ECU Teaching Fellows & Maynard Scholars: The Blog

ECU’s Loessin Playhouse to Perform “All’s Well That Ends Well”

2009-03-25T09:00:00.001-04:00

by Alex White (junior)

ECU’s Loessin Playhouse, sponsored by the School of Theatre and Dance, will be performing one of Shakespeare’s most beloved comedies, All’s Well That Ends Well. Performances will be held April 2-7, 2009.

Wishing for death to avoid marriage, one woman tricking a man into thinking he's in bed with another woman, and a miraculous cure for the French king are all elements of one of the Bard's most perplexing works. You decide if it's a comedy or a tragedy.

This play concerns a maid, Helena, who cures the King of France of a disease, then asks for Lord Bertram's hand in marriage. Bertram obliges, then quickly flees to Italy to engage in war, hoping for death to avoid marriage. Helena is greatly hurt, and sets out on a pilgrimage, only to wind up in Florence, Italy, where she meets Bertram's new young mistress, Diana. In a perplexing "bed trick," Helena sleeps with Bertram, while Bertram believes he is sleeping with Diana.

Performances are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8:00pm; Sunday at 2:00pm; Monday and Tuesday at 8:00pm in the McGinnis Theatre on the ECU campus. You can purchase tickets online at www.ECUARTS.com or calling 252-328-6829 or 1-800-ECU-ARTS.

Taking the Dreaded Praxis II

2009-03-18T09:00:00.000-04:00

by Krystle Wiggins (senior)

In order to graduate from college as a licensed elementary or special education teacher, one must to take the Praxis II. These tests are subject based, and are very different for each licensure area. For instance, in art, you are required to produce actual drawings and samples of your work, while to gain licensure in secondary social studies you are required to plan a unit and a lesson. It is important to ensure that you know what is required of your subject area in order to become licensed. I am currently completing my Senior II internship in elementary education, and I took the Praxis II in November. When I started school, I didn't realize what all I would have to do to become a teacher, but along the way I learned first hand, and this is my personal experience of obtaining my licensure in elementary education.

Personally, I feel that most people entering college and pursuing a teaching career think that all they have to do is complete four years of college and they are a teacher. This is not correct! As a sophomore elementary education major you are required to take the Praxis I, which is about your basic knowledge of reading, writing, and math. This test is taken to get into Upper Division in the College of Education at ECU. As a senior, you are required to take the Praxis II which puts everything that you have learned in college to work. For me, I think the best way to describe the Praxis II experience is, intense. I concentrated on studying for over a week with books and materials that were to be used as practice for the test. There are two parts for the Praxis II, the first portion takes two hours and consists of 110 multiple choice questions, and the second part is also two hours and consists of four essays. So, just to recap, graduating with a degree in education does not qualify you to teach, you must take and pass the Praxis II, then you are a certified TEACHER!!!!!

Tutoring: A Male at Operation Sunshine

2009-03-11T09:00:00.000-04:00

by Jaron Cox (sophomore)

When tutoring, you will only get out of it whatever you put into it. Last year I had the mindset that tutoring would not be fun, and because of that mindset most of my tutoring experience was boring. I am not sure if it was the facility or my outlook that made it that way, but it was probably mainly due to my expectations beforehand. If you go into tutoring thinking that it will be boring then more than likely it will be.

This year I decided that I would be a bit more optimistic when I went to tutor. I am currently tutoring at Operation Sunshine. I only know of two guys that are tutoring there, I am one and the other is TF Adam Daniels. The reason I even mention this is because Operation Sunshine is an ALL GIRLS after-school program for girls who live in a poverty-stricken area and they may not be getting all the educational help at home that they need. Because of the outlook that I decided to have when tutoring, I am actually enjoying tutoring this semester. I am having fun getting to know many of the kids.

I really respect the facilitator at Operation Sunshine. She is very nice, but at the same time, she does not put up with anyone’s mess. She makes sure that all of the girls have finished their homework before they get to play outside or in the game room. I go to help whoever needs help with homework and after they finish with their homework, I get to play with them.

At first a felt a little weird being the only male in the room, but I quickly got over my discomfort because I realized that I may be the only positive form of a male role model that these girls have in their lives. So, thinking of it that way, I do not mind playing dolls if that is what these girls want me to do with them. As long as I am making an impact in their lives then I do not mind being there for them however they need me.

Senior Seminars

2009-03-04T09:00:00.000-05:00

by Tabitha Simpson (senior)

Senior year is a very exciting and nervous time. Knowing that you are nearing the end is exciting for everyone, but also knowing that in just a few months you will be walking into your own classroom can be a little scary. Senior Seminars are designed to conquer these fears and just as the rest of the Teaching Fellows/Maynard Scholars Program does, prepares seniors for that journey into the classroom.

The first Senior Seminar of this year focused on the legal aspects of teaching. For freshmen this is the farthest thing on the mind but as you near senior year it is an important topic that will most certain affect you as you enter your own classroom. The speaker informed the seniors of many legal issues that will face them in the next few years. Topics included: acceptable ways to touch students, legal responsibilities on field trips, and even questions that you do and do not have a legal obligation to answer during interviews. Many people tell too much in their interview that prevents them for landing their desired position. After the speaker spoke about the legal obligations of field trips, many seniors had a different opinion about them.

The speaker for the seminar in October focused on the topics of effective teaching and classroom management. Throughout his presentation the speaker moved throughout the room and was very energetic. He informed the seniors that be energetic and showing you love what you do is very important in the classroom. Showing you care about your job models excellent behaviors for your students. He also talked about being prepared for the students before they enter. It is easy to try to get the students next task together while they are working on their current one. The best thing,especially for first year teachers it to be organized and have everything you need for the day already done.

Year 2 in the Dorms

2009-02-25T09:00:00.000-05:00

by Kaitlin Bunch (sophomore)

Dorm life is considered by many an essential part of the “College Experience.” Last year I stayed in Umstead Hall with all the other Teaching Fellow and Maynard Scholar freshmen here at East Carolina University. It was a very interesting experience. I had never stayed away from home so long and I had never roomed with someone I did not know. I was one of those kids that did not go to summer camp because I didn’t want to leave home, but once I got to know my roommate I really loved the experience.

This year I am staying in the dorms again. This time I live in an all-girls dorm with someone I went to high school with. This has been really different from last year. My mom told me that it would be difficult living with someone I knew really well and that has proved true in some ways. My roommate is a neat-freak and I am not, I am a night owl and my roommate is not, these are just two examples of things that cause small problems for us. I think that it has been a good learning experience for me. It has been really interesting seeing how two people living together that knew each other before can have more problems than two people living together who didn’t know each other. I am really glad we stayed in the dorms our first year with Teaching Fellows and Maynard Scholars. It was really great getting to know everyone and was a completely different experience than it has been for me this year. Being in the dorms has been a fun experience and I think that everyone should try it at least once.

How Craft Time with Operation Sunshine Prepared Me for Teaching High School Science

2009-02-18T09:00:00.002-05:00

by Georganna Davis (senior)

(Editorial Note: This post is the first in an occasional series of reflections on the ECU TF/MS program written by current Senior II interns. These posts will highlight specific events, programs, etc. that our Fellows and Scholars currently doing their full-time student teaching have now found to be helpful. Look for more of these posts with the tag "reflection on TF/MS.")

While looking back on the past few years of dedication to the East Carolina Teaching Fellows, it is easy to think of many different instances where the Teaching Fellows Program has helped me to develop into the teacher I will be in just a few short months. From attending the helpful seminars to working with my peers in the Communications Committee to adventuring out on a few educational trips, there have been so many opportunities to grow as an educator that I would have not had otherwise. Surprisingly enough, one of my favorite memories was the twenty hours of required tutoring my sophomore year. I am almost embarrassed to say, from the first day I sat foot in the door somehow I knew this mandatory tutoring would be a waste of time. I want to teach high school, so there was no way tutoring these elementary students would prepare me for my future. Fortunately, however, I was wrong.

During the sophomore year every Teaching Fellow and Maynard Scholar is required to tutor ten hours each semester at and assigned after school program for a total of twenty hours at the end of the year. I was assigned to Operation Sunshine, an after school facility for at-risk female elementary students. The first semester, Fellows and Scholars report to the site to help with homework, play with the kids, prepare snacks, and generally get comfortable with their placement. During the second semester Fellows and Scholars are required to get together in small groups and plan a service learning project. My coworkers and I looked around for a project that we felt would capture our student’s attention, as well as help them learn the importance of serving others, and of course fit into our busy schedules. We collaborated together and with the students and decided to make a construction paper quilt to hang in a near by rest home. The intentions of this project were three-fold; we wanted to introduce the students to something new, allow for creativity for the students, and serve the community. We began by teaching a brief lesson plan on the history of quilts and the way they are made. Next we allowed each student to decorate a piece of construction paper with paint. Then, we used yarn to “sew” the paper together to make the quilt. Finally, we dropped it off at a near by rest home for decoration.

The project was a huge success. I was able to collaborate with some great future educators, get some experience managing students, be creative, and help out the community - not to mention create an interdisciplinary lesson plan mixing history and art.

Building Hope In the Lives of our Future Leaders

2009-02-11T09:00:00.000-05:00

by LaAdah Miles (junior)

I am a junior Teaching Fellow and employee at Building Hope Community Life Center located in Greenville, NC. I have been apart of this non-profit community organization for three years. This after school program furnishes a positive Christian environment for at risk children in the community. The ages of the children range from first grade to eleventh grade. Building Hope is a well-kept secret in Greenville, but through our recent partnership with ECU we hope to gain the publicity and support needed to continue our longevity.

We have much to be proud about as we have started two new programs to give boys and girls alternatives to spending their extra time in the streets that bring about negativity. We have an all boys program by the name of 300 MOS (Men of Standard) and WOW ( Women of Worship). MOS is a men's project that challenges young males to become "real" men. They have weekend retreats, conduct clean up service activities, a flag football team in the fall, and have movie and dinner nights to talk about the bible and get guidance on hardships in life and school. The WOW had our first kick off November 11, 2008. WOW hosted an Integrity pageant where the girls were able to show off their confidence and talent through praise dance, choir, and decorations. The WOW vision is that we educate young girls on the importance of loving their selves and leaning on the Lord, not the world, for understanding. We hope that the young girls are able to minister to other young girls as we one day hope to open the door to the community for more WOW members. Although the MOS has been around longer than WOW, we are proud of the milestones made and give all the glory and honor to God.

Building Hope has an open door and would love to see as many new faces willing to help our youth in whatever way your heart desires. I teach a fifth grade class and it seems they get more homework each day. I need the help. If your afternoons seem too demanding we have another program called Standing in the Gap. This program starts from eight in the morning until two in the afternoon as a normal school day would function. This program gives suspended students an alternative to missing out on important school work and encourages constructive time spent while out of the class. This program gives BHCLC a chance to minister and help them see the error of their ways through problem solving skills. These are the children we try to reach most. Their troubles seem too much for them to bare. We just give them as much love and support while in our care. I challenge you to serve your community by getting involved the way i have and play a small, but influential part in changing the lives of our future leaders.

Visit our website at http://bhclc.org/home if you are interested in knowing more. Below is the contact information for BHCLC if you would just like to come and see how a regular day is at BHCLC.

