system.
“I would say my trip to Belize was one of my favorite Cornell memories,” Neuhaus says. “I had the opportunity to go on the trip with my roommate, who I lived with for all four years, so that was really special. I got to simultaneously learn from and exchange ideas with the teachers down there.”
According to Heinrich, the adjustment to working on the tiny island in Belize can be difficult for some. The students approach the trip with a service mindset, taking as many supplies along as they can, but the schools are poor and resources are scarce. On top of that, the school hours are long and the weather is hot. They do, however, get to quickly build a connection with the community, seeing students and parents around the island on their time off.
“Natalie did a wonderful job acclimating, never once complaining,” Heinrich says. “She’s a beautiful writer and wonderful student, with a great work ethic. When you major in English, which is a rigorous major, and add secondary education on top of it, which is very hands-on and doesn’t leave much room for anything else. She excelled, though. Every single practicum teacher loved her and requested her for student teaching, and that just doesn’t happen all the time.”
Her commitment to academic excellence while at Cornell resulted in her induction into the academic honor society Phi Beta Kappa, and she is looking forward to taking her Cornell experiences into the world in a way that allows her to continue shaping young minds and exploring new cultures.
For this senior profile, we asked Neuhaus a few questions before she graduated. Here’s what she said in her own words:
How did One Course At A Time impact your education? What do you most value about your Cornell education?
I found quickly that the ability to focus on one class helped enhance my learning and made me want to dive deeper into the subject matter I was studying. Furthermore, the One Course At A Time allowed me to experience three months of student teaching without taking additional classes on top of my time in the school.
What is your advice to the classes behind you?
Try and take classes outside of your major if possible, despite being an education and English major I ended up taking a kinesiology class the second semester of my senior year and found it really interesting.
What will you miss most about Cornell?
My friends and the faculty.
Describe the block plan as if you were explaining it to someone who has never heard of it before and tell them why you like it:
The block plan is a unique academic course schedule where you take one class for three and a half weeks. That is the only class you take, so it allows you to really focus on that content. This means that you will have class every day ranging from two to four hours a day, but your only assignments are for that one class. Yay never trying to juggle multiple final exams; you will only ever have one at a time!