Ywme Francis* a senior elementary education major, student teaches 1 st graders at College Hills Elementary school.
SONDRAN. ROBBINS
Student teachers train for future
H ave you ever thought about
how Texas A&M University
is preparing the students
that may teach your kids
someday?
It is an important idea to consider,
especialiy since our children will be
“the leaders of tomorrow."
“Teaching and education apply to
everyone. I want to teach my students
to be a good part of society, leaders,
people who excel,” says Margaret
Heffner, an elementary education ma
jor from Corpus Christi currently stu
dent-teaching second grade at Na
varro Elementary School in Bryan.
She says A&M is doing the best job
possible
“I think they have a good education
program overall, I really do,” Heffner
said.
The student teaching program is a
12-credit-hour course taken pass or
fail. A coordinating teacher and a su
pervisor evaluate and work closely
with each student teacher.
Susan Kelley, Class of 77 and
Heffner’s coordinating teacher, says,
"A&M has very good student teach
ers. They are innovative and always
are looking ahead."
Dr. Timothy R. Blair, coordinator of
field experience, says, “I think we
have one of the best programs in the
state and one of the most cooperative
relationships with the schools.”
Opportunities to teach through
A&M include three urban areas and
various local and rural areas.
“Administrators from all over say
our students are the best they’ve had,”
Blair said.
He says this is because the pro
gram is demanding and not an auto
matic pass to teaching.
"Contrary to popular belief, student
teaching here is tough. That is be
cause teaching is tough today,” he
said.
Heffner feels the same way and
gave some advice to people wanting
to get into education.
"Make sure that you know it is going
to be extremely hard work,” she says.
The job is time-consuming, requir
ing an abundant amount of planning
and organization, Heffner said. Then
she stressed planning again.
“Planning is fie key to teaching, tf
you can have ail of your materials
ahead of time and plan, then you will
be organized,”' she said.
She is thankful 1 for the opportunity to
find out what the classroom situation
will be like and says the evaluations
are important.
They usually tell me the good and
bad things I am doing and suggest
improvements or give encourage
ment,” Heffner says.
Reid experience prepares students
for the real thing, Blair says.
Teachers aren’t bom, they are
made. Knowing your content is not
enough; you need knowledge of how
to teach,” Blair says.
He says no recipe exists for a sure
way of teaching, so A&M implements
current research! on teaching effec
tiveness, and the student teachers are
evaluated on that basis.
“Student teachers are given a kit of
written feedback.. One quality of our
program is that students know they
will have people tell them what is right
and what can be changed,” Blair said.
The benefits of teaching are worth
all of the hard work, Heffner says.
“I love my kids,” Heffner says.
“They are well-behaved and love to
learn and read. My cooperating tea
cher is wonderful and we get along
great.
“The rewards, as far as helping the
kids and seeing them grow, far outw
eigh anything else,” she says.
It is easy to see the joy of teaching
in Heffner’s expressions and her co
operating teacher has only positive re
marks to make.
“I have been really impressed with
Margaret,” Kelley said. “She brings in
extras and keeps the children up to
ddte on what’s going on around the
world.”
Heffner wants to teach in inner-city
Dallas eventually.
"I think there is a real need there. I
think God has really blessed me and I
want to give some of that back,”
Heffner said.
page 10
February 7,1991
AnNam serves up musical variety with Coffeehouse
A mix of acoustic music, humor,
and relaxed performances by local tal
ent was on the menu at AnNam Tea
House Friday. AnNam held the sec
ond of its weekly Coffeehouse shows;
this one began around 8 p.m. and
lasted well past 1 in the morning.
To open the show, Don Hancock
was joined by Dream Horse’s Christy
Claxton for “Blowm’ in the Wind.” Han
cock continued with a mix of covers
and some of his own tunes, plus a few
By Rob Newberry
words about political and world
events, before yetlding the stage to
Dream Horse.
Dream Horse ran through a set of
their regulars — songs from their re
lease Primitive Dreams, some other
originals and baste acoustic folk-rock
covers. Stacy Leider, the other half of
Dream Horse, introduced her “Jesus
Loves the Little Children,” explaining
that the band hoped people of other
faiths would share some of the ideas
in the song.
And that was how most of the eve
ning was scheduled. Hancock would
play a short set and converse with the
crowd, then Dream Horse took the
stage for a longer set of their material.
Later in the evening, Hancock joined
Claxton and local musician Todd Mar
tin on violin for a few songs.
The treats were a few impromptu
performances by local talent. Carrie
Decker took the mike for some origi
nal folk music. Later, Chris Carroll
played some acoustic country-rock
songs, plus the funny "Copenhagen,”
that had the audience laughing all the
way through.
According to AnNam’s proprietor
T.C. Nguyen, the Coffeehouse shows
are living up to expectations. “The
open mike lets us be open to all differ-
See An Nam/Page 12
Band With No Sleep wakes up fans at Kay’s
By Rob Newberry
Bryan-College Station’s own Band With No Steep
rocked audiences at Kay’s Cabaret on Saturday
night. With a fair balance between originals and
cover tunes, these guys entertained the audience
by playing old favorites, and maintained originality
with some strong numbers of their own.
The Band With No Sleep’s sound draws on the
standard rock four-piece setup, with one exception
— with Scott Eddy and Don Overby both playing
lead and rhythm, they might as well just flip a coin to
see who is going to show off with some interesting
solo work. The band rounds out its rhythm section
with Mark Pollard on bass and backing vocals and
Dave Goff on drums.
Overby and Eddy are regulars at Kay's. Accord
ing to Eddy, the two of them play there on Thursday
nights without the band once or twice a month. “We
really just like to have a good time on those nights,”
Eddy said. “We’ll play Johnny Cash songs with
words from The Who.” more than average with standard tunes; they throw
So that explains the crowd’s reaction at Kay’s — in a little more jamming and always make room for
they already know about these guys. Eddy and two solos — one for Eddy and one for Overby.
Overby warmed up their guitars before the show to Pollard took the microphone for ZZ Top’s “She
fans in the balcony yelling, “Scott Eddy Rules!” But Loves My Automobile,” a favorite with the crowd at
the fact that the band didn’t have to prove anything Kay’s. But they swept back into some of their own
to the crowd didn't slow them down; they still put on stuff with the bluesy "Johnny” and “Holding Back,"
a great show. as well as “Down By the River. ”
They opened their set with “She’s Like the Wind” The Band With No Sleep has recorded an eight-
— Overby announced after it was over that it was track cassette scheduled for release Feb. 28 at Tip-
just a sound check, but the song came off well any- py’s. They’ve also signed up to participate in Aus-
way. Eddy and Overby both contribute a lot to the tin’s South By Southwest Music Conference, but
guitar work on the tracks; in most of the tunes, each Eddy says they haven’t been confirmed yet.
of them will do a solo, trying to outdo each other For some good rock jamming to classic rock
within the rules of a clean blues-rock style. that’s more than just a drunken sing-along, check
The band also threw in covers like CCR’s “Susie out the Band With No Sleep — you’ll also get a taste
Q” and the Stones’ “Under My Thumb.” Classic of some decent original tunes with lots of blues-rock
songs like these are easy material for a band, but the influences. And if clean guitar work is what you like,
Band With No Sleep manages to pull off something this band is a must-see.
Life Style magazine
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