Building Hope Community Life Center
309 West 9th Street P.O.Box 4237
Greenville, NC 27836
(252) 757-1840 Email: info@bhclc.org

BB&T Teacher Leadership Academy

2009-02-07T09:00:00.001-05:00

by Krystle Wiggins (senior)

Last semester I was completing my Senior 1 internship, and during this time I was invited to participate in the BB&T Teacher Leadership Academy. This consisted of a series of four seminars that took place on Monday afternoons for an hour and a half. At the seminars we had a variety of speakers to motivate and teach us the importance of becoming teacher leaders within our classroom, school, community, and region. They stressed the importance of furthering our knowledge and going for those masters and doctorate degrees. It was explained that as teachers we must always look for new and better ways to teach children, and improve our teaching skills. We heard from a principal, two teachers, and a college professor all telling us their stories of how they got where they are today, and how they feel that they are teacher leaders. During the last seminar there was a banquet held in honor of us putting forth the time and effort to attend this leadership academy and further our knowledge. We had a very nice meal, heard from a fantastic speaker, and were awarded with medallions for us to wear at our graduation. I highly recommend this academy for anyone that is completing their Senior 1 internship.

Junior Tutoring: Music Ed

2009-02-04T09:00:00.000-05:00

by Anthony Hingley (junior)

As with the spring semester of the freshman year and the whole sophomore year, junior Teaching Fellows and Maynard Scholars tutor one hour a week. For your junior year, you are placed according to your preferences for grade level and subject area. You are encouraged to select the grade level and subject area you want to teach when you graduate. As a Music Education major, I asked to be placed with a middle school band program, which is what I would like to teach.

When I arrived at my school to tutor, I discovered that the class was all percussion (students playing drums, bells, cymbals, etc.). I was glad to know that there was one student in the class who was a tuba player like myself but could not be in the class designated for brass players. It was decided that for an hour a week, I would basically give this student private lessons. I would come to the school, and as soon as class started, this student and I would head to the hallway where we would proceed to work on the concert music, scales, and all the fundamentals of playing tuba. This experience has been very good for me, and I feel that it is helping me to grow as a teacher as well as a musician.

Dean's Leadership Seminar '08

2009-01-28T09:00:00.000-05:00

by Rachel Long (senior)

Earlier this fall, the ECU Teaching Fellows and Maynard Scholars took part in a book seminar with author Paul Cuadros, author of the book A Home on the Field. This past summer all of the Fellows and Scholars read Cuadros' book about his experience coaching a predominately Latin American soccer team in Siler City, North Carolina. In October he came and spoke openly about the experience, struggles and encouragement that he received while coaching this team. He spoke not only about the team's amazing accomplishments as a whole, but also about each players individual strengths and attributes that they brought to the classroom and the field. Cuadros story was inspiring and his research impeccable!! He is a true inspiration to all educators, and has received excellent reviews from the New York Sun, Boston Globe, and Raleigh News and Observer.

Multitasking: TF Senior ... and an RA!

2009-01-21T09:00:00.001-05:00

by Marina Bonner (senior)

Life is busy for Teaching Fellows seniors. We still have classes, some of us are in our Senior I, and we have jobs as well. Not to mention that, as people ,we need time to spend with friends, family, and just ourselves. Well this is true for me, but I decided to keep one more challenge which I find is helping me as a future educator and that is being a Resident Adviser (RA) on ECU’s campus.

I’m not the only one who falls into this category either. And those of us who are RAs will tell you that it is hard work, but well worth it. Our job is living on campus full time and leading the other residents in our building. We patrol the buildings to watch out for safety concerns, plan programs for our residents (which are very similar to mini lessons/lesson plans), and do bulletin boards. We also have weekly meetings as a whole staff and individual meetings with our boss.

I find that being an RA and a Teaching Fellow means that I am very well informed. I will get campus news from one or both departments so as to better assist the other residents in the building. Also, I find that the strengths in one area assist the other. For example, I have knowledge about what makes good bulletin boards from education classes, and the RA job gives me plenty of opportunity to practice. Life is busy, but interconnected, so I am sure that despite all we have to do… graduation will be here quicker than we think.

How Did I Go From 4" Heels to 401k's?: What Senior II Does to You

2009-01-14T09:00:00.002-05:00

by Rebecca Coleman (senior)

Are you ready to always be tired, go to sleep at 10:00, and feel like there is not enough time in the day? No? Then beware of Senior II. I am in my Senior II in Nash County at Swift Creek Elementary. Because of financial reasons, I also have a part time job after school and on the weekends. It is great to have the feeling that I am almost done with college but then again it is very overwhelming at the same time.

I feel that I am becoming an adult a lot sooner then my mind expected me to. I used to talk to my friends about weekend plans. Now I am finding myself talking about my 401k and insurance benefits. WHAT?!? I do have to say that Teaching Fellows has prepared me a lot more than I thought. The seminars and conferences that seemed like they had no point have really shown to be useful. I knew how to conduct myself in my recent interview, I knew how to write a resume and to have it with me at all times, I knew how marketable I was because of this program. All of that helped me land a job before graduation.

Senior II is hard, there is no getting around that, but it is also the most fun I have had in college. If you are truly meant to be an educator, you will have a blast because you are doing what feels right. I love the children in my class, and truly feel that I have made some type of impact on their education. In conclusion I will say, Senior II is the most stressful semester I have ever had. I have no sort of social calendar anymore, I can hardly stay awake to watch shows I used to be addicted to, and I can’t seem to wear my 4 inch heels for longer than 5 minutes anymore. With all of these things said, I wouldn’t change any of it, because the feeling you get when a child finally gets the idea you were trying to teach is PRICELESS!

ECU TF/MS Sophomore Tutoring

2009-01-07T09:00:00.001-05:00

by Kaitlin Bunch (sophomore)

Beginning tutoring as a sophomore this year has been really interesting. I have enjoyed it so far. I tutor a little boy named Josh and he is a first grader here in Greenville. He is really sweet and smart. Josh and I have assignments we have to complete together every week. They are assigned to us by the coordinator. Sometimes we have to read and I ask him questions, other times we make graphs, and we also do other types of math. Some of our projects are short and easy to complete within the hour time span, others are more lengthy and can be kind of tough to complete. No matter what the assignment though we try to have a good time doing them. Some of the assignments are completely new to him and it takes him a while to learn it and comprehend what we need to do. Sometimes I have a hard time figuring out to teach him the new material for the day.

One example of this is when we had two assignments for the hour; one was to graph and the other was to count by twos and threes. He hadn't even began to learn to do this in school yet and was really confused. This assignment not only tested him but me as well. It was a little bit out of my comfort zone because I didn't want to teach it to him in a wrong way. We used counting "bears" (little plastic bears, the center uses for practicing counting) to "play army". Josh was the sergeant and I was the general. Josh was in charge of his bear troops and I would give him orders of how to set them up in ranks of twos or threes. We started with three sets of troops, each set with two bears and we moved them around, and Josh would count them by sets. We gradually got larger and larger armies from there. By the time our thirty minutes for this exercise was over, Josh could count by twos up to ten and by threes up to 9. It may not sound like too much but we really made a lot of progress and he was very proud of himself.

I like this year of tutoring better than last year's tutoring because it is more one on one and I can see our success. I do miss all the children from the school though, but it has been nice getting to know Josh and figuring out what works best for him learning new things. Sophomore tutoring has been a great experience and I look forward to the rest of the year!

Advice for Beginning Senior I

2008-12-17T09:00:00.000-05:00

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

Senior Conference '08

2008-12-10T09:00:00.001-05:00

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.

Overview of Senior I

2008-12-03T09:00:00.000-05:00

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.

Junior Enrichment: Outward Bound

2008-11-19T09:00:00.000-05:00

by Anthony Hingley (junior)

Each year, rising Teaching Fellows juniors choose an activity to do the summer preceding their junior year. They include options such as trips to Europe, working at the Special Olympics, or the one I chose, Outward Bound. The prices span a wide spectrum, and that had something to do with my decision to do an Outward Bound course. The course was described as a hiking/backpacking adventure, and it sounded like something that would challenge me. I was kind of dreading the trip to Asheville, but afterwards, looking back, I really enjoyed it and if I was given the chance, I would do it all over again.

The trip started with us arriving at the airport in Asheville, at which point we rode in a van to the place we would begin. We were provided with backpacks, sleeping bags, water bottles, and a bowl and spoon. We then took our clothes and other necessities out of our personal bags and placed them in our backpacks. We also had to divide up our meals for the week and our rock climbing gear, so by the time we put everything in there, the bags were not exactly the lightest things to carry. We started out, and the combination of following trails and bushwhacking using a map and compass led us to each of our sites for camping, where we set up tarps and layed our sleeping bags on the ground.

It was a very fun and informative trip, learning much about the wildlife in the mountains, finding out how to rock climb, and "roughing it." I would recommend it to anyone who is given the opportunity to try it, and as with many things, you get out of it what you put in, so keep an open mind no matter the situation.

Senior Orientation in Perquimans County

2008-11-12T09:00:00.001-05:00

by Tabitha Ballance (senior)

I arrived in Perquimans Country not knowing what to expect for the next week. All I knew is that I would get the opportunity to see how the school system worked. My reason for choosing this small system was that it was close to my home. It was also much smaller than the school system I went to school in so I wanted to be able to have a comparison. After I arrived at the School Board Office which was located beside the high school, I waited for the arrival of my contact. When she arrived, she gave me a schedule for the week. It was packed with an array of things to do including visiting the schools, attending a baseball game, meetings with people working in the school board building including the superintendent, and the opportunity to observe Teaching Fellows teaching in the classroom.

The first day I was very nervous; mostly because I had no clue what I was going to be doing. From the moment I entered the School Board Building, everyone was extremely friendly. This made my nervous relax. The agenda for my first day had me visiting the high school. As soon as I saw this I thought, uh oh. I am a Birth-K Major so needless to say high school is way out of my range. The principal was extremely nice. He was actually in a meeting with the Senior Class President. He invited me to listen in. The seniors were planning a senior trip. I thought this was excellent; we didn't get the opportunity to have one my senior year. The class president told me that it had been a while since the school allowed a senior class to go. She also told me she had done a lot to prepare. After the meeting I was given a short tour and then I was put into a Teaching Fellow alum's class to observe. She was an Agriculture teacher and told me that Agriculture is very popular in the school. It was fun to “be back in high school."

Over the next few days, I visited the other schools in the county. When I visited Hertford Grammar School, I got the opportunity to go on a field trip. I thought that was a very valuable experience because you got to see the chaos first hand. My favorite part of the week was visiting the K-2 school. Every classroom in that school is equipped with a Smart Board. In fact, the county has applied for numerous grants to allow their county to be so technologically advanced. They hope in the next few years to have Smart Boards in every classroom in the county. The teachers loved teaching using the Smart Board and the students loved learning as a result of it. All of the teachers I observed at the K-2 school were hands on and energetic. My only regret was that I did not have a chance to meet with this principal. Another great thing I got to do during my week was a attending a meeting for first-year teachers. It was great to see how much support the entire county gave to teachers in their first three years.

I must honestly say that Senior Orientation was a week I was dreading. The last thing I wanted to do was spend a week of my summer in schools all day. The opportunity turned out to be a great one. If you did not attend a small school system, I would defintely recommend that you visit one for Senior Orientation. Although I am not planning on teaching in this county it was still great to see its inner workings and learn what they are doing to educate the children of their county.

ECU Marching Pirates: High School Band Day

2008-11-05T09:00:00.001-05:00

by Jaron Cox (sophomore)

The ECU Marching Pirates is the most visible ensemble that is associated with the School of Music. ECU Band Day has been a tradition since the year 1997. Band Day gives high school students a chance to see and understand what it is like to play in a college band. This is one of the best recruiting tools that the School of Music has to try to get high school students interested in coming to ECU.

