Dy’mon Guthrie, ’21 on Education, Community, and Post-Grad Dreams

A Q&A with Dy’mon Guthrie, ’21 // Early Childhood/Elementary Teacher Education

Early Childhood/Elementary Teacher Education major Dy’mon Guthrie, ‘21, is pursuing her dream to become a teacher and change the lives of future students. In this interview, we talked with Dy’mon about Champlain, her major, and her plans of opening her own school.

Q: What made you choose Champlain?

A: I first heard about Champlain from an admissions counselor who came to my high school for recruitment. He told us about the Upside-Down Curriculum, which sparked a huge interest in me. Champlain then offered a bus trip to campus—which I gladly signed up for. After visiting, I knew Champlain was the school I was going to attend.

The Upside-Down Curriculum gets you in a classroom teaching your very first year, and the idea of being in classrooms that early made me super excited. Other schools were telling me that I would have to wait until junior year to get in a classroom, which did not sound reasonable for me. The Upside-Down Curriculum helped me become a well-informed educator early in my college education.

Q: Why did you choose your major?

A: Since a very young age, I have always wanted to be a teacher. Teaching has always been my passion. My goal is to leave a positive impact on the lives of future doctors, lawyers, engineers, and possible future teachers. I chose Early Childhood/Elementary Teacher Education specifically because I want to be one of the first influences in a child’s life. After all, you probably won’t ever forget your kindergarten or third-grade teacher.

Q: What’s one of the coolest things you’ve done in your major?

A: My Dean helped a dream of mine come true. I wanted to attend the National Association for the Education of Young Children conference in Washington, D.C. My Dean helped me apply for a grant with the Student Government Association (SGA), and guided me through the application process. While there, I attended many workshops and gained valuable information on how to teach early childhood students.

Q: You interned abroad in Dublin, Ireland. Can you tell us what that experience was like?

A:  I studied abroad in Dublin, Ireland for four months. I was placed in a fourth class in the north side of Dublin at a school called Belmayne Educate Together National School. While there, I met some awesome Irish teachers who showed me what it was like to make lesson plans that catered to their curriculum. I was able to teach four lessons.

I also got to explore how students from certain parts of Dublin were more advantaged than children from other parts of Dublin. As a result, I did a semester long research paper about bridging the gap and making education equitable for all students in Ireland.

Q: What’s the best thing about living on campus?

A: I love the idea of living on campus because you get to meet new people and build a community with those who live in the same hall as you. I met some really cool students who lived in my hall. It’s great hanging out with people who have nothing in common with your major at times. Not only do you get to share information with them, but you also get to learn new and exciting things from their lives.

Q: What’s your dream for after graduation?

A: After graduation, I plan on moving to a large city and finding a school that’s hiring teachers. My plan is to teach for about five years, then apply to grad school to get my master’s degree. My ultimate dream is to become a principal of a school I founded and opened.

Do you dream of dedicating your career to the service of others? Why not check out all the opportunities in the Champlain College Division of Education & Human Studies?