Student Blog

The Start of Something New

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 23:14:12 -0400

After ending my first placement at Stella Niagara, I began my second placement this past week at Niagara Street School. During this placement, I am going to be with a consultant teacher, working with students anywhere between second and sixth grade. This is also my special education placement, since my major is elementary and special education.

While moving from a private school to a city school is extremely challenging and eye-opening, I am still reassured that I love to teach. I do have to admit, I miss Stella and my third graders very much. I hope to be able to go back to visit and teach as much as I can. So far, student teaching continues to prepare me for my future. Despite the economy, I still remain hopeful that I will be able to find a teaching job. Plus, I know I can count on Niagara to help me find a job!

Aside from student teaching, I have also been getting involved in different ways on campus. This week, I started teaching a class at Niagara’s Kiernan Recreation Center. My workout class is called “SWEAT.” It’s a cardio class with intense interval training. While I have had a few friends tell me they are sore, they are quite happy with the intensity of the workout. If there are any current students, faculty members and/or Kiernan patrons reading, feel free to stop by the Kiernan Center weekdays at 6 p.m. in the aerobics studio. You’ll find me teaching my class! Be prepared to sweat!

I also am relieved to have the warmer weather this week on campus. Tomorrow, the club field hockey team will hold our first practice of the season. While it may not seem like a “big deal,” I can’t help being excited. As a senior, I will greatly miss my team. I want to be able to spend as much time with them as I can.

In addition, our team has a few spring tournaments coming up, so we have to prepare! It looks as though we will be playing in a UB and RIT tournament. It’s also my hope for Niagara to host our own spring tournament.

I’ll be sure to update you on our spring season. Til then, keep reading and enjoy the rest of the week!

An End to a New Beginning

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 10:33:54 -0500

These past few weeks at student teaching have been quite busy. Unfortunately, it is my final week at Stella Niagara and I cannot explain how much I have enjoyed my experience. Stella Niagara has provided me with more than I could ask for.

Not only have I been able to slowly transition from a student to a teacher, but I have been able to be a part of a community that encourages learning - both in and beyond the classroom. In just seven weeks, I have noticed growth and progress in both my students as well as myself. Stella has allowed me to become a part of their community and I am forever grateful. For my future student teachers, I highly recommend Stella as a placement.

Reflecting on my time here, I have had an overwhelming number of memories that I will take as I continue my student teaching experience. One of my favorite experiences had been preparing my students for “Arts Night.” Arts Night is a production put on by the school that combines the musical, artistic and theatrical abilities of each student. The third grade performed a skit on the Erie Canal. My students were extremely enthusiastic to practice and learn their lines for the production. I was so proud of my students and I will always remember this part of student teaching.

Moving on to life on campus, my roommates and I are starting to realize the limited time we have left at Niagara. Being seniors, it is both exciting and nerve-racking that graduation is so close.

In order to enjoy the final months of the semester, my roommates and I have done everything we can to remain involved with campus life. This past week, my roommates and I went to Lewiston to attend our class “senior night” at Hops and Vines, a local restaurant and wine bar. In addition, our apartment hosted a recipe exchange during which people in our building got together to eat and share recipe ideas. While the spring semester can be hectic and overwhelming, I continue to be a part of campus life in any way I can.

New Challenges

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:00:55 -0500

Student teaching continues to be a phenomenal experience and I can’t believe I am already into week three at my first placement!

I have slowly been taking over the classroom this week. Yesterday morning, I taught a mathematics lesson focusing on distributive property. It was one of my first experiences of helping students to work through difficult material.

In the afternoon, I read a story, titled Just Another Ordinary Day (by Rod Clement), to the students. If any teachers are looking for a book with fun illustrations, that is definitely a good book to check out! I’ve also decided to start a new book, All the Way Home, by Patricia Reilly Giff.

February will be a busy month in our classroom. My next focus is trying to find a fun and exciting lesson for Valentine’s Day. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know! Ideas are always helpful.

Overall, I couldn't be happier with my first placement. My students are excited, eager and motivated by their teacher, and the school community is active and involved. I truly feel that I am progressing throughout my field experience. This placement is helping me prove to myself that I can do this.

