海角社区

BATON ROUGE, LA 鈥� 海角社区 Lutrill & Pearl Payne School of Education (SOE) senior Maggie Simmons was accepted into the North American Language and Culture Assistants Program (NALCAP) to teach English in Spain. From October 2025 to May 2026, Simmons will teach English to native high school Spanish speakers in Andaluc铆a in the southern region of Spain. 

Simmons, a general and special education grades 1-5 dual degree candidate and Exceptional Educators member, will co-teach with a lead teacher in the classroom she is placed in, assisting students with their development of English. She will use this experience to further develop her knowledge and skills working with students who speak English as their second language. Preparing to graduate from the SOE dual degree program, Simmons believes she will bring a unique perspective to Spain, having experienced teaching students with mild to moderate disabilities as well as learning how to effectively co-teach. Simmons plans on returning to Louisiana to teach after the NALCAP program is completed.

鈥淚 have always had a passion for travel and for teaching,鈥� Simmons said when asked why she applied to NALCAP. 鈥淲hen I began to research more about the NALCAP program, I realized that this experience would give me the best of both worlds as a new graduate. In addition, with my undergraduate courses, I did not have the opportunity to further my acquisition of Spanish, so this experience will allow me to not only develop my Spanish but also learn best practices when teaching ESL students.鈥�

鈥淢y work in the program gave me the confidence and skill set to work with learners of all levels,鈥� Simmons said when asked how her dual degree experience prepared her for her coming professional and personal journey. 鈥淭hrough my experience as a Senior Resident, I have had firsthand experience with differentiating lesson plans to meet students鈥� strengths and providing scaffolds, so that all students can take the steps they need to achieve mastery. I am eager to begin this adventure and look forward to bringing my knowledge back to classrooms in Louisiana!鈥�

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About the 海角社区 Lutrill & Pearl Payne School of Education
A school of the 海角社区 College of Human Sciences & Education, the Lutrill & Pearl Payne School of Education (SOE) offers undergraduate programs for students who want to pursue a career as a pre-kindergarten through 12th grade teacher or acquire dual certification in both traditional elementary and special education classrooms. In addition, SOE offers 3 graduate certificates, 17 master鈥檚 degree program areas, 9 EdS certificate programs, and 2 PhD degrees in 11 areas of focus. SOE鈥檚 focus is not only on preparing highly qualified teachers but also in preparing educational leaders, curriculum studies scholars, educational technology experts, applied researchers, higher education professionals, school counselors, and clinical mental health counselors. SOE specializes scholarly expertise regarding pressing educational and wellness issues across the entire lifespan.

Visit the 海角社区 Lutrill & Pearl Payne School of Education website.

 

About the College of Human Sciences & Education 
The College of Human Sciences & Education (CHSE) is a nationally accredited division of 海角社区. The college is comprised of the School of Education, the School of Information Studies, the School of Kinesiology, the School of Leadership & Human Resource Development, and the School of Social Work. CHSE has two model demonstration schools, the Early Childhood Education Laboratory Preschool, enrolling birth to age four and the University Laboratory School enrolling Kindergarten through grade 12. The college also has four centers and institutes: the Early Childhood Education Institute, the Healthy Aging Research Center, the Leadership Development Institute, and Social Research & Evaluation Center. The college is committed to achieving the highest standards in teaching, research, and service and aims to improve quality of life across the lifespan.

Visit the College of Human Sciences & Education website.