From the time she could hold a marker, Grace Garrigan ’27 knew she wanted to teach. “I always used to set up my stuffed animals in front of my mirror and write ‘lessons’ on my mirror with an expo marker,” she said. “I want to be an influential role model for children and help guide them and make a difference in their lives.”
From those pretend lessons during childhood grew a lifelong calling. Now in her junior year at the School of Education and Human Development (SEHD), Garrigan, who is majoring in curriculum and instruction, is turning that early passion into reality. As a building substitute at Kings Highway Elementary School in Westport, Connecticut, she has gained firsthand experience managing classrooms, engaging young learners, and adapting to the daily rhythm of teaching by working with students of different grades and classrooms.
Garrigan steps into a new environment each day, never knowing what to expect. She arrives at 8:30 a.m. and checks in with the secretary for her assignment, meeting new teachers, staff, and students every day. Her hands-on experience has deepened her understanding of what it means to be both patient and present.
Standing at the front of the classroom, Garrigan credits Fairfield’s curriculum and instruction program for helping her feel confident and prepared. Usually placed with kindergarteners, first, or second graders who are learning to read, Garrigan has put the lessons she learned from SEHD into practice. “In my literacy class we learn a lot of different methods to help kids read,” she explained. “I use those methods almost every day when I am working.”