This weekend I was also able to enjoy life on campus. On Friday, I went to the men’s club hockey game for the team's senior night. Not only did Niagara beat Cortland but my best friend, Sam, scored his first collegiate goal! Going to the game was a nice way to relax and start my weekend off right.

The rest of my weekend was spent relaxing and enjoying my time to sleep in! The hockey game also made me realize that I have limited time left at Niagara. It is my hope to go to as many campus events as possible - before it’s too late.

Okay, that’s all for now. Talk to you soon!

Starting Student Teaching

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:57:19 -0500

While most students are enjoying what is typically referred to as “Syllabus Week,” I have begun my first student teaching placement for the third grade at Stella Niagara. Student teaching is divided into two seven-week placements. For me, Stella will be my first placement (which I think I have mentioned in previous blogs). Even though it is only my second day, I can assure you that I LOVE it. Student teaching will be quite the challenge but it is everything that education majors work for, and everything we have ever really wanted (to teach our own classroom)! It is my hope to be successful throughout my final semester at NU.

After talking with my teacher, we have agreed that I will slowly ease into teaching, ultimately transitioning from student to teacher. Since my concentration area is English, I will begin to instruct the students during ELA instruction. I’m also taking a tiny step out of my comfort zone and will be instructing students in mathematics. As I have been told by my cooperating teacher, now is the time to learn, make mistakes and become a true educator. Despite my nerves, I am confident that teaching is my calling. I am ready to take chances and prove to both myself and my supervisors that I am prepared for the “real-world.”

To any aspiring education majors, I will be sure to update you on how the student teaching experience continues. Any of you who are just avid readers, I encourage you to stay confident throughout any challenging experiences you encounter. Internships, co-ops, or field-related experiences may be challenging, stressful and even frustrating at times, but I know any of these experiences are what help us to become more prepared, confident and ready for the future.

The Final Countdown

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 11:00:45 -0500

As the fall semester is winding down, it seems that my head is in a million places. To start, I finally found out my student teaching placements for next semester. It looks as though I will be starting off at Stella Niagara, a small private school near Youngstown in the third grade, followed by a 3^rd-6^th grade placement at Niagara Street School, which is a school that is a part of the Niagara Falls School District. Despite my nerves, I am extremely excited to finally apply my education to the classroom. Niagara has definitely prepared me to become an effective educator, which is why I am ready for my student teaching experience. I will be sure to keep posting updates and suggestions for all those looking into education.

Aside from student teaching, I do have to face the quickly-approaching Finals Week. These next few weeks usually tend to be the busiest and, at times, the most stressful part of the semester.

This past weekend, I spent the majority of my time typing my thesis paper for senior seminar. Typically, students take a senior seminar course related to their major (for myself it’s an English senior seminar because of my English concentration). This semester, the class is focused on Shakespearean comedies. For any Shakespeare fans, my thesis is focusing on disguises throughout the comedy As You Like It. While I have been fortunate to work in the comfort of my on-campus apartment, most students may be found in the library studying and working on projects during this part of the semester; however, Niagara does schedule a variety of events to help students relax and take a break from work.

Last night, I attended a “Glow Night” with glow-in-the-dark putt putt miniature golf, which was held in the Gallagher Center, our campus student center. I’ll admit I didn't participate in the putt putt but I did take advantage of the food from everyone’s favorite barbecue, The Brickyard. Any student attending was able to have FREE pulled pork sandwiches, mac and cheese and cornbread. I was so glad to have taken a break for this tasty treat!

It’s always fun to participate in an on-campus event, but I know many times it’s just as fun to hang out with your friends and roommates. This weekend, our apartment decorated for Christmas. We now have a mini Christmas tree, lights and snowflakes covering the living room area of the apartment. In addition, my roommate, Aubreyanna, was in a festive mood and made enough snicker doodles that should last us the rest of the semester. Overall, my stresses this semester tend to be overruled when reflecting on all the more exciting things I've done - unless you get enjoyment out of studying!

