from the journey – The Hilltop Monitor

From the Journey: Moriah Vanderburg

Amy Mullen — Fri, 18 Sep 2015 15:00:46 +0000

Between semesters at William Jewell College, senior Moriah Vanderburg spent two months this summer in Cuernavaca, Mexico using her Journey Grant. Cuernavaca is an hour and a half outside of Mexico City and home to La Universal, a university that works with Augsburg College in Minnesota. Vanderburg studied at La Universal and took classes like “Women in Latin America versus Women in the World” and “Mexican Literature.” She is a Spanish and education major at Jewell, but in the program at La Universal, she was the only person that was not studying social work. This is due to the fact that the program focuses on the impact the institution is making in the area. She heard about the opportunity to study there through an older student at Jewell. Outside of the classroom, she was welcomed by a family in Cuernavaca, she embraced the culture by learning more about the Spanish language and experienced the adventures that can be found in Mexico.

During her time living Cuernavaca, Vanderburg gained a deeper understanding of the value of family. The house she stayed in was small, but it sheltered multiple generations of the same family, including the grandmother who had fallen ill. Vanderburg helped with taking care of the family that welcomed her. She was fluent in Spanish before traveling to Mexico but quickly became proficient in the local dialect spoken. She even picked up on Mexican slang after being surrounded by the family’s younger generations.

Every Saturday, Vanderburg went on a field trip with the other members of the program at La Universal. On these excursions, she saw the Frida Kahlo House and trekked up a volcano. Since being home, she has been able to maintain contact with the family she stayed with, thanks to Facebook. Vanderburg used her Journey Grant to expand her knowledge of the Spanish language and found experiences that she will carry with her forever.

From the Journey with Joe Gunn

Joe Gunn — Fri, 06 Feb 2015 16:00:54 +0000

People normally associate the Galápagos with their college biology textbooks. The islands seem almost untouched, even mythical, as the place where Charles Darwin dreamed up his theory of natural selection. Many of us have heard of, or have at least seen a National Geographic program, about the giant tortoises and the finches and the blue-footed boobies, but they hardly seem real. They seem like the perfect case study in the story of evolution, like a majestic, yet unreachable piece of the natural world. But after spending two weeks on San Cristóbal, the easternmost island in the Galápagos archipelago, over winter break, I can say that the place is not only real, but it is more remarkable, more stunning and more delicate than I could have ever learned from a textbook.

I flew to the island of San Cristóbal Dec. 27, 2014 to do conservation volunteer work through a program called Projects Abroad. I had never flown overseas before my trip; although I traveled to both Mexico and Canada as a kid, I had no idea what to expect once I got to the islands. I thought I did a great job preparing for the trip, buying all the supplies I could think of, planning my schedule, and compulsively organizing all of my travel documents. Turns out, traveling, for me, is a funny joke. Once I arrived at the airport in Quito, Ecuador for a ten hour layover, I almost instantly lost my wallet. And once I got to my host family’s house in town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, I realized that I had also lost my passport. Yes, I did end up finding the passport so that I was able to get back to the United States, but I never did find my wallet. It would all be okay, though, once I realized that I was in a place I may only see once in my lifetime.

I was assigned to a variety of projects as soon as I received an orientation of Projects Abroad’s conservation efforts in San Cristóbal. Depending on the day, I helped clean up shorelines around the island, counted sea lions at the local beaches in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, helped maintain the endemic plant greenhouse, and fed the giant tortoises at the Galapaguera Giant Tortoise Reserve. Aside from working directly with the wildlife there and contributing to island conservation, I had the opportunity to work with several other volunteers from all over the world.

My journey grant experience in the Galápagos has given me the chance to see more of the world than I could have ever imagined, and as a result, it has reminded me how grateful I am to be at William Jewell.

From the Journey: Emily Lynch

Emily Lynch — Fri, 05 Dec 2014 16:00:00 +0000

Around Nov. 4, I remember being absolutely frustrated logging onto social media. Not only was my Facebook bombarded with engagements and babies, but also with politics involving education and teachers. “Vote no on Amendment 3” or “Vote yes on Amendment 3: Hold our teachers accountable!” seemed to be the new hot meme to share. I wasn’t frustrated that people were sharing their belief with others; I was frustrated at the state’s attempt to solve a problem, which is deeply rooted in all sorts of other problems. No matter ones politic stance, it is obvious that people care about the product of our educational system. According to Pearson’s Index, America is 14th in the world in terms of education. According to NEA’s Education Report Card, Missouri is ranked 28th in education and receives a C+ overall. As an education major, I find this utterly disappointing. I understand the need for education reform and have a proposed solution after completing my Journey Grant.