This year’s ECU Band Day took place on September 27, at the ECU vs. Houston football game. There were 24 bands in attendance at ECU Band Day 2008. Some bands had as few as 20 members and other bands had over 100 members. It was calculated that over 2,000 people involved with Band Day were in attendance at the game. This year’s musical selections were “Play That Funky Music,” “YMCA,” and ECU’s Fight Song.

Many of the high school students were on a college field for their very first time. This event helps give the students confidence and the drive to want to continue to play when they leave high school and go to college. The main purpose is to keep students interested in music and to continue to use their gifts in college, whether it be majoring or minoring in music or just playing in ensembles for the fun of it.

Welcome to 2008-2009!

2008-10-29T09:00:00.005-04:00

Photos by Mallory Mitchell (senior) and Marina Bonner (senior)

After a brief break to begin the fall semester, the East Carolina University Teaching Fellows & Maynard Scholars blog is back up and running! Expect updates every Wednesday morning covering a wide range of our activities as Teaching Fellows, Maynard Scholars, education students, and ECU Pirates!

Regular updates will begin next Wednesday, but here's a few snapshots of what you can expect to see written about over the next few weeks.

ECU Teaching Fellows & Maynard Scholars eagerly await the presentation of Paul Cuadros, author of A Home on the Field and speaker at this year's Dean Leadership Seminar.

The ECU Marching Pirates, boasting several Teaching Fellows and Maynard Scholars, performs at a home football game.

Studying Abroad in Finland, Part II

2008-08-13T09:00:00.000-04:00

by Ashley Upchurch (rising senior)

Two months post-Finland and I’m just now realizing the reality of it all. I’m somewhere in the middle of risk-taker and couch potato; I’ll jump off a 30 foot waterfall, but the high ropes course scares me to death. So, Finland was a pretty big step for me and throughout the entire semester I would periodically pinch myself to see if I really was dreaming. I realize now that I did actually fly 3000 miles across the ocean and lived on my own for the first time, not to mention on my own in a foreign country. That’s the reality of my past five months. But, another reality has begun slowly to appear. I am behind by a full semester on course work.

I’m quite convinced that there are more detailed instructions on how to retrieve credits from a semester abroad than there are on a car engine assembly line. I’ve got four people currently working on getting my credits from Finland and I’ve personally talked to three of them on a pretty regular basis for the past two weeks. There was so much I could have done before leaving for Finland that would have made this whole experience a lot less difficult. But, being the procrastinator I am, I didn’t even decide to actually go abroad until about 3 weeks before my plane left. Needless to say, I was pretty unprepared and it showed when I returned to ECU short 18 hours. I highly recommend following instructions, planning ahead, and talking to your advisor and the International House as much as possible before you study abroad!

All the same, there’s nothing I’d trade for this trip abroad. I’ll definitely take all the headaches associated with it now. I couldn’t have asked for a better college experience than the one I found in Finland. From learning new ways to be a better educator to meeting amazing people I’ll never forget, Finland was worth all the paperwork and last minute deadlines.

Studying Abroad in Finland, Part I

2008-08-06T09:00:00.000-04:00

by Ashley Upchurch (rising senior)

A year ago around this time, I was racing through Speight, the education building, trying to get ready to study abroad. At the time, I was too busy worrying over paperwork to stress about actually spending a semester in another country. Three months later, my paperwork was filled out and all I had to do was stop having nightmares about freak plane accidents or ending up in Siberia instead of Finland.

My fears were both sound and outrageous. First of all, who ever heard of a plane suddenly falling out of the sky, all its passengers dead upon impact in the Atlantic Ocean? Then again, how on earth does a giant piece of metal soar through the sky? Hadn’t anyone ever heard of gravity??? My anxiety didn’t end with the plane ride alone: I was going to Finland to live alone for my first time so far from home that it would take three trips across the US and back just to get there.

Finland, in my mind, was barren tundra full of man-eating moose and little to no civilization. Obviously, I was exaggerating: I knew moose didn’t typically eat people and if there was a place for me to study in Finland, there must be some people around. All the same, come July when everyone was pestering me over my plans the next semester, I couldn’t, for the life of me, remember why I’d chosen Finland of all places!

Brandi, the assistant director of International Relations at ECU, had somehow brainwashed me into thinking one of the northern most countries in the world where the average temperature doesn’t go above 55 (I have a deep and passionate dislike for cold weather, by the way) was a great place to study. She explained how she’d spent so much time there and personally attested to its beauty and enjoyable nature. She explained all of this to me that December. Seven months later, I was boarding a plane and still questioning both of our decision-making abilities. Little did I know that just a week after getting on that cramped plane in the RDU airport, I would find myself enjoying the best food I’d ever tasted, experiencing life as I’d never known possible, and meeting more interesting people than I could have ever before claimed!

Not Just Surviving, but Flourishing

2008-07-30T09:00:00.000-04:00

by Kaleigh Klemm (May '08 graduate)

Most of you have by now probably heard how difficult student teaching is, either from other students or from your professors. If you are anything like I was, your stomach is churning just at the thought of managing and running your own classroom. However, as I find myself on the home stretch, I’ve taken a few minutes to reflect on those things that simplified my student teaching experience, and made it all the more enjoyable.

Planning is the area of teaching that originally gave me nightmares – I could just see it taking over my life. However, I’ve found that a good organizational method and a detailed plan book will take you far in your student teaching career. Because I like to see the big picture, I usually plan in units that take two to three weeks. I want to know before I even begin teaching a new concept where my students will be at the end and what they will have grasped. So before I even begin thinking of all the little details of each lesson, I write out a day-by-day outline stating what I plan on covering and the objective number. I can always add to this outline once I determine exactly how I want to teach each concept. It is then easy to take each day’s activities and write a lesson plan. Transferring the day-by-day outline into a plan book is also a breeze.

My next piece of advice involves utilizing those resources made available to you. This includes both material resources and people. I strongly recommend that you ask your clinical teacher for any files she has on whatever you are teaching. Even if your teaching style is different from your clinical teacher’s, he or she may still have helpful information, overheads, worksheets, or activities already available. Also, do not be afraid to ask your clinical teacher, other teachers, and other interns for advice. Everyone’s teaching style and classroom management style differs, so by discussing ideas and issues with them, you will acquire a vast wealth of knowledge that may be helpful not only during your student teaching, but also throughout your teaching career.

This brings me to my last suggestions: collaborate with the teachers on your team, in your grade, or in your subject area. We plan as a fourth grade team, and while I often plan activities for the whole team, they offer me guidance and often recommend activities that have worked well in the past. For instance, I talked with one of the teachers about possibly conducting an economy simulation, only to find out during team planning that another teacher had several resources for us to use. However, collaboration extends beyond just your team. By collaborating with the resource teacher, the special teachers, and the remediation teacher, you can guarantee the best education for your students. Collaboration also fosters a team mentality where everyone helps everyone else. Friendships stem from this attitude and result in a much more positive work environment.

I hope you will remember these few tips as you enter your Senior II semester. Find what works for you, and remember to begin each day with a fresh state of mind. Despite all the stressful moments, know that each day is a new adventure – an adventure that will lead you into the next chapter of your lives.

Junior Trip: New York City

2008-07-23T09:00:00.001-04:00

by Kristen Hales (rising senior)

The Junior Trip to New York was a fabulous experience. Having never been that far north before, many of us weren't prepared for just how cold New York City can be! We left Greenville at a sunny eighty degrees, and reached NYC in time for a brilliant drizzly day and very cold weather. Luckily though, most everyone had checked the weather, and brought along coats and umbrellas.

After our preliminary tour, we were allowed to sight see and peruse the city for things to do. Groups went shopping, to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, China Town, the Empire State Building, museums, and Broadway shows. Teaching Fellows made sure we were well fed as well. The juniors and chaperons dined at Carmines on Thursday evening, where we were given an eleven course family style dinner fit to feed a king! Friday, we had another excellent dinner at Radio Perfecto in Harlem, and Saturday we dined at Carnegie Deli before going to see Mamma Mia, a musical based on the music of ABBA.

The trip home was enjoyable, but everyone was sad to leave the hustle and bustle of Times Square, which was less than a block from the hotel where we stayed. I know I speak for all of the Junior Class when we thank the Travel Committee and the office for providing us with excellent transportation, lodging, and entertainment in New York City!

Senior II Reflection: Special Education

2008-07-16T09:00:00.000-04:00

by Hayley Flynn (May '08 graduate)

Over the course of the Senior II Student Teaching experience, it is expected that we all teach countless lessons across content areas, establish our own classroom management plan, and have contact with parents and families. In addition to such requirements, I have also created, implemented, and reported on an action research project.

As a Special Education major, it is required that I do an action research project. Action research is one way for teachers to make sure that they are practicing effective teaching methods that benefit their students. In beginning an action research project, the teacher must identify a problem, either behavioral or academic. The teacher must then identify an intervention, or a way to correct the problem. Research must be done on the chosen intervention by gathering information from sources including peer reviewed journals. Once a research based intervention is chosen, baseline data must be gathered. Baseline data is the student’s current level of function including the frequency of a given behavior or a group of scores on a test. At this time the intervention can be implemented. Throughout the intervention, it is important to gather data to chart the student’s progress.

This semester, I chose the topic of multi-sensory instruction to increase spelling scores of basic sight words. My baseline data showed that my students had difficulty spelling basic sight words. My intervention had the students go to multi-sensory based centers to work with a group of 10 basic sight words. In one center, students use whisper phones to spell words (auditory). In the second center, students use sand trays to spell out the words (tactile/kinesthetic). In the third center, students spell out words using magnetic lettering (visual). Prior to each center time, students are given a spelling test probe to chart their progress throughout the intervention. So far, the intervention is showing promise, specifically with students with learning disabilities.

Photos from the School of Art, 2007-2008

2008-07-09T09:00:00.001-04:00

Photos by Robyn McLawhorn (rising senior)

Every year, undergraduates in ECU's School of Art and Design have many opportunities to show their work, in addition to the senior show each one of them will host. There are currently a handful of art education majors in the ECU TF/MS program, and they're all quite active in the SOAD community as well as in the TF/MS program.

Rising senior TF Sarah Wittmer, a former art education major who never quite could give up art & design courses after switching to history education, works at the Printmaking Guild's table at the annual School of Art and Design Holiday Sale. Each individual program in the School of Art has a Guild, which coordinates each program's extracurricular activities. About 10% of Holiday Sale sales go to the guilds, while the other 90% go straight to the artist.

Rising senior Robyn McLawhorn, an art education major, is doing her required concentration in photography but had great success in her metal design survey course as well. Her work was accepted to the spring SOAD Undergraduate Show, an annual extravaganza of the finest undergraduate art & design work.

Surprise! Some Things You May Not Have Considered Before Beginning Your Student Teaching

2008-07-02T09:00:00.000-04:00

by Patrick Hales (May '08 graduate)

The following is a list that I wish to pass along to those of you embarking on the strange and fantastic journey that is student teaching. Consider each of the following points and take them to heart. I feel that they will be of some assistance to you in your dark times.

1. You will have dark times. Don’t kid yourself. If you didn’t second guess, kick, or otherwise mentally abuse yourself at times, you would not be a good teacher. It happens. What you’ve got to remember and hold onto when you feel like you want to give up is this: you grow from failure, not from success. Without failure, success is nothing.

