Busy alumni/ae teachers who make the time to take on student teachers and observers are a popular connection at The Valley.

Lindsey M. Dimond ’05, a kindergarten teacher at Northwest Elementary School in the Lebanon School District (LSD), had such a memorable student teaching experience as an undergraduate she wanted to pass it along to future generations. She did her student teaching with legendary teacher Edna Spath at Ebenezer Elementary School.

“I student taught with Edna in fourth grade at Ebenezer Elementary School in Lebanon,” said Dimond. “We built a strong connection and have spoken monthly for nearly 20 years. My family and I visit her most summers in Lewes, Del. We still talk about that connection and how I left Ebenezer having gained a ‘friend for life.’”

After graduating from LVC will dual degrees in elementary education (K–6) and special education (K–12), Dimond taught one year of high school learning support in Chesapeake, Va. She returned home to Lebanon County in 2006 and began substituting in local school districts and Lancaster-Lebanon IU 13.

“I substituted in the LSD during the 2006–07 academic year when l learned about an opening from Kelly Bastek-Jones ’06,” said Dimond. “Kelly was teaching 4–5 learning support and told me that K–4-5 special education was available. She recommended me, and the principal called to set up an interview.”

Dimond spent a year in that role before moving to kindergarten and continuing her education in the ensuing years. She earned a pair of master’s degrees (teaching a second language from Penn State University/University of Turabo and reading specialist certification from Grand Canyon University). She’s enrolled in the Principal Certification Program at Penn State Harrisburg.

Back to Dimond wanting to pass along her positive student-teaching experience to future LVC students.

“It was very fitting that I built the same connection I had with Edna with Emily Haid ’21 when she did her student teaching experience with me,” said Dimond. “We’d invited Emily over for dinner with my family when she was at LVC, including having her spend the night when she worked at the school. We still see each other a couple of times a year, either hosting her at our house or going to Hersheypark or a Hershey Bears game.

“My son, who is almost four, also built a connection with Emily, a teacher at West Milford Township High School in New Jersey. He’ll ask, ‘When is Emmie coming to visit, or when are we going to see Emmie?’”

And Dimond continues to connect with future LVC teachers. She supervised Alyssa Peiffer ’23 during the Fall 2022 semester.