Press References on Summer Institute for
Future Teachers 2007
*****
Students Learn About
Teaching
July 24, 2007
More than 20 high school juniors and seniors from 17 Connecticut
school districts will receive an inside look at what it takes to become a teacher
when they participate in the 10th annual Summer Institute for Future Teachers
program at Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimantic through Aug. 3.
Eastern and the Capital Region Education Council created the program. The
program aims to increase the number of students who consider teaching as a
career, emphasizes the growing role technology plays in teaching and learning
and expands efforts to recruit in Windham County, said David Stoloff, chairman
of Eastern's department of
During the program, students are immersed in coursework and field trips, work
with pre-school, elementary and middle school children, and integrate
Participants will develop a professional portfolio and earn three undergraduate
credits.
Pionzio, M. (2007, July 24). Students Learn About Teaching.
Retrieved July 29, 2007
from The Hartford Courant, Education Briefs
Web site:
http://www.courant.com/news/education/hc-edbriefs0724.artjul24,0,5874358.story
*****
Program Provides Taste Of Teaching
Goal:
Increase Ranks Of Minority Educators
July 30, 2007
WILLIMANTIC - Wiley
"But if I'd stayed down there, I probably would have gone out and gotten
myself in trouble," said Dawson, 17, who instead enrolled in a residential
program at Eastern Connecticut State University designed to give high school
students a taste of the teaching profession. "This is going to make a
tremendous difference for me."
A soon-to-be-senior at The Bridge Academy charter school, Dawson is one of 26
students from throughout the state taking part in a program that is funded by a
state grant funneled through the Capitol Region Education Council.
"He is one of our most motivated students," said Delar
Singh, an associate professor at Eastern who is coordinating what is formally
called the Summer Institute for Future Teachers.
The four-week program, which ends Friday, is demanding and aims to increase the
ranks of minority teachers.
Students are on campus from Sunday night until Friday afternoon. They typically
spend about three hours in class each morning, learning everything from how to
prepare lesson plans to strategies for creating a positive learning
environment.
Activities after lunch vary, from listening to guest lecturers to taking part
in exercise programs. After dinner, students are given instruction on how to
integrate technology into education.
Each student also spends time at nearby
For Jenn Sablon-Taylor, who
attends
"I love it," she said. "I've made some really good friends
here."
Sablon-Taylor said she has always wanted to be a
teacher and was encouraged by how she was received by first-graders at Sweeney.
"They seem so receptive and less rude than older children," she said.
"It made my love for them grow."
Nicholette Goodin, who also
attends The Bridge Academy, said she learned a lot from her time in a
second-grade classroom.
"If I become a teacher, I don't know if I would have the patience to deal
with the little kids," she said, adding that middle school might be more
appealing.
David Stoloff, chairman of the university's education department, said it has
been difficult to track students to determine how many eventually have become
teachers.
But Stoloff noted that such a statistic would not reflect the full mission of
the program, which includes motivating students to attend college regardless of
their eventual career path.
He said he is especially pleased when students choose to attend Eastern.
"That's a hidden agenda of this program," he said with a smile.
Students are charged $200 for the program, but the fee is waived for those who
demonstrate financial hardship. Students also earn three college credits.
David Archibald, who will be a junior at Eastern in the fall, said he decided
to apply to the university largely because of the positive experience he had in
the summer institute three years ago, when he was a student at
"I had been thinking of becoming a teacher because I knew I wanted to work
with high school kids in some way," said Archibald, who nevertheless
decided to major in social work and hopes to become a juvenile probation
officer.
This summer, Archibald is working as a resident assistant in the dorm the high schoolers are staying in, and he said he often thinks back
to the summer of 2004.
"The most important thing is the relationships you build," he said,
adding that he remains close to a few students who were in the institute with
him but then enrolled at other colleges. "It's like your own little
family."
Contact Jim Farrell at mailto:jfarrell@courant.com.
Farrell, J. (2007, July 30).
Program Provides Taste of Teaching.
Retrieved July 30, 2007
from The Hartford Courant, Education Web site:
http://www.courant.com/news/education/hc-futureteach0730.artjul30,0,3216121.story