2. All your students will not want to know you or learn from you. A sad, but true fact. Many students could care less. The magical thing about a good teacher, though, is that we can trick them into learning.

3. You will be told that your primary job is not teaching. Many administrators will switch your primary job’s focus from day to day. Monday, it may be to keep accurate attendance. Tuesday, it may be accommodations. Wednesday, it could be to clean up the cafeteria for all you know. Long story short; be true to yourself and your students. If, at the end of the day, your students can leave better off than when they came in, you’ve done one heck of a job no matter what the administration says.

4. Number three being said, you’ve got a lot to keep up with other than actual teaching. You have to keep attendance, grade books, lesson plans (hard copy and online), IEP’s, 504’s, health action plans, emergency evacuation plans, and a whole lot of odds and ends. You’re a secretary, administrator, counselor, nurse, everything really. In my student teaching alone, I’ve had two pregnant students, three with severe asthma, one with a imbalance that makes her pass out if she stands up to fast, one with low blood sugar, and one who was the first person to successfully receive this special type of transplant, all of whom I have had to be trained on how to handle in specific situations. Also, I have about 5 students in each class that have to leave every time I give a test because their IEP’s say they must either get it read aloud or they get a separate setting. I realize that number four has gone long, but I say all this to say: you’ve have got so much more to deal with than you ever thought. Be prepared. And in the words of Douglas Adams, Don’t Panic.

5. They weren’t kidding, you are underappreciated. People don’t think you do anything because they can’t see our results with their eyes. Everyone in the world thinks they can do our job. Just grin and bear it. You’ll see results and you’ll love it.

Thank you all for reading and choosing to be what you are, which is evidently amazing people. It takes that to do our job. Remember, you’re not alone out there. Don’t give up!

Women's Conference Basketball Tournament - Orlando, FL

2008-06-25T09:00:00.001-04:00

by Anthony Hingley (rising junior)

Right before Spring Break kicked off this year, the ECU Lady Pirates Basketball team went down to Orlando, FL to participate in the annual C-USA Conference Tournament hosted by UCF. The winner of the tournament was guaranteed a spot in the NCAA Women's Tournament. Last year, our team won the tournament. This year, the pep band, cheerleaders, and dance team all went down to Orlando to support the Pirates. We left Greenville on that Wednesday at around 4pm. We finally got to our hotel in Orlando around 2:30am. It was a long bus ride, but we were excited, the game was going to be a blast.

The next day, we had free time until around 7pm when we had to meet at the hotel to load the bus to go to the coliseum. So after spending the day just walking around and relaxing, we were ready to go cheer the Lady Pirates on. When we got to the stadium, there weren't too many people there, but that meant that we had to cheer even louder for our team. In a disappointing game, ECU lost, and we were all not looking forward to another ten and a half hour bus ride after just arriving. To the rescue comes Terry Holland, who asks all of us if we would rather stay in Orlando for another day. We, of course, all said yes.

The next day, about half of the group decided to buy tickets and go to Disney World, while the rest of us opted for another day of relaxation. When it came time for us to go home, we reluctantly loaded the bus and headed back to Greenville. The team didn't win, but we still managed to have a good time and enjoy ourselves.

Sophomore Trip: Asheboro, NC

2008-06-18T09:00:00.001-04:00

By Bradley Baggett (freshman)
Photos by the ECU TF/MS Staff
Captions by the ECU TF/MS Blog Editorial Staff

The Sophomore Teaching Fellows, Maynard Scholars, and new office assistant Pam Fisher (this was her first trip with the ECU Fellows and Maynard Scholars) visited the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro on February 23, 2008. They departed ECU at 8:30 am and took two ECU transit buses. The Fellows and Scholars explored the zoo. Upon departure of the zoo, the group went to Timothy's, a casual fine dining restaurant, where they were treated to dinner by the ECU Teaching Fellows Office. The Fellows and Scholars were all glad to have this bonding experience and were just as appreciative, if not more, for the meal.

Our office staff has fun on trips, too! Dr. Mary Beth Corbin, who recently stepped down as the campus program director, isn't above goofing off for the camera.

Sophomores take a day trip every year to a city in North Carolina as part of the ECU TF/MS program. It's fully funded by the program and is designed to further broaden our students' horizons, exposing them to a new and exciting place in our state. Previous years, sophomores have traveled to Raleigh and to the Outer Banks. Each trip location is voted on by the class, and each trip is planned by the Travel Committee.

Reflecting on Senior II: Math Ed.

2008-06-11T09:00:00.001-04:00

By Karlee Fee (May '08 graduate)

It was not long ago when I was sitting in my desk, looking up at my teacher, and paying attention in my high school math class. I cannot believe that now I am on the other side of that picture, and I now I am responsible for teaching roughly eighty students the concepts of geometry and advanced functions. It just amazes me that my journey at East Carolina is almost complete, and soon I will be entering the “real world” as an educator.

I am not nervous. In fact, I feel that I have been prepared in so many ways. Since I am a North Carolina Teaching Fellow at ECU, I have attended countless seminars and participated in a variety of volunteer work to help prepare me. Granted, at the time I might have been begrudgingly going through the motions. But now, as I have reached the near end of my college experience, I can honestly say that the seminars, cultural events, etc. have really helped me become a better teacher.

There is so much more to teaching than learning the material you are going to teach. A teacher is not only an educator, but you play the roles of comforter, counselor, motivator, friend, manager, and so much more. My university classes may have taught me the mathematics I need to know, but being a Teaching Fellow helped me develop into the educator they knew I would become all along. So, thank you Teaching Fellows! And underclassmen, do not take for granted the wonderful opportunities you have been awarded.

More Photos from Spring '08!

2008-06-04T09:00:00.000-04:00

Photos by Jaron Cox (rising sophomore) and Mary Beth Steimel (rising sophomore)

To start off your June right, we have an assortment of photos to share with you from a variety of events ECU Fellows and Scholars participated in this past semester.

ECU Fellows Jaron Cox and Grayson Woodcock, both music education majors, participated in the ECU Percussion Players concert earlier this year. Music education majors spend a lot of time studying performance as well as pedagogy - it seems like there's always an ensemble performing somewhere!

Many of our ECU Fellows and Scholars donated blood this semester. The American Red Cross holds blood drives on campus and at student housing complexes off-campus fairly regularly, and students in the Health 1000 courses often get extra credit for giving blood. The ECU community still hasn't forgotten the gracious assistance of the Red Cross after Hurricane Floyd devastated our campus in 1999, and although none of us were here for that disaster, we still give back however we can.

Freshman Tatum Weaver organized a ECU Teaching Fellows/Maynard Scholars Relay for Life team this year, showing that there are leadership opportunities even for freshmen. She did a fantastic job; our team raised a lot of money and actively participated in the Relay's festivities. The team had a lot of fun at the event, held one weekend in April.

Attention All Upcoming Senior II Interns!

2008-05-28T09:00:00.001-04:00

by Lindsay Brooke Whitfield (May '08 graduate)

You are just about to partake on a semester journey into another world that you have been waiting 3+ years for. As Teaching Fellows we have attended seminars, participated in committees, attended all summer Teaching Fellows events, and any other activities on campus that we have felt would help us prepare for our future. However, your clinical internship experience is something you could never be prepared enough for.

I have realized that it doesn’t matter how many speakers you hear discuss on a variety of issues that you will encounter in the classroom, how many extra trips you attend to become more culturally educated before entering the classroom, and the high grades you achieved in your general education courses. Your clinical experience will test you. The one thing that you will realize is that no one else will receive the same experience that you will. Your other friends in your major, your Teaching Fellows, or those that have come before you will all receive different experiences. Some of you may be placed in a school with a clinical teacher that you “clash” with; others will have been matched perfectly with their clinical teacher. Some of you will be placed in small rural areas where the poverty level of the students and the community is rather eye opening; others of you will be placed in high attendance level schools where the student to teacher ratio is unbelievable. Some days you will experience heart-warming feelings of compassion towards the students, and sometimes the best feeling you had that day was when you finally wrote that particular student up for ISS. The truth is, you’ve probably already heard this and what I’m saying isn’t any new news to you at all. But once you’re there, at your school, everyday, from beginning to end, you’ll finally face all of these experiences. It is when you realize that you’ve been thrown into the madness that sometimes you wonder why you wanted to be a teacher. It is also when you see a small child smile because you helped him/her with something so small to you but yet it was so difficult for them, or when your high school students hand you a prom picture with a note written on the back that says “To Ms./Mr. _________, I’m going to miss you so much next year,” that you realize how rewarded you are. These are honestly the different joys of a teacher. You never honestly know when you wake up in the morning what to expect in your school day.

You will be told plenty of times that your students cannot affect your day. It doesn’t matter how happy and energized you may be in the morning because who’s to say that every student in your class woke up feeling just as bright as you. There are seldom days in the classroom where every student is having a “great” day. But, that’s also the fun of it; the surprises that each student will throw at you. You never know how your best class will act versus your worst class on a daily basis, or how your favorite students will act versus your not as favorite students. It may be that the new topic/subject you’re introducing that day, or for me, a particular dance step that I choreographed, that you’re extremely excited about doesn’t even seem to excite or motivate your students at all. You will be disappointed some days and then rather impressed others. You will find that being a teacher starts to become a sport where you begin to learn how to predict what will happen next. And this, my friend, is why you’re a Teaching Fellow. I hope that you all enjoy your last semester of college and yet your first semester towards finally becoming the teacher you wanted to be.

Photos from Spring '08

2008-05-21T09:00:00.000-04:00

Photos by Elizabeth Helms (rising junior)

School's out! To celebrate, we're going to share some photos from the school year that we didn't get a chance to post during the year. We'll be doing this throughout the summer, probably once a month. This month, we're sharing some photos taken by Elizabeth Helms, rising junior and theater education Teaching Fellow.

Spring is a beautiful time on our campus - the trees and flowers are in bloom, everything is green again, and everyone is smiling. This is a view outside the Austin Building.

Left: Elizabeth went to New York City for her Junior Enrichment activity. The New York City trip is sponsored by the UNC-Chapel Hill program and invites fellows from UNC and from the rest of the state. It's one of the few Junior Enrichment options available over Spring Break. Most Fellows select summer activities for Junior Enrichment because we give up our Spring Break senior year for Senior Orientation.

Right: Elizabeth and fellow rising junior theater education major Alex White take a break from their very busy lives in Messick Theater to pose for a photograph. ECU has very strong but very difficult arts education programs. If you want to teach theater, music, art, or dance, your degree program will be especially hard - but it will also be totally worth it.

Looking forward to Discovery!

2008-05-14T09:00:00.003-04:00

By Austin Kestler (rising sophomore)
T-shirt design by Will Mercep (rising sophomore)

As freshmen, we just had our last seminar. It was about appropriate dress for Discovery, the week long Teaching Fellow retreat at the end of the summer that all rising sophomores must attend. We take 11 buses with all 500 Teaching Fellows and tour various schools, universities, and businesses across North Carolina. I'm really looking forward for a chance to meet other members from other colleges. I think we will meld nicely due to our experiences as Fellows. I'm really happy to be in this program and have opportunities like this to get out and sort of screen various working environments. I want to see what its like to live in other sections of the state I grew up in. I haven't been to the mountains or the beach in a long time either, so it will be a fun end to my first year of college.

(Editor's note: these are the graphics for our campus T-shirt. Every TF campus creates a special T-shirt just for Discovery. It tends to become somewhat of a . . . contest. With bragging rights attached for years to come.)

