Author: dean.1266

About Me

Hello, my name is Emma Dean. I am from Cleveland, Ohio. I have been a gymnastics coach at a local gym for four years. I have done cheerleading and gymnastics all my life. I attended Avon Lake High School and am a Freshman at Ohio State University. I am pursuing a Secondary Education in Integrated Language Arts/English major to become a high school English teacher. I am interested in the creative arts, as I play the piano and guitar, sing, paint, draw, and sew. In my free time, I enjoy pursuing creative activities, being with my friends and family, and reading. I also enjoy going to the theater; I have seen over 30 plays, musicals, and operas. I am a member of ACES (Advocates for Communities and Education Scholars), where we do community service and bonding activities. I was a student director for my youth group for four years, so I have a lot of experience leading teenagers. I have loved teaching ever since I was a child, and I have a passion for reading and writing which set me on the path to becoming an English teacher.

Academic Enrichment: MHFA Certification

In November 2022, I was given the opportunity to complete a Mental Health First Aid seminar. I met Dr. Sabrina Scott (J.D., M.Ed., M.Ed.) through my friend, a student in her Lorain County Community College class. She invited me to join the seminar she offers students who wish to complete their Youth Mental Health First Aid certification. I had to complete a few hours of pre-course work where I learned about the signs and symptoms of mental health challenges and how to aid students struggling with them. I also learned about different mental health disorders, the importance of self-care, and essential mental health resources. It is important to give struggling teenagers a voice, and taking the time to complete a seminar about mental health is one way to listen. Pursuing academic excellence through other opportunities beyond a student’s typical class schedule is also important. 

The seminar part of the course was a 6-hour zoom meeting where we applied what we learned in the pre-course work. We had conversations with each other and simulated conversations we might have to reach out to a student struggling with a mental health challenge. We discussed specific language to use during a crisis and a non-crisis. The seminar taught us how to talk to youth struggling with mental health challenges and advocate for them and ourselves. We learned about the importance of self-care, especially as Mental Health First Aiders. We need to take time for ourselves and advocate for our needs. It is also important to advocate for young people who may not be able to advocate for themselves. We learned that adolescents have many barriers to receiving treatment, including cost, stigma, culture, resources, etc. I am passionate about advocating for mental health. Many people don’t have the resource, information, or courage to advocate for themselves. It is also important to break the stigma so that people can get help and give help more effectively.

To continue meeting this goal throughout my time at Ohio State, I plan to take more seminars and classes to help me become an effective teacher and role model. I am going to therapy and involved in other programs through Counseling and Consultation Services (CCS). I plan to attend CCS workshops to better cope with my mental health and help others cope with theirs. I will continue to find other opportunities to enrich my academic life beyond OSU classes and requirements.

Leadership Development: Teacher Education Exploration (TEE)

Emma with TEE classmates

As a senior in high school, I participated in a career technical program called Teacher Education Exploration, or TEE. I took an Introduction to Education class at our local community college through this program. We learned about cognitive and social-emotional development, teaching strategies, and philosophies of education. I learned how to apply what I know to create lesson plans, engage with students, and be an effective teacher. My classmates and I ran icebreakers, taught lessons to gain experience, and wrote papers. We read children’s books and created questions that followed Bloom’s Taxonomy. Through TEE, I learned how to engage with students and become a more effective leader. 

For the second part of the program, I had the opportunity to student-teach in different classrooms in my school district. I was placed in a 1st-grade classroom at a local elementary school in the first quarter. I learned important communication and listening skills through this class. The students were very close with each other; they had survived Covid-19 together, losing their preschool and Kindergarten years. At the beginning of their 3rd grade, they lost a classmate in a tragic event. They were scared, wary, and struggling to cope with their emotions. When I started, they were scared of me and unsure of why I was there, as grief counselors had been in the class a few weeks before I started. I learned to be patient, gentle, and empathetic with them while they were learning to navigate their emotions. By the end of the quarter, the students didn’t want to let me go; I had a little girl follow me around the entire day, and I got a hug from everyone when it was finally time for me to leave. My experiences with my little 1st graders taught me that leadership isn’t always taking action, being loud, and telling people what to do. Sometimes, it’s a hug on a tough day, extra encouragement when they’re learning something new, or just a listening ear for a struggling student. 

I was placed in a 5th-grade social studies classroom in the second quarter. The students in that class were well-behaved, already fairly independent, and fun to talk to. I learned a lot from my cooperating teacher about the reality of being a teacher and working with other teachers and the administration. I taught a lesson in this class and led warm-ups a few times. In the third quarter, I was placed in a special education classroom at an elementary school. I was a little nervous as I  didn’t have much experience with exceptional learners. However, I bonded with a few of the students. There were only 7 students in the class, so I got to know each one individually. Being a leader in this class meant being encouraging but firm and being patient and flexible. I was placed with my high school AP United States History teacher in the fourth quarter. It was a huge shift working with teenagers, my peers, instead of children. I mainly observed sophomores, who were 2 years younger than me. In some ways, it was a large maturity gap, but it was hard to command respect at times because of the small age gap. In working with peers, I learned that it was important for me to lead by example. I had to be engaged with the material, pay attention, and work hard. Even if I was hidden in the back of the classroom, the students looked up to me as an example. 