Most education reform opportunities focus on extrinsically motivating teachers – normally through the use of money – to enhance student assessment. I propose a solution that focuses on enhancing teacher’s skills through the use of professional development that is extended from the district’s norms. This past year, I was able to attend an Educational Conference Series through the use of our Journey Grant. I attended four conferences: a local conference in KCMO, a state conference in Columbia, MO, a regional conference in Osage Beach, Mo., and a national conference in Los Angeles. During these conferences, I attended countless sessions with other educators that focused on making us better teachers. For example, a few things learned about were: incorporating movement in mathematics, integrating student’s unique cultures, and teaching with poverty in mind. I connected with teachers and educational gurus from across the country to decide what strategies are helping our student’s the most, and what we can do to continue to push them towards mastery. This opportunity not only gave me an advantage as pre-service teacher, but has also benefited me throughout my current student teaching experience. I continually find myself integrating key ideas from this conference series to enhance my instruction and student’s learning. Countless times while in L.A., current educators and administrators were impressed with Jewell’s commitment to continuing education outside of the classroom. I think that such a commitment to continued education should extend into our professional lives.

After returning and chatting with teachers within different districts, there is a common consensus. Teachers are given professional development opportunities within their own districts, but are not sponsored to attend outside conferences. School calendars have specific “in service” days which provide opportunities for growth and reflection. These days are fantastic, and after attending a few – I am very pleased with what I have learned, but I think education reform based on professional development could take it a step further. Rather than spending dollars on incentive pay based on students’ test scores, that money should be put towards sending teachers to outside professional development opportunities, like the Educational Conference Series. Attending conferences outside of the teacher’s home district allows for one to completely engross themselves in other’s practices. Education best practices are constantly changing. Allowing teachers to frequently learn about such practices allows for educators to be up to date and implement the best strategies to enhance students achievement. According to Learning Forward, “Teachers and administrators who routinely develop their own knowledge and skills model for students that learning is important and useful. Their ongoing development creates a culture of learning throughout the school and supports educator’s efforts to engage in student learning . . . As a result, the entire school is more focused and effective.”

My opportunity to attend the Educational Conference Series made me realize the importance of extended professional development for educators – myself included. I truly do believe that such opportunities for all educators could enhance student, state, and national achievement.

Citations:

http://learningforward.org/docs/pdf/why_pd_matters_web.pdf?sfvrsn=0

http://www.edweek.org/ew/qc/2014/state_report_cards.html

http://thelearningcurve.pearson.com/index/index-ranking

From the Journey: James Webber

James Webber — Fri, 17 Oct 2014 15:00:08 +0000

James Webber discusses his summer in Washington D.C. learning and working through the Fund for American Studies Program.

This summer I embarked on a journey not too different from the Oregon Trail game of our youth: it was long, grueling, emotionally testing and someone unexpectedly died of dysentery. Well, not really. It was actually none of that. It was a mere fifteen minute car ride from my family’s suburban home in Alexandria, Virginia to the nation’s wonderful capital, Washington, D.C. While in the capital this summer, I interned for a nonprofit called DC SCORES and also studied at the Institute for Comparative Political and Economic Systems (ICPES) through The Fund for American Studies (TFAS).

My internship at DC SCORES was one of the best experiences I have ever had. I distinctly remember being told that there was no such thing as an average day at DC SCORES and that I would be doing different things virtually every day. After I got off the phone, I had assumed that was just a stretched truth; though my job might not be repetitive, I’d be doing the same general tasks every day. I was wrong. I didn’t necessarily do something different every day, but there were very few days that were similar. One day I’d be doing typical intern fare, like stuffing envelopes, sending mail, or getting coffee, and the next I would be at one of the program’s summer camps helping translate for Spanish-speakers. In addition, I had my activities for TFAS and ICPES, which required me to attend various guest lectures and site visits (one being a visit to the CIA Headquarters in Langley) on top of nightly classes at George Mason University.

I may have been worked to the bone, and many nights I simply collapsed onto my bed and fell into a deep sleep, but the experience was truly worth it. Though I have lived in the DC region the majority of my life, I got to experience a completely different side of the city. It’s one thing to ride the Metro casually downtown to see some museums or monuments. It’s a different experience during rush hour, which is completely surreal during the summer. Watching Metro novices getting chewed out by the veterans for not obeying the “stand right, walk left” rule in the Metro escalators was beautiful to behold (even if very frustrating). At the end of the day, my summer was very chaotic but very rewarding. My internship, classes, guest lectures and site visits were worth every single drop of stress that I felt.