The End of An Era: Spring '08

2008-05-07T16:00:00.004-04:00

We're just about done with the year! Officially, exams end tomorrow and graduation is on Saturday, but it's close enough to the end to reflect on a great year for us as ECU students and as Teaching Fellows. We have a lot to be proud of: countless hours of service and tutoring in our community, successful practicums and internships, participation and recognition in other campus activities from musical recitals to honor societies. We traveled to Asheboro, New York City, and Atlanta as part of our program's travel enrichment activities.

Freshman Nieves Villasenor had this to say about this year: "To me, it feels like yesterday that we were new here to East Carolina. It doesn’t feel so long ago that we all met at Camp Don Lee for the Teaching Fellows & Maynard Scholars retreat. I can still remember vividly my first football game at Virginia Tech, running across the opposite side of the football field to my spot after my fellow band members and Teaching Fellow/Maynard Scholar friends had begun the show without me. It’s crazy how these priceless memories have all taken place so quickly within just our time at ECU. It’s gone by so fast, yet so much has happened."

We have a lot to look forward to for next year. We have a full slate of enrichment activities provided by the state for the summer: rising sophomores will go on the Discovery bus trip, rising juniors will participate in Junior Enrichment and Junior Conference, and rising seniors will complete Senior Orientation activities and attend Senior Conference. We have a promising class of incoming freshmen (as always!) and we can't wait to meet them in the fall. We're launching a new committee to work with a new academic outreach program here at ECU, the Pirate Tutoring Center. Many of the secondary education degree programs are undergoing revisions to make our graduates even more competitive and well-prepared, and we're very excited about these opportunities.

If you're joining us in the fall, you're in elite company! We all have fantastic stories of growth, perseverance, and success as a result of this semester. This summer, we'll continue to post some of these stories, chronicling our adventures as Fellows and Scholars - but also as student teachers, travelers, resident advisers, and, of course, college students. We hope you'll continue to follow our adventures as we end one year and begin the next.

- Sarah Wittmer, junior
Communications Committee Co-Chair

Committee Overviews: Service and Travel

2008-04-18T03:19:00.008-04:00

We're continuing with our committee overviews, but expect to see some blog entries about the excitement we've had in town this week in the future. Over the past week, Bill Clinton campaigned for his wife at a local high school and Barack Obama held a rally at our own Minges Coliseum. Despite the rapid approach of finals, you can find ECU Teaching Fellows spending their spare time working as volunteers on each campaign.

We're also preparing to leave for Atlanta today for our concessions trip. Life as an ECU Teaching Fellow or Maynard Scholar isn't quite always this exciting - most years we don't have primary campaigns in town - so we're using these committee overviews to give you an idea of what our typical excitement is like.

Service Committee Overview
by Kristen Hales (junior)

The Service Committee has been bustling with activity this year. This philanthropic division of the Teaching Fellows organization has touched many lives through its continuing service to Operation Christmas Child during the fall semester, and its other endeavors. One of the newest things the Service Committee has embarked upon is doing bake sales for the Ronald McDonald House. This experimental activity was a great success, and is expected to become an annual fund raiser for the group.

Additionally, the Service Committee members are planning to do road side clean-ups on Elm Street, and will be responsible for completing two hours of community service around Greenville and Pitt County. These actions will only further the success the Service Committee has already encountered, and serve as an example for others in the community to follow.

Travel Committee Overview
by Will Mercep (freshman)

Congratulations, you have just joined the Travel Committee! There’s only one thing left to do… what was that thing again?

When you become an East Carolina Teaching Fellow or Maynard, you are given the privilege of being a part of one of our fantastic committees. As a committee member you will effectively have a roll in the way your organization functions. Now, we’ll take a look at the exciting role of a Travel Committee member.

In the Travel Committee you will be a part of one of three subcommittees: Sophomore, Concessions, or Junior. These subcommittees plan the sophomore and junior trips along with the, you guessed it, concessions trip. The planning entails finding restaurants, shopping, and site seeing opportunities at each place. They then compile this information into a brochure for the students attending the event. They also make reservations for dinners, hotels, and buses. The Committees are organized and held together by two co-chairs. The amazing ’07-08 co-chairs are Alaina Ellison and Kelli Fogt. They hold meetings roughly once a month to stay on their trip deadlines.

Gandhi said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” ECU TF/MS Committees allow you to be the change you want to see in our fellowship.

Committee Overviews, Part I

2008-04-10T00:18:00.004-04:00

As the semester is winding down, we're going to take a couple of weeks to highlight what some of our student-run committees do. Every ECU Teaching Fellow and Maynard Scholar is required to participate in one of six committees, and each committee meets six times a year. Because this blog is run by the Communications Committee, we'll start with them, followed by the Social Committee.

The Social Committee is changing for next year; its activities will be absorbed into another committee to make room for a brand new committee. But more on that later - this post is about this year.

Communications Committee Overview
By Anthony Hingley

This blog entry is to let everyone know exactly what the Communications Committee does. The subcommittees are: Bulletin Boards, Chalkdust, Graduate Networking, and Bloggers and Photographers.

The Bulletin boards subcommittee is responsible for planning, acquiring necessary materials, and putting up the bulletin boards located outside the Teaching Fellows office.

Chalkdust is a newsletter containing articles written by members of that subcommittee. That newsletter is sent out to the East Carolina Teaching Fellows Alumni. This is one of the ways we let our Alumni know that we remember them.

If you are a current Teaching Fellow or Maynard Scholar, and you’ve gotten a birthday card from the Teaching Fellows office, you can thank the Graduate Networking subcommittee. They also write in all the cards for the Alumni.

The bloggers and photographers are the ones responsible for all the articles and pictures in the blog you are reading. New this year, the blog has been a big success and will continue next year.

The other responsibilities of the Communications Committee are designing the Discovery t-shirt and presenting the Discovery fashion show. The Discovery t-shirt is the shirt that freshman Teaching Fellows wear on school t-shirt day during the Discovery trip. Each school makes their own shirt, and ECU usually has a very good one. The Discovery fashion show is one of the freshman seminars, where the Communications Committee lets the freshman know what is acceptable and what is unacceptable to wear on Discovery, as well as other useful pieces of information about the trip.

Social Committee Overview
by Bradley Baggett

The main thing that the Social Committee works on every year is the
Holiday Social at the end of the fall semester. Next school year, the
Social Committee will handle the Pirate Pal socials, holding one in the fall
semester and two in the spring semester. They also provide the snacks
outside the office at the end of both semesters. The Social Committee is
well liked by its members. They get to have fun and be social, something all
the ECU Teaching Fellows and Maynard Scholars seem to be good at.

Anecdotes from a Freshman TF

2008-04-03T00:41:00.002-04:00

We just spent last week in New York City for the big ECU TF Junior Trip! To make up for our absence publishing the blog this week, here are two different stories from one of our freshman Fellows.

Looking Ahead To Tutoring
by Katilin Bunch (freshman)

I recently went to visit and volunteer at my little sister's kindergarten class. I had gone to surprise my sister by having lunch with her. I got to meet her classmates and her teacher. She asked me to stay and learn with her; I asked her teacher and she told me it would be fine to stay. I helped all the students to learn to write their last names and helped staple books that they had made together during my three hour stay. I also went outside with the class; I had a great time.

This experience has me very excited to start tutoring for a school in Greenville this semester. It reminded me of why we as Teaching Fellows are majoring in Education. Education is so important and vital with so many rewards and I want to be a part of that. It also reinforced my decision to teach high school students. I love smaller children but I know that I am better suited for older students. I am so glad I got to experience this. It has helped me to prepare for volunteering here in Greenville and I can not wait to get started!!!

A New Experience: Communicating with Professors
by Katilin Bunch (freshman)

In high school I never had trouble understanding my teachers. My sophomore year a foreign exchange teacher from Japan was supposed to come and teach my science class but he never came. I never had a teacher with a really strong accent. Here at college, however, I am faced with two professors that have very strong accents. It is extremely hard to understand both of them; especially when they begin to talk fast. I have learned to pay very close attention and take extensive notes. So far this has been difficult for me because I am not used to it. One of my professors seemed worried at the end of our first class and when I went to introduce myself to her she began to question me about how I thought the class went. She also asked if I thought everyone had understood since no one had asked any questions. I told her that when she spoke so quickly it was hard to hear her and understand what she was saying. She thanked me for talking to her and told me she would try to slow down during the next classes. She did slow down and it really helped a lot and people began to ask her questions and participated in class more. I encourage anyone who is having trouble to talk to their professors too . . . your grade depends on you!

Back from Break!

2008-03-19T19:14:00.004-04:00

We took a couple weeks off for Spring Break here at the ECU TF/MS blog, but we'll be bringing you updates from our program every week for the rest of the semester and into the summer. Today we have a double-header of topics completely unrelated to each other but both relevant to this week: first, a look at the future of our program from future (2008-2009) Communications Committee Co-Chair Will Mercep, and then some ECU basketball coverage in preparation for the March Madness festivities beginning this weekend.

The Future of Teaching Fellows
By Will Mercep (freshman)

When I think of ECU Teaching Fellows and Maynard Scholars, I usually think of them as being proud, perceptive, punctual, and preservationists. One might ask, “Now, what exactly do you mean when you say preservationists?” Well, I’m talking about self-preservation to be exact. We are always on the hunt to get the next generation of education majors through these doors. This is enacted, most notably, by our own Recruitment Committee. Their job is to get that pirate pride into the Teaching Fellow applicants and finalists. They also attempt to bring more high school students into the teaching profession as a whole.

But, that isn’t the only way the Teaching Fellows & Maynard Scholars show support. It’s also about the little things. When the list of 2008 Regional Finalists was announced, the front page of the TF/MS website read, “Congratulations 2008 Regional Finalists!” Under that was a link to a file with every TF candidate in the state and an invite to come to our Recruitment Day. We even get down to the nitty-gritty and have events with individual schools. Croatan and West Carteret High Schools out in Carteret County brought the members of their FTA organizations for a visit here on the ECU campus. Here at East Carolina teaching is paramount: Our Futures as Teachers Carve the Futures of Thousands.

ECU vs. Clemson and NC State
By Anthony Hingley (sophomore)

As a member of the ECU Pep Band, I go to the basketball games. Never have I been in such an electric atmosphere as when I attended the ECU vs. Clemson game and the ECU vs. NC State game.

First off, the Clemson game was lots of fun even before the game started. The memo for Pirate fans to wear black, aided by the free tee shirts, was heeded. Just looking in the arena, almost all you saw was black. When the game tipped off, Williams Arena almost exploded when the Pirates scored first. The entire first half was a lot closer than anyone anticipated, having a nationally ranked ACC basketball team coming to Greenville.

Even more exciting than that game was just a few days later, when ECU played an amazing, nail-biting game, which came down to the last minute of play. Seeing all the red from Wolfpack fans was not enjoyable, but having that many fans of the visiting team made Pirate fans that much more rowdy. I was very glad to be a part of that monumental victory, ECU's first every basketball victory over NC State, and our first basketball victory against an ACC team.

Recruitment Day '08 - and the Committee Behind It

2008-02-27T17:24:00.002-05:00

By Austin Kestler (freshman)
Photo by Robyn McLawhorn (junior)

Recruitment Day 2008 for Teaching Fellows was a huge success. We had about 70 Regional finalist show up to explore what are program has to offer. Dr. Corbin greeted our prospects. Provost Marilyn Sheerer also attend to welcome our guests. After splitting the finalists up into their majors, advisers from each major talked with them in the smaller groups.
Then came the fun part: the question and answer panel that separated the parents from the students to ask real questions about college. Then, ECU treated them to a catered lunch followed by Joann Norris, head of the Teaching Fellows program across North Carolina, speaking with the future Fellows about what it is to be a Teaching Fellow. The day was quite a success with an overwhelming return of people moving ECU up from lower ranks on their top 5 school list to #1.