A leader is someone who can decide what the group needs from them and support the group in their growth. Sometimes a leader needs to be demanding, telling people what to do, and giving instructions. Other times, a leader needs to be encouraging, supportive, patient, and compassionate. And other times, a leader must stay in the background, leading by example and letting their group shine. Throughout my time in TEE, I learned how to navigate these different leadership roles. These experiences taught me important leadership skills I can use in the classroom, the community, my co-curricular activities, and my future role in society. I learned skills like active listening, facilitation, effective communication, empathy, hard work, strong rapport, and decision-making.

Emma leading a cite reading activity with 1st-graders

ACES Service Event

For my ACES Service Event, I chose to volunteer at the Dream Center, a church dedicated to attending to the physical and spiritual needs of people who are homeless. I was inspired not only by the other volunteers but by the guests there as well. The church used its resources to create and foster a community for these people. The team leader, Mallory, talked about giving the guests more ownership, such as allowing them to help with the prayer or serving the drinks. She said this was probably the only place they would be trusted to have responsibility. There was a beautiful community blossoming with the volunteers and the guests. I also saw the volunteers work together to grow the community and find new ideas and resources to help people. While I was there, I did a lot of observation. I did, however, talk to a couple of the women there. It was hard for me sometimes because I felt like I wasn’t doing enough. I am a highly empathetic person, so it was very overwhelming. My heart broke for everyone there, and I wanted to do everything I could to help every single person there. I am grateful for this opportunity to serve the community. ACES has its pillars in advocacy, positive social change, community, and service. Dream House was a perfect event to showcase ACES involvement in community and service. Dream House is more than just serving those who are lesser fortunate. It provides so many resources like medical or legal help, food, clothing, personal hygiene products, etc. Most importantly, it gives them hope, something to rely on. Being a church, they can use their position to remind these people that they are not alone. Dream House also gives people an outlet, people to talk to and share their stories with. I talked to a woman while I was there who was pregnant. She was having bad morning sickness and talked to me about what it was like. Creating a strong community begins with being welcoming and open to listening. This event was a beautiful representation of building a community. Everyone there was open, wanting to learn and serve. The goal of Dream House is to create a community that can support people when they need it the most. I was so blessed to have this opportunity to interact with everyone at the Dream Center. They inspired me to be a better person, give more, and contribute to creating a supportive community.

European Colonization Lesson Plan

As a senior in high school, I was involved in a program called the Teacher Education Exploration (TEE). The program consisted of an academic class two days a week and student-teaching in different grade schools three days a week. I was placed in a 5th-grade social studies classroom in the second quarter. Working with these students was an amazing opportunity, and I learned about teaching, community, and leadership. As a student-teacher, I led by example; the students looked up to me as a role model. During my hours of observation, I made sure to pay attention, take notes, and look actively engaged with the lessons. If the students saw that I was engaged, they would want to be engaged too. Many students would complete their independent work at the back table where I was stationed. I got to know them, and many would talk to me about the drama in their lives. By listening and empathizing, rather than giving advice and lectures, I was able to establish a positive rapport with the students. As they got to know me, they welcomed me into their community. I watched them interact with each other and saw how the community changed when even one student was missing. My cooperating teacher created a community where the students were comfortable and challenged. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to be part of that community. During my time in their classroom, I created and executed a lesson plan about European colonization. I broke the students up into groups and had them read sections from their textbooks. After each paragraph, the students would discuss what it was about and what they had learned. I walked around the groups, listening to their ideas and steering them in the right direction. It was an amazing experience to watch these 10-year-olds discuss the negatives of colonization with an open mind. I challenged them to think deeper about colonization, comparing the positives and negatives and looking at things from different perspectives. Many weren’t old enough to use and understand political words, but they discussed the detriment and cruelty of colonization using age-appropriate words and thoughts. As I asked them questions and facilitated their discussions, I was in awe of the acceptance and understanding that the students brought to the table. From my role as a facilitator as well as a role model and listener, I believe I was able to bring positive social change into this 5th-grade classroom. Through the way that I spoke with the students and challenged them to be kind and patient with each other, I believe that they grew as a community. Many were growing frustrated with their classmates who were at the same level as them, socially and academically. However, when they expressed these concerns to me, I reminded them to be patient and understanding. I am proud of the community I was a part of and the positive social change I encouraged. Attached below is the lesson plan that I wrote on European Colonization. 

 

Lesson Plan .pdf