The University Honors & Scholars Center at The Ohio State University serves high-ability, motivated undergraduate students. While embracing diversity in both ideas and people, the Center fosters purposeful learning communities that enhance students’ academic and social experiences. The Center facilitates impactful, rigorous, and unique opportunities that further student success and involvement in our G.O.A.L.S.: Global Awareness, Original Inquiry, Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, and Service Engagement.
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Emma with TEE classmates
Leadership Development: Teacher Education Exploration (TEE)
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
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Academic Enrichment: Mental Health First Aid 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.