m ATTALIOs 1 Page 1 Secrefe Kissinger ij [| le r vice pi;. 'Ouncilofl : of China,; rs t kejw] ;s day. Font; J ames Bait Ambassai) 'o will 'ening, ison, de Universu ie conferee for studti -aders ^ Aggielife The Battalion ^ im**'- Teaching to learn, learning to teach Student teachers get hands-on classroom experience to perfect their craft Bv lauren Romero Students are in a field classroom, where they are able to help the ' t#aQr*n/ar A ItlirxurtB ctir«on ot Page 3 • fuesday, November 4, 2003 Globalize; By Lauren Romero THE BATTALION Kimberly Skelton has wanted to be a teacher all her life. Skelton, id China lenior interdisciplinary studies major, never had any decision to : as an impol'te a b° ut which level to teach. She said she has always wanted to ■chelementary school, based on the experience she had as a child. I the speedw "I want the children’s experience to be as great as mine,” she said, 'ts of Chin ; I In the fall of 2003, there were 3,314 undergraduate students in the Un« College of Education and Human. Development. Many of these mproveii Bdents will later become teachers. 'f the confcl |n addition to coursework at Texas A&M, students in the inter- ^etter undiMcipiinary program are required to student teach for 12 weeks iture leade*f ore graduate. Students receive six hours of credit during Mephenmj]. s t u d en t teaching and must pay for tuition at A&M. Many stu- 0 ^Bnts choose to stay in Bryan or College Station, but students can , , logo to surrounding cities such as Houston to fulfill their student J good telm ® «Wl tta8re<,uirement - er econoii'; &M stude: in Oil 1 Skelton is planning to go home to Houston to student teach, since lie plans on living there after graduation. J‘Tm going where I have the greatest possibility of getting a job,” 'lesaid. They’re cc'l She will be involved in an inner city program with low econom- iificanttr :| status children. As a perk for participating in the program, stu- ited State' ps are paid $ 1,000. 1 For her, though, the money is not the reason why she chose to ference isli cept forfe The confei notion witi i is t educational and perform tese cultr littcipate in an inner city program. “These children will be most rewarding to teach,” she said. She said these are the children who need a teacher’s guidance ore than others. She said it will be good for them to come to a tool and have a teacher who cares about them. “If kids are not getting any education at home, then it means (ore to them and to you as a teacher,” she said. Melissa Pepper, a senior interdisciplinary studies major, is not Preside: |re where she will be doing her student teaching. She said she is ;cited about being in a classroom. “Hove working with children,” she said. Pepper wants to teach first grade, where the initial teaching of ading begins. She said she is interested in that, although she won’t ave a specific subject to teach. I will have to teach all of the subjects because I will only be cer- fiedforpre-k through fourth grade,” she said. said her field experience classes, where she has a mentor lacherand observes at a school, have taught her more than she has md in all her classes at A&M. It’s all based in theory,” she said. “Until I was in a classroom, 1 j understand how it works. There’s a lot of support in these lasses, which helps us,” she said. students H ipate in as can. ngly global eed to k» ;s, especial- as over tw sefy said, ssinger ar; ss will tai; 'at 9:15 as arium. fe echi addre ii at the Bust :u, the seal- o Forum fbtj 1:45 p.mii Presidential useum oij zr these W able at tk President oil s nostei :orge 1 inient ig with tlsj Residential i and lk| \ssociatio«| th Fore®! tm lit Students are in a field classroom, where they are able to help the teacher. Although students don’t teach, they can experience first hand what a classroom is really like. Connie Wood, a seventh-grade English teacher at College Station Middle School, is a mentor teacher to A&M stu dents. She said being a mentor keeps her fresh and aware of her teaching methods. “It keeps you on the edge — always working towards your craft,” Wood said. “Your approach with the students needs to be rele vant and current. You wouldn’t want some one watching you if you’re doing the same old thing.” Wood’s main goal is to give the stu dents she mentors an opportunity to see firsthand what teaching is actually about, rather than simply learning teaching theory. “Student teaching is where the river meets the road,” Wood said. Wood said a lot of students have the impression that teaching is like the fantasy world where teachers sim ply stand in front of the classroom, and automatically make a difference in their students’ lives. “Teaching is a ton of paperwork,” she said. “Students get to see that too.” She said that by participating in the mentorship program, students are able to decide if teaching is for them. When they become a student teacher, they have already had a glimpse of what student teaching is like. “The national average for a person to stay a teacher is three years,” she said. “Student teaching is really important. Skelton said student teaching will let her know if she is ready or not “I really am looking forward to it,” she said. “The nice thing about it is, it’s almost like having your own class.” Pepper said she is excited about being in an actual classroom, but she said she knows she will be extremely busy during her student teaching semester. “It’s like a full-time job, but instead of getting paid, I’ll be pay ing A&M,” she said. Wood, who received “Teacher of the Year,” has been teaching for Josh darwin •THE BATTALION 10 years. In those years, she has taught more than 1,500 students. To her, the relationships she builds with her students are more important than the curriculum. “Teaching is about building relationships,” she said, “and mak ing a positive impact on the students’ lives.” The Total Violin Experience! Are you planning to apply to medical or dental school for Fall 2005 admission? The Office of Professional School Advising WAISTS YOU To Attend a BASICS WORKSHOP!! We will discuss deadlines, letters of evaluation, H1CAT/DAT, essays, timelines and what the applications address. Oct. 7, 2003 Oct. 15, 2003 Nov. 11, 2003 Nov. 17, 2003 Dec. 4, 2003 Tuesday Wednesday Tuesday Monday Thursday 1:00 pm 3:00 pm 10:30 am 2:00 pm 12:00 pm ‘‘Seating is limited so please contact OPSA at 847-8938 or come by room 205 of the Academic Building to register. rtunines- vent and | One of the hottest acts currently touring North America, BOWFIRE features ten of the world’s most acclaimed fiddlers and violinists playing the most electrifying music. This explosive concert includes nearly every music genre including jazz, modern, Celtic, rock, classical, bluegrass and more. BOWFIRE Friday, November 14 at 7:30 PM Rudder Auditorium TICKETS 845-1234 www.MSCOPAS.org Triple Treat Weekend Package! MSC OPAS teams with The Museum at the George Bush Presidential Library and Messina Hof Winery for an all-inclusive weekend package. For only $205 students can get a ticket to BOWFIRE, tour The Museum at the George Bush !| Presidential Library and attend the Messina Hof Annual Wine Premiere on Saturday, November 15. The annual event at the winery includes a wine premiere lunch, port blending lab, ! champagne reception and the wine i premiere dinner. For reservations to the ! Triple Treat Weekend package, please call ! Messina Hof at 979-778-9463, extension 34. I Send 3