MLC student puts theatrical experience

to work in Sleepy Eye classroom

Directs sixth

grade production

By FRITZ BUSCH

Journal Staff Writer

SLEEPY EYE -- A Martin Luther College student put his acting and directing talents to good use with elementary students the past month at Sleepy Eye Public School.

Joe Gumm of West Chicago Ill., a senior at MLC, has years of experience acting and directing high school and college musicals including last year's production of "Meet Me in St. Louie."

Thanks to recent state accreditation, a new student teaching program at MLC pairs education majors with teacher mentors in public schools and allows students to graduate with Minnesota state licenses. The program gives teachers more teaching options because Minnesota teaching licenses are usually transferable to other states.

Gumm is moving on to Madison, Wis., for a four-week student teaching internship. He left Sleepy Eye with good feelings.

"It's been a very rewarding learning experience," Gumm said. "I had a great time. It was a great opportunity to do practice teaching in front of a class."

Sleepy Eye sixth-grade teacher Lana Grunst praised the program.

"It's been wonderful," Grunst said. "He (Gumm) took over our play. It was the perfect thing to do since much of his background at MLC was in theater."

Sleepy Eye Elementary Principal Arla Dokter said the program added lots of good things to the school curriculum.

"The MLC students are very talented and help us meet student's needs as best we can," Dokter said. "We try to make use of the college student's strengths. It's part of many good things going on at the school. We feel we can better meet the needs of students in a smaller district and we have good kids as a whole."

The MLC education program is licensed for grades K-8. About 800 of 1,060 MLC students major in education. College juniors go to public schools one day a week. Seniors teach daily for a month.

The program utilizes public schools in New Ulm, Sleepy Eye, St. James, Madelia, GFW, Cedar Mountain and Comfrey plus charter schools in Lafayette and Hanska. Right now, 139 public school teachers are involved with the program.

Education majors continue their intense exposure to Lutheran school classrooms including 10-week teaching internships.