Auburn College of Education students bring learning to life at summer therapeutic recreation camps

For the past three weeks, a group of students in Auburn’s College of Education has been making the most of their summer—carrying classroom knowledge into real-world application through two Auburn Parks and Recreation therapeutic summer camps. 

“It’s been an awesome experience,” said Alli Schorr, a collaborative special education major entering her senior year and set to graduate in May 2026. “We have had so many opportunities to collaborate with each other.”

Since 2008, College of Education students majoring in special education just like Schorr have worked at the city’s summer camps designed for community members with disabilities, putting into practice all they’ve learned as future special educators through their academic program. There’s the Mini TR Camp that’s held annually at Dean Road Recreation Center for children aged 8-14, and there’s TR Camp at East Samford School for adolescents and adults. The camps run all summer. Through a 17-year partnership established and maintained by College of Education Assistant Clinical Professor Kelly Brumbeloe Schweck between the College of Education and Auburn Parks and Recreation, Auburn students once again worked the first mini-mester of this year’s camps, leading fun activities from literacy to life skill lessons.

“Who’s got a June birthday?” College of Education student Olivia Fuhrmann asked on a recent camp day to a group of campers as they eagerly scanned the calendar in front of them. “Can you help me find it?”

The calendar activity was just one of the two camps’ many class exercises, with campers periodically rotating from one class to another and learning new skills in each room from several College of Education students. But the campers weren’t the only ones learning. 

“I love that we’re able to change our instruction and adapt with each group,” said Fuhrman, a collaborative special education student headed into her senior year.

A flexible approach

A key word many of the students noted in explaining their camp experience was “flexibility” – mentioning that the camps had taught them how to interact with different groups and their varying needs and to adjust their lesson plans accordingly. 

“Special education majors spend a significant amount of time in field experiences throughout their program (12 -16 hours per week for three semesters),” Schweck said. “The purpose of all of these practica is for special education majors to apply what they’ve learned in university classrooms to students with varying disabilities and support needs across grade levels.” 

Schweck added that “One of the most challenging parts of the therapeutic camp experience is that special education teacher candidates don’t have a lead teacher or curriculum to follow like they do in K-12 public school classrooms. They begin this summer practicum with little to no information about their campers, and they have to think independently about how to plan engaging lessons to a wide variety of students in small groups. Meeting that challenge is also one of the greatest benefits of the experience. In just three weeks, special education majors grow exponentially in their self-confidence and ability to plan and implement differentiated lessons, think on their feet and collaborate with each other and with camp staff to support student success.”

In the leadup to the camps, students spent two weeks meticulously planning lessons, crafting activities and—according to Schorr—doing "a lot of laminating” of class material. Once June arrived, the group transitioned into the three weeks of immersive teaching experiences and began seeing in action what worked and what needed tweaking. 

Night and day

Doctoral student Tara Tucker has worked alongside the future educators for the past three years under the supervision of Dr. Schweck, helping them refine their approaches to teaching. 

“From their first practicum until now, it’s like night and day,” she said.

As a mentor, she reviews lesson plans, weekly reflections and ensures the students develop strong teaching habits before stepping into professional roles. Tiffany Eimicke, who  graduated from the College of Education in May and is working the camps as Auburn Parks and Recreation’s therapeutic program supervisor, credits her time in TR camp as the catalyst for her career shift into special education. 

“TR is what inspired me to be a special ed teacher,” she explained, adding that while she initially was a nursing major at Southern Union State Community College, she ultimately discovered her passion for teaching after working in TR alongside College of Education students. “It’s all about the campers. They inspire us.”

After four summers in the camp program, Eimicke will step into a new role in the fall as a special education resource teacher at Wacoochee Elementary School in Salem, Alabama, working with fourth and fifth graders.

This year’s camp also included recent College of Education graduate Dillen Bertelsen, who has worked at the camp as a summer counselor for three years. Preparing to enter graduate school in early childhood education, Dillen will likewise soon begin her role as a special education resource teacher of kindergarten through second grade at Dean Road Elementary.

Prepared for the future

Speaking about the importance of the summer camps, she said “It was great to carry the learning over into the summer,” adding that the experience not only sharpened her teaching skills but also gave her a preview of working with school-aged children in structured environments.

Maddie Burdette, another of the College of Education’s most recent collaborative special education graduates, offered similar praise for the camp experience.

“TR Camp was a great opportunity to learn the importance of collaborating with colleagues, differentiating instruction and thinking outside of the box to make learning engaging,” said Burdette, who in August will begin working as a kindergarten through second grade resource teacher in Hoover City Schools.

Burdette said it was that type of in-the-field learning that prepared her well for the future. 

“I feel incredibly prepared to begin my career as a special education teacher because of the College of Education,” she said. “Auburn provided me with extensive field experiences and high-quality instruction grounded in best practices. I loved learning from incredible faculty, being encouraged by supportive advisors and being part of small cohort groups that felt like family during my time at Auburn.”

While collaborating just before leading a mini-TR camp exercise, College of Education students Hadley Gearin-Virga, Alissa Willett, Lauren Campbell, Hannah Britnell and Sara Jordan all spoke of the importance of the Auburn Family, noting the support they’ve received from both fellow classmates and their own teachers at Auburn.

“The professors in the College of Education are awesome!” Willett exclaimed.