The Recruitment Committee does a lot for the ECU program. In November, they hold an Interview Skills Day a week or two before the Local Interviews. When the regional finalist lists come out, they stuff envelopes full of confetti, a letter of congratulations for making it to the regional round, and an invitation to the Recruitment Day. Also, the week before the Recruitment Day, they hold phone banks, where they call and issue congratulations, ask if they have any questions, and extend another invitation to the Recruitment Day. Then they take care of Recruitment Day. They also hold the regional interviews at East Carolina, so the members will help out with registration, talking with the students before and after their interviews, leading them to the rooms where they will be interviewed.

Junior Tutoring

2008-02-21T23:43:00.000-05:00

By Kristen Hales (junior)

My experience with Junior Tutoring has been one of the most rewarding things I’ve done during my college years. Every day I find myself going to get my car for tutoring, I end up smiling, because I enjoy seeing the kids that I get to help. The first day of tutoring, they were quiet and shy, but as they days have gone on they’ve blossomed!

I know their names, which teams they play on, and of course, the subjects they need help with the most. I was given the opportunity to work with a program called AVID, which takes at risk students with college potential and gives them allotted study and homework time so they don’t fall behind in their work. Of course, being ninth graders, they love to goof off, but when they need to they get the job done!

I’ve tutored Spanish, Algebra, English, and occasionally someone will have a History question, but even if I don’t get to tutor exactly in my study area, this experience is one that I wouldn’t give up for the world.

A Discovery: Music Composition

2008-02-13T22:32:00.002-05:00

by Nieves Villasenor (freshman)

Throughout life we go through many stages where we think we know what we want to do with our lives. As a Teaching Fellow, all of us have decided that that very thing is teaching. For me, it's music, and I had always figured since I had received the scholarship, that teaching music is the only thing that I would want to do. While being at ECU, meeting new people, exploring new concepts, and getting a look at what more there is to offer, I have seen my opportunities expand.

Now, nothing has changed with me wanting to be a teacher. It's been my dream since high school to create and manage a band program at a high school. It's very different being a music educator, its much like being a coach. Music programs are visible across regions, and many times, much like sports teams, serve as representatives as a school. Recently; however, I have discovered a new realm of music that I believe would help me to be a better educator and that is music composition.

I have written music ever since the summer of 2005 when I had my first concert piece, "To Challenge the Earth and Skies," premiered in front of an audience of hundreds in Jones Auditorium at Meredith College. The North Carolina Governor's School students of that year did a great job with it, and even some of my fellow Teaching Fellows remember me because of it. At the time until now, it had always been a hobby of mine. As I matured as a musician and broadened my horizons of what kinds of music exist, I explored and experimented with varieties of styles.

My tenure so far at East Carolina has been most influential in my thought of possibly double majoring in music composition. I've met great people like Dr. Jacobs, Brandon Martel, Brian Bonsteel, Jamie Kofink, Kimberly West, Nathan Walker, and many people who have inspired me to take that path as well as a music composer. Their praise and criticisms have helped me to discover that I might have a possible future in this field as well. By coupling my abilities as an educator and my creativity as a writer, I believe that both these strengths will make me a better prepared educator.

In the future, I hope to premiere yet another piece, this time to an audience of my peers at East Carolina University. With the superb School of Music available to me, new experiences ahead of me, and a numerous amounts of interested ears, I believe I will only grow as a musician.

An Undecided Teacher

2008-02-06T18:21:00.000-05:00

By Will Mercep (freshman)

So you want to be a teacher. Well, as you can see from this page, Teaching Fellows is a great way to reach that goal while getting a top notch education. Now, you’ve reached the stage where you know you want to teach, and you know that you want to be a Teaching Fellow. What’s your major? In the College of Education there are many different majors and concentrations. What to do, what to do?

Luckily, you don’t have to decide right this second. Your first year in college contains mostly general classes that everyone has to take. While you’re here you will have many chances to learn more about each department. Freshman Teaching Fellows at ECU have an event in which they get to meet the advisers. The advisers represent the different majors offered in education. They are more than egger to get extra people to join their field. However, you should make the decision on your major as soon as you can. Different majors have different classes you have to take in order to be admitted. By the end of your freshman year you should have a pretty good idea of what you want to do. If you don’t have a major declared in time, you risk not being able to have the classes needed to enter the major you choose, and you could possibly end up taking summer classes just to catch up. The biggest point is that coming into Teaching Fellows with an undecided major is okay. Find something that you have a passion to teach and have fun doing it.

The ECU Sixth Man Pep Band

2008-01-30T17:03:00.000-05:00

By Anthony Hingley (sophomore)

At the beginning of November, auditions were held for the ECU Sixth Man Pep Band, a group that plays and really energizes the crowd at the basketball games. The audition itself was not hard, we just had to play a few things from our Marching Band music, but just seeing my name up on a list in an audition based group is always an encouraging experience. After the results were posted, we had one meeting as a group to discuss the guidelines for the ensemble, as well as the schedule, and to work through a few pieces for us to play during timeouts and such.

The first game was on November 10th, and the men's team started their season well. The band was pumped, and we were definitely keeping the arena loud and making life miserable for the opponents. Numerous times we disrupted the visiting team's flow with our noise and cheers. Personally, I was happy to see the men's team start the season with a win, given the way things turned out for the team last year. They seemed to be playing with high energy, and mostly strong fundamentals, which is always good to see.

The women's team also started their season well, with a resounding 97-52 win over Presbyterian on Veteran's day. That game was even more fun than the men's game, because the band was really able to get in the opponent's heads, and throw them off their games.

If you get a chance, check out one of the basketball games, and if you hear loud whooping and hollering, don't worry, that's just the ECU Pep Band!!!

Recruitment Activities

2008-01-23T14:14:00.000-05:00

If you're a Regional Finalist, congratulations! We hope you'll be attending our Recruitment Day on Saturday. To get you excited about attending, here's a couple of stories from past recruitment activities: last year's Recruitment Day and this past fall's Interview Skills Day.

Recruitment Day
by Austin Kestler (freshman)

Recruitment Day is coming up this week for all the potential ECU Teaching Fellows of 2008. This is a very important day for those deciding whether or not ECU is the right school for them. (Which it should be, ARGH!). I know when I came to ECU a year ago for the first time, I was very nervous and anxious to explore what the campus had to offer. I was greeted warmly by Dr. Corbin and Mrs. Parrish. We learned interview skills that would help us in the finals of the selection process. We also began to meet with advisers in our particular field of study and got to talk to ECU Teaching Fellows that were already here to tell us how much they like ECU. This day for me was what made me decide to come to ECU. I attended other school's Recruiting Day events and didn't receive the same warm welcome. Now that another year has passed it is time for this day again. I've offered my time to attend this event to help nervous young recruits and make them feel more at ease about college.

Interview Skills Day
by Kaitlin Bunch (freshman)

My cousin recently attended the Interview Skills workshop on November 3. She is currently a high school senior and has applied for Teaching Fellows. She came to me Sunday at church and was telling me all about the things she had done at the workshop. I think two of the things she was most excited about was actually being on campus for the day and getting to know some people around here that are interested in the same things as she is. She told me that she really liked how everything was informal and the speakers. Her least favorite aspect of the workshop was that it was after her local interview. She said that the things she learned at the workshop would have really helped her with the first interview. There were things that she did well on at the first interview but she would have done so much better had the workshop been earlier.

I remember the Interview Skills workshop that I attended last year and I know how much it helped me. I think my most favorite part was the session with Catrina Davis. She was very interesting and very memorable. Those kinds of events can be kind of overwhelming at times because you realize that this is it . . . that you are one step closer to that final interview. Ms. Davis helped to put me at ease and get comfortable. I thought of those things before and during my interview and that made all the difference in the world. I hope that everyone had as good a time as my cousin did and they got as much as they could out of it so that they, too, can have successful interviews!

The Senior II Experience, Part 2

2008-01-17T12:18:00.000-05:00

By Daniel Barnes (December '07 Graduate)

Warning – read the following two paragraphs, but do not worry: the rest of the article will not be written in that way.

Become very familiar with the word “reflection.” You will reflect in your methods classes, reflect in your classroom, reflect numerous times in your portfolio, reflect when working toward National Board Certification, and you will hopefully be a “reflective practitioner” in your classroom.

What is a reflective practitioner? A reflective practitioner is a teacher who uses the self-reflection process to explore what he or she has done previously and where he or she wishes to go in the future. When teachers reflect, they analyze what they have done in their classroom – including classroom management, procedures, pedagogy, types of lessons utilized, and daily decisions. Reflective practitioners constantly revise and reassess their teaching methods, and adjust each class in a way that will demonstrate their ability to teach each class according to their needs and personality.

Stop for a second.

Perhaps the previous two paragraphs seemed a bit…daunting? Formidable? Pedantic?

Most readers of this blog will become teachers in the near future. Reading those first two paragraphs could simulate the wall of difficulty that many students face when encountering school. If you knew and understood every word in those paragraphs, great! If not…then I did not do a good job at transferring my (acquired) knowledge to a medium that you could understand very well. That is not your fault.

I’ll get straight to the point. The past few months in the Senior II process have taught me that teaching is much more than writing lesson plans and disseminating the information. A teacher performs more than a mere regurgitation of knowledge. Teachers must take the knowledge, scaffold the skills in a way that prepares students to perform those NCSCOS objectives, and must determine how to be creative enough to tap into all students bank of knowledge.

One of the ideas I used was a variation of Socratic Seminar, in which students engage in an orderly “cross-table” debate of ideas. It worked in one class and not in another. Does that mean it was a bad plan? No. I discussed the process with my teacher, and we determined that one class already had the oral presentation skills necessary for positive results. The other class needed more oral speaking skills (though we had done some in the past week) and frankly required more in-class time to digest the external reading because they tend not to do homework. This self-assessment and collaborative assessment is a process that A) you can really take advantage of during the Senior II process and B) is necessary throughout your teaching career.

Some days, all the classes go well – good teachers (reflective practitioners) do not leave it at that. Reflective practitioners examine why the process went well: think about class members, class size, class demographics, thoroughness of focus, review, and scaffolding, time of day of the activity, maturity of the class, personality of the class, management methods, etc. Think of how you can improve the process for future classes. Think of how you can adapt the process for students with exceptionalities, or students in the future who may not fit under the categories that your current classes represent. Figure out why it worked – or, in some cases, why it did not work. Teaching is like the writing process – there is not a perfect method. Advice: always jot ideas first and edit later. The writer cannot help but coming out.

Now, assuming you have read the last couple paragraphs, reread the first three paragraphs. Couldn’t (or shouldn’t) I have teased the information out piece by piece, thereby providing you with the tools necessary to comprehend my verbose opening? The constant self-analysis is absolutely necessary for success and growth in the teaching profession.

I will leave you with a list of five phrases/words/names that you will come across frequently in the internship process. If you are a soon-to-be intern, then I would suggest looking up these phrases on http://www.ncpublicschools.org or on google because they should be discussed at least briefly in the near future, if not already. Thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings!

