Field Work Term Spotlight: Annika Owenmark
Over the summer, Annika Owenmark '25 completed a Field Work Term experience at Cal Shakes as the coordinator for the youth summer conservatory.
At Bennington, students spend six weeks every year taking their skills and knowledge out of the classroom and applying them in the world of work. They use this annual work-learning opportunity—known as Field Work Term—to deepen their studies, challenge and test new ideas, and hone their direction for the future.
What was your day-to-day experience in your position at Cal Shakes?
Working with people, every day looks different, but usually I would hold a brief team check-in first thing in the morning after unlocking the building. Then I would take the quiet moment before the kids arrive to do some administrative tasks or help my team prep for the day. After the kids arrived, my assistant and I ran an assembly with a focus on building bonds across age-groups, delivering information, and occasionally broader behavior reminders. Next, the kids were all in classes, so my assistant and I worked on emails, prepping for the upcoming performance, making social media posts or newsletters, getting ready for the next cohort of kids, or assisting the teachers.
As needed, students would come to our office for emotional support, a bandage, or conflict resolution. There was always something to do. Once a week at lunch, I facilitated a student affinity group called "ShakesQueer," where we talked about being a young queer person as well as being a queer adult in the professional world. I also held tech meetings with the directors and tech personnel during lunch. At the end of the day, I tidied up the campus and our office as the kids checked out. After the kids left, I held a more formal debrief of the day with my staff. We problem-solved issues that came up during the day, worked on their lesson plans, and prepared for the coming days.
What was the most enjoyable part of your experience?
I think the best part of working with people, especially kids, is watching them grow and learn. Getting to be a part of growth is my favorite part of any day. I got to see my students step into roles, learn both information and skills, and develop socially at lightning speed.
Despite being adults (and thus having less development to go through naturally), my staff saw great growth as well. At the start of the summer, one of my teammates came in uncertain if she wanted to work with kids in the future and having had no experience doing so. By the end of the summer, she had become a beloved teacher and plans to continue in that direction. It was so beautiful to be a part of that journey.
What was the most challenging?
The most challenging part of this summer was helping kids with conflict resolution. Being a teenager is an incredibly painful experience, and often results in minor conflicts turning huge and volatile or wildly erratic behavior resulting in serious harm. Working with the kids to comfort the hurt, resolve the issue, and prevent further harm is super important, but never easy.
Being paid more than my teammates often feels weird–I am their boss, but I am not always sure that should mean I get paid more–but when my coworkers are able to drop a problem off with me to be handled, I am reminded of the reason why. I was often working around the clock, thinking about the interpersonal issues and dynamics with the kids, and using my conflict resolution skills throughout the summer.
How do you expect that the work you did or the things you learned will impact your Plan?
As a senior, this was my last Field Work Term experience. I have been pretty firmly set on my Plan and my future since my second term at Bennington. I have wanted to be an elementary school teacher since I was pretty young. Each Field Work Term reminds me why I love doing what I do. Learning has always been my greatest passion and driving factor–whether I am the one learning or someone else (not that it is that black and white). While I love this job, and (despite the company going out of business and liquidating all funds as of November 1), I hope to continue this program in the future.
I know that I want to be a teacher for quite some time before I return to a leadership role. When I look down the line, I think there is a real possibility that I end up leading a school, however my passion lies in direct work with kids. Feet in the classroom.