UVM Presentations

On Thursday, I had the honor to speak with students in the College of Education and Social Services at the University of Vermont. It was great to speak with students on both ends of the spectrum, from first-year students who are just getting an idea of what teaching and the education field are, to Juniors and Seniors who are currently Interns in the classroom. I could easily look out and see myself in both groups from when I was an Education major at Miami University.

With both groups, I spoke about "Effective and Successful Teaching." My goal was really to excite students about the journey that they are embarking on, give some advice about what works in any classroom, how to better reach today's students, and prepare them for the hard, hard work that the teaching profession brings.

There were some excellent questions from the students, with curious students wanting to know about using technology in the classroom to how do you balance reform and innovation with assessment and standardized tests.

I hope the students learned as much from what I said as I learned from them. It was a great experience to see what Teacher Education classes are like and what the students are learning. This is such an essential part of teaching, and I firmly believe that successful teachers need a Teacher Education program. There are skills learned in these courses that better prepare you for the classroom. From being able to develop better lessons to effectively using technology in the classroom, this is where quality educators are born.

When I was teaching at an off-site, urban alternative program in Ohio during my first year of teaching, I desperately could have used a course that helped me to understand the role that poverty and race play in a student. To see UVM has a course like this -- Schools and Society -- was refreshing, knowing that these students will be that much more prepared for the students they encounter in the classroom.

These are the students who will have the courage and innovation to bring new and fresh ideas as to how to better our teaching to students in an effort to better prepare them for their future. I hope to see one of these students being recognized at the Teacher of the Year in the next few years!