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.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Multitasking: TF Senior ... and an RA!
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.
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.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
How Did I Go From 4" Heels to 401k's?: What Senior II Does to You
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!
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!
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
ECU TF/MS Sophomore Tutoring
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!
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!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Advice for Beginning Senior I
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
Hello all! My name is Betsy Edwards. I am a senior Teaching Fellow, currently in my Senior I semester. I am an elementary education major and intern in a second grade classroom. Senior I is the first semester of the Senior Year Experience here at ECU. Senior I interns report to their clinical school one full day per week. Interns observe teacher hours, not student hours. The purpose of the senior I semester is to get acclimated to the classroom and the duties of the classroom teacher. I am required to teach three whole group lessons. I am also completing a case study and other requirements for the READ 3210 course in my classroom. The Senior I semester is known for being the most difficult of all. The work load is definitely challenging, but manageable if you keep your goals in mind. Good luck to all of you.
I leave you now with a bit of pre-Senior I advice:
When you receive your clinical placement on OneStop, call your teacher! Offer to help him/her organize the classroom for the coming year. It looks really good!
Attend open house or any other opening of school events. I did not attend my school's open house and did not have the opportunity to meet any parents.
Don't be late! Teachers are required to be at school ridiculously early, but press on! You will get used to it eventually.
Generate a list of questions to bring with you on the first day. Think about any questions you may have about the schedule, curriculum, school, students, other teachers, etc
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Senior Conference '08
by Krystle Wiggins (senior)
I attended Senior Conference over the summer, and it was FANTASTIC! This was a weekend trip to Lenoir-Rhyne College in Hickory, NC. It was a great way to begin my senior year, and it really motivated me to begin my teaching career. We heard four different speakers, and they were all great in their own way. Brad Cohen spoke about his childhood and how he became a teacher with Tourette Syndrome, and how he “got to be the teacher that he never had.” Richard Schwartz is an attorney from Raleigh, who specializes in Education Law. This was helpful because he gave us insight into the challenges that we may face as classroom teachers. Then, we heard from Ron Clark!!! I was so excited, because he was a NC Teaching Fellow from ECU! He was named Disney’s American Teacher of the Year, and he was full of motivation. He told us all about his school, how he gets the students motivated to learn, and how important it is that we stay excited about learning no matter what. Lastly, we heard from Michael Geison, who is the 2008 National Teacher of the Year. He expressed the importance of teaching and learning through creativity, collegiality, community interests, and the individual. All of these speakers were inspirational and a great way to kick off the beginning of my senior experience.
Don’t worry, we didn’t sit and listen to speakers all weekend. We also socialized for the last time with all of the other Teaching Fellows in our class from across NC. This is what made this last conference bittersweet. Also, we participated in workshops of our choice. I went to one about dealing with difficult kids, what to do on the first day of school, and a massage therapy session. All of these were great and informative, but the massage session was very relaxing. I learned how to give head, hand, and foot massages, and we even practiced on each other. Very relaxing! Teaching Fellows has given me many great experiences, but I feel that this one really got me pumped up about graduating and getting into my own classroom.
I attended Senior Conference over the summer, and it was FANTASTIC! This was a weekend trip to Lenoir-Rhyne College in Hickory, NC. It was a great way to begin my senior year, and it really motivated me to begin my teaching career. We heard four different speakers, and they were all great in their own way. Brad Cohen spoke about his childhood and how he became a teacher with Tourette Syndrome, and how he “got to be the teacher that he never had.” Richard Schwartz is an attorney from Raleigh, who specializes in Education Law. This was helpful because he gave us insight into the challenges that we may face as classroom teachers. Then, we heard from Ron Clark!!! I was so excited, because he was a NC Teaching Fellow from ECU! He was named Disney’s American Teacher of the Year, and he was full of motivation. He told us all about his school, how he gets the students motivated to learn, and how important it is that we stay excited about learning no matter what. Lastly, we heard from Michael Geison, who is the 2008 National Teacher of the Year. He expressed the importance of teaching and learning through creativity, collegiality, community interests, and the individual. All of these speakers were inspirational and a great way to kick off the beginning of my senior experience.
Don’t worry, we didn’t sit and listen to speakers all weekend. We also socialized for the last time with all of the other Teaching Fellows in our class from across NC. This is what made this last conference bittersweet. Also, we participated in workshops of our choice. I went to one about dealing with difficult kids, what to do on the first day of school, and a massage therapy session. All of these were great and informative, but the massage session was very relaxing. I learned how to give head, hand, and foot massages, and we even practiced on each other. Very relaxing! Teaching Fellows has given me many great experiences, but I feel that this one really got me pumped up about graduating and getting into my own classroom.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Overview of Senior I
by Rachel Long (senior)
The first day of school can be characterized by butterflies, nervous stutters, and nausea stomachs, and that was just the new Education interns. As the rest of East Carolina began another semester of classes in August, the senior education majors began their own adventure, student teaching. During the first semester of Senior I, all education majors spend approximately one full day every week in a classroom located in the Latham Clinical Network. The network includes the following school systems: Beaufort, Bertie, Camden, Carteret, Clinton City, Craven, Cumberland, Dare, Duplin, Edenton-Chowan, Edgecombe, Franklin, Gates, Granville, Greene, Halifax, Harnett, Hyde, Johnston, Jones, Lenoir, Martin, Nash/Rocky Mount, Northampton, Onslow, Pamlico, Pitt, Roanoke Rapids, Sampson, Tyrrell, Washington, Weldon City, Wayne and Wilson. Besides their one day observation, they are also required to teach at least three lessons in their classroom over the course of the semester, as well as a variety of other observatory assignments including a classroom management plan, and thematic unit.
In January the interns will start spending every day in their classroom, as they prepare for their fifteen full days of instruction. Despite their hard work and long hours, these interns will walk across the stage on May 8, proud of their accomplishments at ECU, and prepared for their next adventure, teaching.
The first day of school can be characterized by butterflies, nervous stutters, and nausea stomachs, and that was just the new Education interns. As the rest of East Carolina began another semester of classes in August, the senior education majors began their own adventure, student teaching. During the first semester of Senior I, all education majors spend approximately one full day every week in a classroom located in the Latham Clinical Network. The network includes the following school systems: Beaufort, Bertie, Camden, Carteret, Clinton City, Craven, Cumberland, Dare, Duplin, Edenton-Chowan, Edgecombe, Franklin, Gates, Granville, Greene, Halifax, Harnett, Hyde, Johnston, Jones, Lenoir, Martin, Nash/Rocky Mount, Northampton, Onslow, Pamlico, Pitt, Roanoke Rapids, Sampson, Tyrrell, Washington, Weldon City, Wayne and Wilson. Besides their one day observation, they are also required to teach at least three lessons in their classroom over the course of the semester, as well as a variety of other observatory assignments including a classroom management plan, and thematic unit.
In January the interns will start spending every day in their classroom, as they prepare for their fifteen full days of instruction. Despite their hard work and long hours, these interns will walk across the stage on May 8, proud of their accomplishments at ECU, and prepared for their next adventure, teaching.
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