First Education Experience Program

During my second semester at The Ohio State University, I was had the opportunity to observe a classroom at Columbus North International High School in Columbus City School District. I have been observing a 9th grade Math 1 class and a 10th grade Math 2 class. Before I started observing here, I did not even know that Math 1 and 2 were classes; I had only heard of Algebra 1 and Geometry. Along with learning about the curriculum, I also learned about working in Columbus City Schools which has been a very different experience than mine was in high school. This experience overall has been very eye opening. I have been able to work with students who come from many different backgrounds and are going through a variety of different difficult situations at home. I am thankful for the opportunity to learn about education from being in the classroom.

Involvement Opportunity: College of Education and Human Ecology Recruitment Leader

In my survey class one day we had speakers talk about how we can be more involved with the College of Education and Human Ecology here at Ohio State even as freshmen. This is something that I have been wondering about ever since I met my peer mentor who seems to be involved in everything. I learned that I can become a recruitment leader for the college. As a recruitment leader I would be able to help prospective students make a decision on whether or not Ohio State would be a good fit for them by sending them post cards, calling them, or being at Q&A sessions held throughout the year. I remember how helpful it was to have someone I felt comfortable with to ask all of the questions I had about Ohio State last year. I have always been passionate about helping others and am now interested in becoming a recruitment leader and plan on getting involved with recruitment in the Spring Semester.

Adopt-A-School

I am part of a club called Adopt-A-School. As a member of this club, I get paired with a teacher at one of the local schools in the Columbus area. I was placed at Graham Elementary and Middle School in a fifth grade science class. I help tutor and mentor these students every Tuesday for an hour at a time. I joined this club because I wanted to spend as much time in classrooms as I could. There is one specific Tuesday that really stands out to me. I went into the classroom and was asked to take four students into the hallway to help them work on their assignment about the solar system. I was not sure what to expect because I don’t know the students very well. At the beginning of the period I was nervous because I have never been in charge of students and their learning by myself. The students were not the most eager to learn and I struggled keeping them on task. However, about halfway through the period I told myself that I am in charge of these students and how much they will learn while I am there. I ended up connecting with the students and figuring out what they liked most about the solar system and got each of them to work hard and finish a lot of what they were assigned. By the end of the period, the students were excited about what they learned and wanted to tell me everything. This experience made me much more confident and excited for my future in the classroom. I now know that I can really affect students and help them discover new things, along with a greater love for learning.