-- Daniel Barnes

1. “The kids will not care what you know until they know that you care.”
2. Reflective Practitioner
3. Professional Learning Communities
4. Measurable Objectives
5. Impact on Student Learning

Springing into Spring 2008

2008-01-12T16:49:00.001-05:00

Photos by Elizabeth Helms (sophomore)

Well, it's that time of year again - the start of a new semester! We're looking forward to a lot of fun and exciting adventures in every aspect of our program. The spring semester is full of opportunities for our Fellows and Scholars. Our seniors are student teaching; our juniors are preparing for the state Senior Orientation program; our sophomores are submitting to Upper Division within the College of Education; and our freshmen are beginning seminars and tutoring. And that's not even mentioning the traveling, the recruitment activities for next year's class, or the countless activities we're involved in outside of Teaching Fellows. All in all, we'll be very, very busy this semester!

To begin the year off right, we've uploaded a couple beautiful photos of our campus from last semester. We're looking forward to another fantastic semester, and we'll be sharing as much of it as we can with you. If you're applying for the Teaching Fellows or Maynard Scholars programs (or if your child is applying!), best of luck to you!

Feel free to contact our office staff using the information on our program website, listed to the right, if you have any questions about our program. We're always willing to help!

Thanks,
Sarah Wittmer, junior
Communications Committee Co-Chair

ECU Teaching Fellows Play Sports!

2007-12-12T15:55:00.000-05:00

Distance Running: Classroom Implications
by Hayley Flynn (senior)

This year’s ECU Varsity Women’s Cross Country team has been said to be the best the university has seen in the last ten years. As I begin my final year of eligibility on the team I have begun to evaluate my role as a distance runner and team captain and what my experiences imply for my role as a future educator- as a motivator and goal setter.

Many people cringe at the thought of running several miles at a time without stopping. It is a test of endurance and will power. Just as distance running requires a relentless spirit, students in the classroom necessitate the same unyielding spirit from their teachers. Students need to know that their teachers have the desire and drive to see them succeed. By seeing this determination through encouragement and in our daily teaching, our students will mimic this desire to achieve which results in self-motivation and self-improvement.

Throughout my career as a collegiate athlete, I have realized that crossing the finish line does not mark a stopping point. Although one race may be completed, there is always another competition a week away. Just as distance runners must always focus on the next competition, we as teachers must always focus on our next goals for our students. By continually setting new goals and always keeping ourselves and our students ‘training for the next competition’, our students will be able to continuously experience success and will be motivated to keep ‘running to the next finish line’.

Distance running is a sport of endurance and will, a sport where there is never a true finish line. There is always a way to improve. In the classroom, we must continuously have the mindset of a runner in which our students know that we want them to succeed and keep succeeding.

Teaching Fellows and Club Sports
by Stephen Battise (junior)

My name is Stephen Battise and I am a junior in the Teaching Fellows program at ECU. I also play for the ECU Club Ultimate Frisbee team, the Irates. Being involved in the Teaching Fellows is a commitment that requires some of my time at ECU, but I still have plenty of time that I do not spend studying or in class. Ultimate Frisbee is time consuming, taking 9-12 hours a week, but I enjoy playing. We also have tournaments every once in a while which can take up a whole weekend.

It is easy to balance my time between school work, teaching fellows, and Ultimate. You don’t realize how much time you truly have until you don’t have practice for a week, which I realize every semester before exams. The Teaching Fellows program enables us to participate in other school activities, not just Teaching Fellows, which is truly a blessing.

A Glimpse at the ECU School of Music

2007-12-05T06:23:00.000-05:00

One of the strongest programs at ECU is our music program, so it's only fitting that several of our Teaching Fellows and Maynard Scholars are music education majors. They are among the busiest group of people within the TF program, representing us in many exciting activities. Here's a look at two of the activities Fellows participated in through the School of Music this semester.

Octubafest
by Anthony Hingley (sophomore)

October 10th-12th was an interesting couple of days for the members of the Tuba and Euphonium studio in the School of Music. This year our professor, Tom McCaslin, started up an annual series of recitals which is called Octubafest. Each member of the studio had to either prepare a solo piece to perform, or perform as part of a tuba-euphonium quartet. Out of the 16 members of the studio, 5 of us are Teaching Fellows. We had to put in extra practice time to work our pieces up to par, and before we knew it, that week was upon us.

The recital on the 10th was a full hour of music all played by our professor, Mr. McCaslin, who is new to ECU this year and is one of the best tuba players I have ever heard, in recordings or otherwise. After his recital was done, I was so psyched about my performance which would be on the 12th, and also to hear what everyone else had prepared.

All in all, everyone did very well, and I thoroughly enjoyed my first Octubafest. Next year it should be just as fun, if not more, now that I know what to expect.

Drum Corps International: A Glimpse At A Life Changing Experience
by Nieves Villasenor (freshman)

As a music education major, we learn to appreciate all kinds of musical concepts. We learn to sing, play band and string instruments, and to appreciate the vast realm of music. Whether it be on a field or a concert hall, the appreciation of music is everywhere.

What many people are not aware of, besides people who are familiar with music, is that it can be comparable with the American sport of football and baseball. Being at East Carolina, we are all familiar with college football, and how many of them began as high school stars and how some aspire to become professional players. In music, marching music in particular, it can be said the same way. Where there is high school band, you go to college band, then to what is known as marching music's major league, Drum Corps International (DCI).

DCI is a youth activity that goes on during the summer for students from ages 14-21. In the activity, students learn about the positive results of preparation, commitment, and success as they work hundreds of hours preparing a show for thousands. They travel across the country performing for groups and improving their abilities all while entertaining a crowd.

The reason I blog about this?

DCI has long been a hobby of mine. It is part of the many reasons of why I want to be a music educator. I am doing my applied studies on Saxophone but I play trumpet in the Marching Pirates so that I can hone my skills to be a part of this group. I have seen first hand how the experience of being with a corps has positively influenced the creation of great music educators. In the Marching Pirates, Brandon Hults, a graduate assistant with the band, showed me first hand through his practices with the band just how much the experienced has seemed to make him a better leader.

I hope to audition for a spot on the Carolina Crown or Crossmen hornline this fall. With a good attitude and lots of practice, maybe it'll become a reality.

ECU Homecoming: October 27

2007-11-28T21:23:00.000-05:00

By Austin Kestler (freshman)
Photo by Robyn McLawhorn (junior)

Homecoming here at ECU was festive as always. From floats and parades, on to the fantastic football game against UAB. It was a busy time for us ECU Teaching Fellows and Maynard Scholars. Our Student Activities committee put together a memorable float for the parade on October 27th. ECU Teaching Fellows graduate Ron Clark, owner of the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, Georgia, joined us for homecoming to ride on our float and support our program. Although or float didn't win any awards it was still a lot of fun. Our banner, however won second place, another special thanks to our Student Activities Committee. As for the football game, it was spectacular. Our ECU Pirates dominated against UAB in a stunning 41-6. Halftime was really exciting. Ron Clark returned with some of his students to receive honor for being an alumni of ECU. I can't wait for next year.

While all ECU Teaching Fellows and Maynard Scholars are invited to participate in our organization's homecoming events, the most active group in the homecoming festivities is the Student Activities Committee. Below, one of the members of that committee elaborates on his participation.

By Trevor Rorie (freshman)

Homecoming week is probably the most spirit-filled week at any school, whether it be a high school or university. My first homecoming at East Carolina University was simply amazing. East Carolina holds a Homecoming parade and numerous other festivities during the week. There was even a concert by Trey Songz. Teaching Fellows took an active role in the Homecoming events.

The Teaching Fellows acted in skits, decorated and designed a float, and decorated and designed a homecoming banner. I am a member of the Student Activities committee and we made the banner. Though I am not an artist by any means, I helped with a little bit of painting. The banner was a hundred dollar bill note with Petey in the center. The mint registry numbers correlated with East Carolina's first day. The banner was purple and gold of course. All the major artwork was designed and painted by the more skillful members of the team.

Working on the banner at first seemed like a chore and just something else I had to do. After bonding with my fellow Student Activities committee members and painting a little, I actually had fun and enjoyed myself. I even got to meet some Fellows I hadn't met before. The banner was huge success and it brought all of us a little closer together.

The End-of-Semester Rush

2007-11-26T13:25:00.000-05:00

By Bradley Baggett (freshman)

It’s that time again. We’ve reached the end of the semester. It seems like we’ve been assigned a final project for every class that has us running around rushing to get things done. There are numerous other deadlines to have completed before the semester is out. Now is also the time when we all begin to study for our all-important final exams. All this stress is really starting to bear down on some of us. Still, I can’t forget all of the ECU Teaching Fellows office staff. If all our stress and worries become too much, we have people like Dr. Corbin and Mrs. Parrish to pull us through it. I have a feeling some of us may not think the office staff can be much help in this matter. If so, talk to your friends, talk to someone who can help pull you through the stress of the end of the semester. We can all make it!

Happy Thanksgiving! (Have some pictures!)

2007-11-21T11:54:00.000-05:00

To celebrate the Thanksgiving break, we're posting some pictures taken by our Communications Committee photographers over the past couple of months. Enjoy!

Photos by Mary Steimel (freshman)

Above: Bulletin Boards subcommittee chair Georganna Davis (junior) works with other members of the subcommittee to hang the bulletin board outside of the Teaching Fellows office at our October Communications Committee meeting. Below: The finished bulletin board, "Fellows Around the World," celebrated the summer activities, trips, and experiences of our Teaching Fellows, who traveled all over the world for Junior Enrichment, study abroad, and personal experiences.

Photos by Jaron Cox (freshman)

Freshman Teaching Fellows and Maynard Scholars congregate in the hallway of Umstead Hall, where they all live together, in order to wish one of their own a happy birthday - at midnight.

Freshman Teaching Fellows Lauren, Paige, and Carly take a break from their studies to celebrate one of the biggest nights of the year at ECU - Halloween. Dressing up with friends makes the night even more fun.

Senior I Internship as a Dance Educator

2007-11-14T12:57:00.000-05:00

By Brooke Whitfield (senior)

When trying to pick the right college coming out of high school, I decided that as I was interviewing for the Teaching Fellows scholarship, one of the only two schools that offered Dance Education was East Carolina University. Plus, I knew that East Carolina had a great education program in general. This was amazing to me. I could possibly obtain a wonderful scholarship and attend college for something that I’ve loved to do ever since a very young age. Why not, right?

I am now a Senior Teaching Fellow at East Carolina University in Dance Education. The Teaching Fellows scholarship has enabled me to pursue two of my favorite things; teaching and dance. My mother and grandmother were both teachers and I have danced since the age of five. Being a Teaching Fellow, I have been exposed to various schools and educational programs in North Carolina. This has made me more aware of North Carolina’s opportunities offered to school-aged children in our school systems. I feel more prepared to begin my student teaching next semester due to all I have been exposed to, and my Senior I Internship in Beaufort County is also helping me prepare for my future. I look forward to pursuing my teaching career in Dance Education and feel very prepared to share my knowledge thanks to the Teaching Fellows program and The School of Theatre and Dance at East Carolina University. Go Pirates!

A Resident Advisor Teaching Fellow

2007-11-07T18:59:00.000-05:00

By Kristen Hales (junior)

There are two things at ECU that I have never regretted doing. I have never regretted accepting the Teaching Fellows scholarship, and I have never second guessed my decision to become a Resident Advisor. The perks of the job are amazing, with Teaching Fellows and the RA job, I have a full ride to ECU. My parents were ecstatic, and so was I, upon finding out that I got my own room! A single, for me!

