The Experience
The best way to learn is by doing. As a student in the B.S./M.S.Ed. childhood/students with disabilities program, you will gain classroom experience as soon as your first year at Manhattan. Field experiences are designed to help you develop as a teacher and put your skills to the test in the real world. It begins with classroom observations during second semester of your freshman year, and culminates with student teaching in their fourth year and an internship in their fifth. You will be placed in one of our many local partner schools in the Bronx and Westchester.
The Location
Located in the neighborhood of Riverdale, our campus is in the Bronx, a New York City borough whose public school system serves nearly 45,000 students. As an undergraduate in the B.S./M.S. program, you will complete a minimum of 40 full days of on-site experience in grades 1-3 and 4-6 with students. In your fifth year, you will complete an internship of a minimum of 40 full days in a special education or inclusive setting in some of the most socially and economically diverse school districts in the nation.
Co-curricular Opportunities
There are so many ways to get involved on campus, locally and across the globe:
- Council for Exceptional Children - join a group of students and professionals to promote understanding and acceptance of exceptional individuals.
- Best Buddies - join a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of the mentally retarded by providing opportunities for socialization.
- Kappa Delta Pi – become an invited member of the international honor society for education and participate in outreach projects locally and internationally in locations such as Namibia, Italy, Turkey, Israel and Palestine.
- The Center for Optimal College Readiness (COCR) - work with kids, teachers and counselors, while collaborating with a team and making a difference in the local community.
- Lasallian Outreach Volunteer Experience (L.O.V.E) trips - volunteer to work with disabled, orphaned children in Jamaica or at a summer camp for children with kidney diseases in Texas.
- Saturday Program of Recreation and Teaching (SPORT) Program – volunteer in a recreation program for local individuals with disabilities.
- The Manhattan College Games – participate in an annual day of non-competitive sports and physical activities for persons with special needs.