by Betsy Edwards (senior)
Hello all! My name is Betsy Edwards. I am a senior Teaching Fellow, currently in my Senior I semester. I am an elementary education major and intern in a second grade classroom. Senior I is the first semester of the Senior Year Experience here at ECU. Senior I interns report to their clinical school one full day per week. Interns observe teacher hours, not student hours. The purpose of the senior I semester is to get acclimated to the classroom and the duties of the classroom teacher. I am required to teach three whole group lessons. I am also completing a case study and other requirements for the READ 3210 course in my classroom. The Senior I semester is known for being the most difficult of all. The work load is definitely challenging, but manageable if you keep your goals in mind. Good luck to all of you.
I leave you now with a bit of pre-Senior I advice:
When you receive your clinical placement on OneStop, call your teacher! Offer to help him/her organize the classroom for the coming year. It looks really good!
Attend open house or any other opening of school events. I did not attend my school's open house and did not have the opportunity to meet any parents.
Don't be late! Teachers are required to be at school ridiculously early, but press on! You will get used to it eventually.
Generate a list of questions to bring with you on the first day. Think about any questions you may have about the schedule, curriculum, school, students, other teachers, etc
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Senior Conference '08
by Krystle Wiggins (senior)
I attended Senior Conference over the summer, and it was FANTASTIC! This was a weekend trip to Lenoir-Rhyne College in Hickory, NC. It was a great way to begin my senior year, and it really motivated me to begin my teaching career. We heard four different speakers, and they were all great in their own way. Brad Cohen spoke about his childhood and how he became a teacher with Tourette Syndrome, and how he “got to be the teacher that he never had.” Richard Schwartz is an attorney from Raleigh, who specializes in Education Law. This was helpful because he gave us insight into the challenges that we may face as classroom teachers. Then, we heard from Ron Clark!!! I was so excited, because he was a NC Teaching Fellow from ECU! He was named Disney’s American Teacher of the Year, and he was full of motivation. He told us all about his school, how he gets the students motivated to learn, and how important it is that we stay excited about learning no matter what. Lastly, we heard from Michael Geison, who is the 2008 National Teacher of the Year. He expressed the importance of teaching and learning through creativity, collegiality, community interests, and the individual. All of these speakers were inspirational and a great way to kick off the beginning of my senior experience.
Don’t worry, we didn’t sit and listen to speakers all weekend. We also socialized for the last time with all of the other Teaching Fellows in our class from across NC. This is what made this last conference bittersweet. Also, we participated in workshops of our choice. I went to one about dealing with difficult kids, what to do on the first day of school, and a massage therapy session. All of these were great and informative, but the massage session was very relaxing. I learned how to give head, hand, and foot massages, and we even practiced on each other. Very relaxing! Teaching Fellows has given me many great experiences, but I feel that this one really got me pumped up about graduating and getting into my own classroom.
I attended Senior Conference over the summer, and it was FANTASTIC! This was a weekend trip to Lenoir-Rhyne College in Hickory, NC. It was a great way to begin my senior year, and it really motivated me to begin my teaching career. We heard four different speakers, and they were all great in their own way. Brad Cohen spoke about his childhood and how he became a teacher with Tourette Syndrome, and how he “got to be the teacher that he never had.” Richard Schwartz is an attorney from Raleigh, who specializes in Education Law. This was helpful because he gave us insight into the challenges that we may face as classroom teachers. Then, we heard from Ron Clark!!! I was so excited, because he was a NC Teaching Fellow from ECU! He was named Disney’s American Teacher of the Year, and he was full of motivation. He told us all about his school, how he gets the students motivated to learn, and how important it is that we stay excited about learning no matter what. Lastly, we heard from Michael Geison, who is the 2008 National Teacher of the Year. He expressed the importance of teaching and learning through creativity, collegiality, community interests, and the individual. All of these speakers were inspirational and a great way to kick off the beginning of my senior experience.
Don’t worry, we didn’t sit and listen to speakers all weekend. We also socialized for the last time with all of the other Teaching Fellows in our class from across NC. This is what made this last conference bittersweet. Also, we participated in workshops of our choice. I went to one about dealing with difficult kids, what to do on the first day of school, and a massage therapy session. All of these were great and informative, but the massage session was very relaxing. I learned how to give head, hand, and foot massages, and we even practiced on each other. Very relaxing! Teaching Fellows has given me many great experiences, but I feel that this one really got me pumped up about graduating and getting into my own classroom.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Overview of Senior I
by Rachel Long (senior)
The first day of school can be characterized by butterflies, nervous stutters, and nausea stomachs, and that was just the new Education interns. As the rest of East Carolina began another semester of classes in August, the senior education majors began their own adventure, student teaching. During the first semester of Senior I, all education majors spend approximately one full day every week in a classroom located in the Latham Clinical Network. The network includes the following school systems: Beaufort, Bertie, Camden, Carteret, Clinton City, Craven, Cumberland, Dare, Duplin, Edenton-Chowan, Edgecombe, Franklin, Gates, Granville, Greene, Halifax, Harnett, Hyde, Johnston, Jones, Lenoir, Martin, Nash/Rocky Mount, Northampton, Onslow, Pamlico, Pitt, Roanoke Rapids, Sampson, Tyrrell, Washington, Weldon City, Wayne and Wilson. Besides their one day observation, they are also required to teach at least three lessons in their classroom over the course of the semester, as well as a variety of other observatory assignments including a classroom management plan, and thematic unit.
In January the interns will start spending every day in their classroom, as they prepare for their fifteen full days of instruction. Despite their hard work and long hours, these interns will walk across the stage on May 8, proud of their accomplishments at ECU, and prepared for their next adventure, teaching.
The first day of school can be characterized by butterflies, nervous stutters, and nausea stomachs, and that was just the new Education interns. As the rest of East Carolina began another semester of classes in August, the senior education majors began their own adventure, student teaching. During the first semester of Senior I, all education majors spend approximately one full day every week in a classroom located in the Latham Clinical Network. The network includes the following school systems: Beaufort, Bertie, Camden, Carteret, Clinton City, Craven, Cumberland, Dare, Duplin, Edenton-Chowan, Edgecombe, Franklin, Gates, Granville, Greene, Halifax, Harnett, Hyde, Johnston, Jones, Lenoir, Martin, Nash/Rocky Mount, Northampton, Onslow, Pamlico, Pitt, Roanoke Rapids, Sampson, Tyrrell, Washington, Weldon City, Wayne and Wilson. Besides their one day observation, they are also required to teach at least three lessons in their classroom over the course of the semester, as well as a variety of other observatory assignments including a classroom management plan, and thematic unit.
In January the interns will start spending every day in their classroom, as they prepare for their fifteen full days of instruction. Despite their hard work and long hours, these interns will walk across the stage on May 8, proud of their accomplishments at ECU, and prepared for their next adventure, teaching.
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