Future Teacher, Forever Student

As a part of my elementary school's annual community-building program, students in all grades (which, for us, meant Kindergarten through 5th Grade) were asked to read the same short novel at home. Now, I know that sounds odd, considering the average kindergartener is likely at a lower reading level than the average fifth grader. However, with the option to have your parent or guardian read the story with you at home, I assure you that I was able to make it through some higher level reading with little trouble. By participating in year-round activities as a whole school, students were able to relate to each other across grade levels, all because they had read the same book and had followed the same characters. I will never forget how excited I was when I won a dictionary (Yes, a dictionary... I'd be less excited now, too) for answering the most trivia questions correctly about The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs . Though, if I had one complaint about the school- wide

As a part of my Adolescent Development class, I have the pleasure of working with two lovely ladies on different projects and course work. Today’s blog post is a joint post written by myself, Kayla Carew, and Rylee Booth (Check out their blogs if you have time, linked below!). We recently completed a project that challenged us to design our own coming of age ritual, as explained below. Let us know what you think: Would you have benefitted from a coming of age ritual like “What Would You Do?” *** Adolescence is a time when emotions essentially control the mind and make it difficult to think rationally. There comes a time when an adolescent begins his or her journey into adulthood and must learn how to think, act, and regulate emotional impulses for his or herself. The purpose of a coming of age ritual is to break from the norms that characterize adolescence. While some coming of age transitions are planned and purposeful, some events force adolescents into their transition to adult

Source: http://www.clipartsuggest.com/images/687/external-image-world-holding-hands-png-T6RSbU-clipart.png One thing I absolutely love about the Burlington, Vermont area is the cultural diversity among its citizens. Local restaurants, clothing stores, and small knick knack shops often reflect the cultures of their small business owners; and Saint Michael's frequently hosts poetry slam groups, musicians, and speakers that have immigrated to the United States. There are several opportunities, through both the college and local organizations, to work with local refugee communities and American newcomers. Fortunately for Secondary Education majors, St. Mike's connects students with ELLs in surrounding middle and high schools as a field placement and partnership opportunity. If you missed the post about my first meeting with S., my amazing ELL student, check it out here! Since my first meeting with S., I have only worked with him on one other occasion. S. and I continued