Reuniting with Old Friends

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 13:20:02 -0500

These past few weeks have been a bit hectic with senior seminar papers, student teaching applications, and the ending to a fantastic season of field hockey. Despite the craziness and chaos, I still managed to have a perfect weekend with friends.

This weekend was one that some of my friends may refer to as “legendary.” My friend Jayden, who I met during sophomore year, came to visit - from Australia! As a student at Niagara, you should expect to meet a wide variety of students, including international students (who can literally come from anywhere in the world). My friend Jayden and I met after he joined the club field hockey team and spent his semester hanging out with the team. Jayden came to Niagara to study abroad for the fall semester and is now working at various Disney parks in Orlando, Fla., since he went to school for hospitality.

Since Jayden was visiting Niagara for a second time, my weekend was spent exploring areas of Buffalo, Lewiston, Canada and, of course, Niagara’s campus. Some of our activities included checking out the Niagara hockey game, hiking the gorge and grabbing dinner from my favorite Buffalo chicken-wing restaurant, Duff's. We also managed to check out everyone’s favorite, the Brickyard, as well as the Lewiston Pub.

Spending time with Jayden and a few of his friends reminded me of all the things to do on and off campus. It also made me realize how great it is to study abroad. Unfortunately, I never had enough time to study abroad; however, I highly encourage everyone and anyone to take a risk and study abroad for either a full year, a semester, or for the summer. If any readers have any questions about study abroad, please let me know! Some of my friends on campus have gone to a variety of places including Spain, France, Italy and Germany.

New Beginnings

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 15:49:36 -0400

People say that life moves too fast. Unfortunately, this statement seems to be true. As a senior in my final year at Niagara, I can definitely say that I am prepared for the real world, but I just am not sure if I want to move on quite yet! Even though its only October, I can honestly say this year has been fantastic so far. The fall is filled with a wide variety of things to do, both on and off campus. Typically, you can expect to see me at a field hockey game, a campus activities gathering, an admissions event, or the library.

For the club Field Hockey team, our season has been one of the many that I will never forget. This season, we beat one of the more challenging teams in the league (Lemoyne) in a period of overtime, winning 4-3. This past weekend, we played against SUNY Geneseo, winning 2-0. This coming Saturday (October 22), Niagara’s club team will have its 2^nd Annual Midnight Madness tournament, hosted by our entire team as a fall fund-raiser. This year, there will be five attending teams including UB, Fredonia, Albany, Canisius and, of course, Niagara. For anyone looking for something to do, this would be a great activity to stop by to see.

Another ongoing part of my life this semester includes the Admissions Office. This past weekend was Niagara’s annual Open House. Unfortunately, it seems that this will be my last year of helping out at an Open House! This year, things were done a little differently, having multiple presentations and information sessions all around campus. Students were able to check out academic table talks in the Castellani Art Museum or club sports and activities at the Gallagher Center. To any high school student reading this, I encourage you to come visit Niagara during any on-campus events. Open House may have been one way to explore Niagara; however, there are many other opportunities for everyone and anyone. Just ask me!

When thinking about this semester, I also tend to reflect on my teaching assistantship experiences. Currently, I am in two different placements (kindergarten and eighth grade). Despite the obvious age differences, I am learning so much in both of these placements. While I have found each placement to be rewarding, I am definitely out of my comfort zone with the two contrasting age groups. It looks as though I will be teaching the importance of setting and mood throughout an eighth grade English class, while kindergarten lessons will start off with a Halloween lesson plan (decorating a jack-o'-lantern). I am still adjusting to the classroom environments, but I will be sure to provide updates! This semester is especially important because it is the final teaching assistantship before student teaching!

As of now, those are the moments that have the biggest impression on my mind. I will be sure to keep up with my life at Niagara!

Teaching, Tournaments, and Travels

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 09:22:15 -0400

This past week was quite a long one.

On Wednesday, I taught my first lesson during my Teaching Assistantship. My third graders learned about verbs and adverbs, and we played charades, acting out different verbs and how adverbs affect the way a verb may look. Overall, the lesson went well but I was definitely nervous. I have one more lesson to teach this semester and I think I am going to try to develop a lesson incorporating Social Studies.

