The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, October 17, 2002, Image 3
NEWj battalios ■om Pagel agents ?n to inte gral pan 0 [ 1 3 n said, l 10t w ant moKj leir effons, bu’i s °lely becaist with American 11 to secretly ir Commur igent' s job in ] I War wasVict ssian KGB o| ed the CIA ale passage in s. meet Victor ie first time t® d frightening £ that our countn dependence on enged the aud io find their fer ments in i, :hey want to give and dedicate the world tliat n wanted >u," Olson sari ig, ugly war." essed his enu people comir,; today because uable job awai:- year since 9-11, lore CIA agent ,&M than any r in the world' jr country need gies now raoie Aggielife The Battalion Page 3A • Thursday, October 17, 2002 Beyond the classroom SI leaders help struggling students make the grade By Lisa Merryman THE BATTALION Derek Mercer may not be working in Washington, D.C., but his on-cam pus job as a supplemental instruction leader for Dr. Douglas Thornton’s political science 206 class is giving him a head start on a career politics. “This job prepares me much more for my future job because I'm dealing with information that's applicable to the field of politics,” said Mercer, a junior political science major. “Being an SI leader is not a menial task. I'm actually working with people who care about understanding the material I will be pouring my life into one day.” In addition to gaining an applica- ; knowledge of politics, Mercer said he enjoys teaching students about something he loves. “I get to work with the same stu dents all semester and see them improve from test to test,” he said. “I really feel like the time I put into this job is well worth it because I’m help ing other students and not just work ing for self gain.” Mercer said he spends several hours aweek preparing for his SI sessions. “To prepare for my SI sessions, I make sure and get all the in-class notes from Dr. Thornton, as well as omplete all the assigned readings,” ;Mercer said. Interacting with students and seeing the results of his efforts is one of the strongest perks of the job, Mercer said. Nolan Griggs, a SI leader for Dr. m Hogg’s organic chemistry I and organic chemistry II classes, agrees dta/rocHing other students has intangible benefiits. “It’s not extremely difficult to become an SI leader, but you defi nitely have to have the desire to want students to learn the material you're helping them with,” said Griggs, a senior chemistry major. u (Students) come to me for guidance on what to study for the testy and it’sjust an overall positive working relationship. — Lauren Schultz supplemental instruction leader for history 106 To become an SI leader. Griggs said applicants must have made an A or a B in the class they want to instruct. “Being an SI leader is way easier if you understand the material, and you're confident in helping other stu dents understand it.” Along with the emotional rewards, Griggs said the pay is also a plus. “The main benefit is of course the pay, which is about $140 every two weeks after taxes. After two semesters being an SI, you get a small raise,” Griggs said. “In terms of hourly rate, your first two semesters you get $6 an hour, and your third semester it’s raised to $6.50 an hour.” Griggs, who has instructed chem istry 106, organic chemisty I and organic chemistry II, said mastering the material he te'Aches tlurirjg SI ses sions is another benefit of the job. “After four semesters of organic chemistry, I understand it well, which could help with future school and tests, such as the MCAT or GRE.” Griggs said he is required to attend every organic chemistry class, just as if he were a regular student. In addition, he holds three one-hour SI sessions a week, which he said are not “re-teaching” sessions. “A lot of people are under the impression that an SI is a tutoring ses sion, and that we are supposed to be able to re-teach the students the mate rial,” Griggs said. "Instead, SI leaders are supposed to simply facilitate the learning by helping students with study skills, and by giving direction on what to focus on for exams.” Griggs said he doesn't want to be perceived as the teacher, or seem unapproachable to the students dur ing his SI sessions. “I am a student just like they are, so that is the way I like to keep it,” Griggs said. Of the 12 hours SI leaders are required to work each week, four are devoted to preparing weekly lessons. Lauren Schultz, a senior sociology major, said being an SI leader puts things into perspective about what it's like to be on the teaching end. “This is my first semester as an SI leader, and I already can appreciate more of what my professors do for me,” Schultz said. “I want the students in my SI sessions to master the materi al, just like 1 know my professors desire me to master their material.” Schultz, an SI leader for Dr. Anderson's history 106 class, said working in a classroom environment has heljJed'fiter build tfm>f witlf s'tu-' JOHN C. LIVAS • THE BATTALION Senior philosophy major Jeramia Poland reviews lecture notes for a philosophy 240, Introduction to Logic, supplemental instruction session Wednesday afternoon in Blocker. dents in the class. “I love this job. especially getting to be there to help students,” Schultz said. “They come to me for guidance on what to study for the test, and it's just an overall positive working relationship.” Schultz said she tries to go by her professor's cfffice ttkice a we^k to see what material she should cover in each SI session. “My professor is a great advocate for the SI program and has really helped me out a lot,” Schultz said. “The students really appreciate the work hours and effort we put into it. I would definitely recommend this job.” ... * ’"'k JR: Ski Boats, in, sun, and ler System. [OUSE ON -87S 6 TVTosquie Open House Saturday'., October l*>tli 4IT Stasney, College Station am — 4 pm ’World Cultuml E>isfylczy and JEZnfJfiet IVXonday, October 21st IVXSC 22b, 11 am — 3 pm Terrorism 2 2 2 JL by Yns i€f' Est&s Tuesday, October 22nd Harrington 20T, Ti3Q pm by ^Lmina sbnawy Wednesday, October 23rd IVISC 22b, 8:30 pm Islamic 4& ^4 rcbHectare Eresentatinn by ^tsacl Siddiqui Thursday* October 24th IVXSC 2^2b* 7:30131*1 IVl iislim Students’’ Association Tor more information, visit : fa tt f» ://m s a . t a m u. e du.