However, being an RA also has its drawbacks. Even though it’s a fun, creative, hands on job, there are oftentimes when you face unique challenges. From domestic disputes to roommate problems, even to the “I’m locked out of my room” scenario, you get to see it all.

Despite these occasional drawbacks, this job is giving me valuable learning experiences as well. I want to be a high school teacher, and what better way to learn how to handle students of that age group than by managing a bunch of freshmen who are the same age or younger than most high school seniors. I also get to make informational bulletin boards – as a future super creative and innovative teacher, this is a great way for me to learn about diverse topics, from vegetarianism to energy conservation.

Being an RA is tough, but the experience will last me a lifetime.

Dean's Leadership Seminar: "Front of the Class"

2007-11-01T08:20:00.000-04:00

By Kaitlin Bunch (freshman)
Photo by Jaron Cox (freshman)

Brad Cohen visited us on Monday, October 8, and gave a wonderful presentation. I really enjoyed the book and re-read many of the parts. I especially liked the parts when he talked about his childhood because I know many people that can relate to that. All children have ups and downs while they are growing up and Brad had some really BIG ups and downs. His book is so inspirational because he tells how he overcame those situations and how that has helped him become the person he is today.

I was especially excited about the movie that is being made about him. This will give other people the chance to hear about and visualize some of the things he has gone through. I was also excited to hear about his new wife. To be honest I had really hoped that from the time he wrote the book to the time he presented to us that someone would have entered his love life. Not saying that he couldn't survive without that someone special, I just had hoped that if it was something that he wanted that he would get it. He deserves it.

I did get a little bit bored during his talk because so much of what he said was from the book and a lot of the stories were the same. I did like watching him while he talked to try and see some of the things he does. It was so interesting to see how much his mannerisms changed when he wasn't speaking and when he was. It was also neat seeing some of the ticks that he had not mentioned in the book, like the way his right arm kinda twitched a little bit while he talked.

It was a very good learning experience to have him with us as well as reading his book, I think after reading that I will be a better person and also a better teacher in the future.

Click here to read Brad Cohen's own blog about his visit to ECU.

"Hello, Dolly!"

2007-10-24T20:58:00.000-04:00

By Ashley Moore (sophomore)

I went to the play “Hello Dolly” put on here at ECU, by the ECU School of Theatre and Dance. I did not know what to expect because I did not know anything about it, but I heard from friends that it was an excellent play, so I bought tickets for my boyfriend and I. Then I heard it was a musical, so I knew I would enjoy it because I love musicals. The play was excellent just as my friends told me. The storyline and choreography along with the music kept my attention and pulled me into the story. I saw many underlying themes and lessons in the play. One of these was to be who you are instead of what people want you to be. Two of the characters acted rich to impress girls, but eventually admitted to being average because they were in love.

Another lesson I learned was that you should go for what you want. Dolly wanted to marry Horace. He was not interested in her at the beginning. Dolly’s strategy was to show him women that were all wrong for him so that he would appreciate her. In the end Horace realized that Dolly was the woman for him. The play was a progression of his realizing that love was right in front of him the whole time. I give the play two thumbs up and would recommend it to anyone and everyone. And a note to all freshman Teaching Fellows, get involved with on campus events or go support them. You may learn more than you think.

The Senior II Experience, Part 1

2007-10-17T12:19:00.000-04:00

By Daniel Barnes (senior)

My name is Daniel Barnes and I am a second-semester senior (or Senior II) in the Teaching Fellows Program. For the next few months, I will be updating my progress and reflecting on the experience of “Senior II.”

I am a Secondary English Education major interning at Roanoke High School in Robersonville, which is about 30 minutes away from Greenville in Martin County. A typical day consists of waking up at 5:30 A.M., preparing for school, leaving my apartment at 6:50, arriving at Roanoke at 7:25, and teaching from 8:00 A.M. until 3:10 P.M. The conclusion of the student school day does not signify the end of the teacher’s day, though. Usually, my clinical teacher and I are involved with tutoring sessions, faculty meetings, workshops, and planning for the upcoming week. We usually leave school at 4:30 P.M. unless we have parent-teacher conferences or a ballgame. Then, after arriving home at 5:00 or so, I spend approximately an hour on either grading papers or developing lessons.

The transition from a predominately class-based schedule to an exclusively internship-based routine has been easy. Instead of returning from a one-day a week internship and worrying about 13 hours of courses, the Senior II experience allows me to focus on what I want to do and plan. I’m learning more this semester about how to teach, rather than what to teach. As an English major, most of my classes have been content-based, i.e. reading and writing about collegiate-level literature. Now, my education has changed “directions.” Typically, college classes teach you, the college student, and give you the opportunity to show the professor what you know (and remembered). The internship allows me to apply what I have learned in a way that forces me to think about the subject content in ways that are more enjoyable than traditional classes. Think about this: when you read books in college, your typical assessment consists of writing about a professor-designed topic and regurgitating information that you were supposed to have remembered. In high school, however, I can determine how much students have learned about a protagonist by assigning a “body biography,” which is a human-sized drawing of a character that is filled with symbolic and textual representations of that character’s traits and personality.

Of all things I’ve learned thus far, the most important one is that “you get out what you put in.” Even when I spend extra time at school and extra time planning, I thoroughly enjoy working at school and with students when I have planned fun activities in detail. Undoubtedly, this has been my favorite semester in college – and I owe much of it to my awesome clinical teacher, Mrs. Shannon Hill, who provides me with thorough, constructive advice. I can’t help but give a little advice – develop a strong relationship with your clinical teacher. Luckily, it was very easy for me to develop a friendship with my clinical teacher and the entire staff at Roanoke. Next time I will move on to specific events to reflect upon. If you have any questions or concerns about the Senior Experience, email me at dmb0322 (at) ecu.edu.

COAD 1000: Freshmen Fellows and Scholars

2007-10-10T06:38:00.000-04:00

By Will Mercep (freshman)

Each semester, there are certain seminars that Teaching Fellows and Maynard Scholars must attend. These seminars differ for each class. For sophomores, juniors, and seniors, there are three seminars each semester. Freshmen are a little different. There are still seminars to attend in the spring semester, but in the fall freshmen take a class.

This class is called Student Development and Learning in Higher Education. We refer to it, lovingly, as COAD 1000. This is a class that is designed to help students with the transition from high school into college. We do many fun activities as well as talk about different events happening on campus. Although the class is an hour and fifty minutes long, I can personally confess that it goes by in a flash. After taking this class, you will have a much better knowledge about how to find things to do on campus. It helps you see who you are as a person and what study method is best for your personality type. Probably the best thing that it helps with is learning where everything is. There are a lot of buildings and a lot of names to know, and it helps to have teachers that you already know that you can talk to. You might think that it’s a waste of time, but it’s information you can’t afford to miss.

2007 ECU Marching Pirates

2007-10-03T06:50:00.000-04:00

By Bradley Baggett (freshman)

Have you been wondering what the marching band has been doing so far this season? Well, we started off moving in a day before the Teaching Fellows were scheduled to move in. Dr. Knighten, the director of the Marching Pirates, had us move in earlier so we could go ahead and start the week-long band camp as soon as possible. We practiced about eight hours a day most of that week. After band camp, we started our regular practices on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from four o’clock to six o’clock. All that practice finally paid off when we played at Virginia Tech on September 1. That was a great experience. We got a very warm welcome and much support from all of the Virginia Tech fans. I’m sure everyone knows about the intense ECU vs. UNC game in which our band definitely out marched UNC’s band. Some may not be aware that we recently held ECU Band Day. We all had a great time at Band Day working with and trying to recruit kids from the high school bands who played with us at the Southern Miss game.

From all of us in the Marching Pirates, we hope will come and see us march and listen to us play our stands tunes. Go Pirates!

Life in Umstead Hall

2007-09-25T14:49:00.000-04:00

By Austin Kestler (freshman)

As a freshman Teaching Fellow I moved into Umstead Hall about a month ago. This was my first time sharing a room and living away from my parents. At first I was extremely nervous and uneasy with the living situation. The first few days were rather miserable to me. My roommate was involved with marching band and I was rather lonely. Soon after our trip to Camp Don Lee, however, I was well on my way to having a good time in college. I have met so many awesome people that by the time I went home for Labor Day weekend I was severely bored back in my old setting and was longing for my friends back at my new home.

We’ve been through a lot in such a short time. I really enjoy living with the Teaching Fellows and Maynard Scholars. I’m really proud to be in this program I don’t think college would be the same if I wasn’t a part of this group. I look forward to spending the rest of the year with my new family.

September 15: SMU at ECU

2007-09-19T17:31:00.000-04:00

This past weekend, the Communications Committee worked the ECU Teaching Fellows and Maynard Scholars Concession Stand at the ECU vs. Southern Miss football game. (Each committee works the concession stand at one home football game as part of the program requirements here at ECU.) While the Pirates posted a disappointing loss, our concession stand was a smooth victory for our program.

The co-chairs of the Communications Committee, Eric Pullen (senior) and Sarah Wittmer (junior) rely on every member of the committee pulling their weight. Everyone did a fantastic job, and one of the busiest jobs was the task of managing the money for the sodas, ice cream, and lemonade. Sarah Langston (sophomore), right, did an excellent job of this during the first half of the game.

Here's what one member of our committee had to say about working at the game:

"My name is Ingrid Duke and I am a senior Dance Education Teaching Fellow. This past weekend I worked the ECU vs. SMU game and had the opportunity to work with a new face in the program, Shelby Sapp, a freshman history education major. I really enjoyed getting to know another Teaching Fellow here at ECU and sharing all my past experiences with her. I also enjoyed hearing about the changes that the program has undergone since I was a freshman.

On the lighter side, I sold Dippin Dots at the game, which as we all know is opening up a store across from McAlister's now! Ice cream of the future is now readily avaiable to students beyond the game day!"

(Photos by Elizabeth Helms, sophomore)

All Moved In!

2007-09-15T14:05:00.001-04:00

It's taken a little while, but after a few weeks of moving in, getting used to classes, and assigning all of our Fellows and Scholars to their committees, we're off to a great start for the 2007-2008 year. The freshmen are settled into Umstead Hall and their COAD 1000 classes; the sophomores and juniors are starting tutoring, and the seniors are as busy as ever with their Senior I internships.

Over the next few weeks, look for updates to this blog about all of our exciting adventures, both as Fellows & Scholars and as ECU students. But for today, the Communications Committee is off to run our Teaching Fellows Concession Stand at the Southern Miss. game. (We'll let you know how that goes, too.) Go Pirates!

Now Playing: The ECU Teaching Fellows & Maynard Scholars Blog!

2007-08-15T19:18:00.001-04:00

Welcome to the newest project by the East Carolina University Teaching Fellows & Maynard Scholars: the blog! This site will be updated regularly and will be entirely run by Fellows and Scholars on the Communications Committee. We hope to use this blog to keep you up-to-date on all of our activities as Fellows and Scholars.

Look for posts over the 2007-2008 school year about all sorts of topics. We're going to be doing a lot this year, both as an organization and as individual students, and we hope you're as excited as we are. With this blog, you'll not only hear about our traditional activities as a program, but you'll also hear about our Fellows and Scholars who are active outside the organization. Because most of us aren't just Fellows or Scholars: we're Resident Advisors in the dorms, we're displaying artwork in School of Art & Design shows, we're acting in plays, we're leaders in campus ministries, we're playing club and intramural sports, and we're having more fun than you could ever imagine.

And we can't wait to tell you all about it!