Throughout each lesson I have been trying to use different methods of instruction that will engage students, such as a game or hands-on activity. Maybe I can incorporate some form of technology into the lesson? To all future teachers, I am sure you will learn the importance of teaching in ways besides traditional instruction. It is a lot of work, but very rewarding.

Despite the amount of homework I had to finish this weekend, I did have quite an exciting one! The weather was wonderful (this morning I walked into work-study without a coat)!

In addition, one of my favorite parts of the spring semester includes the many field hockey tournaments our club team participates in. This weekend our team traveled to Rochester to play in RIT's third annual Tiger Bowl Tournament, which pitted us against teams from Syracuse University, UB, St. Bonaventure, Cornell and Fredonia.

Niagara had two ties against RIT and Syracuse, and a 2-0 win over Cornell. After playing four games, Niagara went on to the championship game against one of our team’s biggest rivals, UB. Unfortunately, our team lost 2-0 but we had a lot of fun and worked extremely hard.

This upcoming weekend, we will be playing in another tournament, this time on UB’s campus. Let’s go Eagles!

Make New Friends but Keep the Old

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 00:01:00 -0400

Many times I have heard that people meet some of their closest, life-long friends in college. Throughout my time at Niagara, I can definitely say that I have met a lot of wonderful people, even though I have continued to grow up with my best friend from high school. The picture to the left is actually a picture of Sam and I at this past weekend’s Graduate Open House.

Sam and I met in high school, and instantly clicked. Coincidentally, Sam and I both selected Niagara for college. While I chose to be a special education major, Sam decided on the accounting program. Finishing up this spring semester of our junior year, Sam and I are still close and involved in each other’s lives.

College is a time to meet new people, get involved and have fun. Reflecting on our college experiences, Sam and I have both become involved with club sports (I play field hockey, Sam plays club hockey), academic clubs, work-study jobs and other various activities and opportunities on campus.

Additionally, Sam and I both work in the Admissions Office here on Niagara’s campus. For those of you thinking about visiting, you may see one of us, or have one of us as your on-campus tour guide. Sam also has become a resident assistant on campus and will take on a senior leadership position for the fall 2011 semester.

While I have met many other people on campus, it has been a real comfort to have my best friend from home here with me.

Like me, some of you may come into college with your best friend or a familiar face from home, although many of you will enter college not knowing a lot of people or even anyone at all. I hope to encourage you to meet as many people as possible and to become involved in order to have fun and get the most out of your college experience. Don’t let anything stop you from being yourself and doing everything you want to do.

Besides, who doesn’t ever want to make another friend?

Accepted Student Receptions

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 12:10:30 -0500

As a work-study student in the Admissions Office, I often have the opportunity to travel during the spring semester for Niagara University’s annual accepted student receptions. The receptions are held each year for both high school and transfer students interested in Niagara University. Taking place in a variety of locations, each reception gives students an opportunity to meet with current faculty, administration, students, and future classmates. The photo you see here is me at the Rochester reception on March 9, 2011.

This week I traveled to Albany, Syracuse, and Rochester. I was excited to meet with prospective students and offer them any advice and assistance that would help them in making their college decisions. During each reception, I met several students who seemed anxious to begin their futures at Niagara University.

In Albany, I met two students who seemed eager to come to Niagara for different reasons. One student named Amber is highly interest in participating in club sports on campus while another student, Peter, is anxious to study abroad. In Syracuse, I met Megan and Katrina, both of whom are interested in getting involved with sports on campus, including field hockey and cross-country. During the Rochester reception, I met Lysa who was interested in the Niagara Nights program. Niagara Nights gives students an opportunity to stay overnight with a current student. Meeting so many prospective students over the past week made it even more evident that Niagara offers a variety of opportunities for people with a wide range of interests.

While the week was exhausting, I can certainly say I enjoyed my travels and cannot wait to do it all over next year! To any students reading this, I will be at the reception next Tuesday, March 15 in Salamanca and hope to see you there. For now, I need to focus on my EDU 451 midterm and study!