MONDAY, APRIL 2, 2001
P.E.P.: A Student Teacher's Perspective
By Jaclyn A. Talarico
It's nearly 6 p.m. and I just got home.
I'm extremely tired, my feet hurt, and I
have a headache. What I'd like to do is
spend the rest of the evening watching my
favorite television sitcoms, but I know
better - I have a date with quite a bit of
work. I am, after all, student teaching, and
long days and late nights are just part of
the job description.
Along with approximately 90 other
education majors here at PSH, I have been
student teaching since February 1.
Although I cannot speak for the other stu
dent teachers, I have to say that student
teaching has been unlike any other educa
tional experience I have ever had. I hon
estly believe nothing could have com
pletely prepared me for all that I
encounter in the classroom each day.
Don't get me wrong, PSH has cer
tainly provided me with the education I
need to be successful in the classroom, but
all the content knowledge and educational
theory in the world could not totally pre
pare a person to walk into a classroom of
seventh graders and be a good teacher.
So, what is it like? Well, I'm student
teaching at Milton Hershey Middle
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Advisor: Samuel Winch, Ph.D.
Editor In Chief: Cathie McCormick
Assistant News Editor: Barbara Gertzen
Assistant Layout Editor: Mitchell Davidson Bentley
Business Manager: Connie Goodell
Photographers: Mitchell Davidson Bentley, Debra Glass,
Cathie McCormick
Graphic Design: Mitchell Davidson Bentley, Cathie McCormick
Production Assistant: Michelle Dauberman
Writers & Contributors: Molly Blouch, Joanne Catherson, Debra
Glass, Amy Kurtz, Roderick Lee, Lori Mitchell,
Kerry Monaco, Jaclyn A. Talarico
the
CAPITAL TIMES
School, a private school for disadvan
taged children. I'm teaching seventh
grade language arts. Right now in class,
we are reading Number The Stars, a novel
about Denmark and the Holocaust for
young adults. Each student is also writing
a short personal narrative about an experi
ence in his or her life.
This is what the students are learning.
I am learning what it is like to be a
teacher.
So what have I learned? Well, I have
certainly learned much more than this
short article could detail, so to answer that
question I really had to think. I decided to
share with you how my experience has
helped me define what teaching is: in
three words, teaching is P.E.P., for those
who like acronyms.
Teaching is Preparation. As a teacher,
I spend much of my time preparing for the
next day's lesson. I am always busy,
whether I am preparing lesson plans, dec
orating bulletin boards for visual aids, or
grading papers. The list goes on.
Teaching is Enthusiasm. A teacher
needs to be enthusiastic about his or her
subject. And, more importantly, a teacher
needs to be enthusiastic about children.
Teaching is Patience. I've learned
that a good teacher is infinitely patient
and flexible. I've learned that to be a good
teacher, I have to be patient with my stu
dents, my co-workers and myself.
And finally, in addition to what I've
learned about teaching, I've learned one
more very important lesson. I've learned
that I cannot wait to teach. Sure, I did
mention I'm tired, and my feet hurt, and I
do have a headache. They are all symp
toms of the long days and late nights.
What I didn't mention, and I should
have, is that I'm having a terrific time stu
dent teaching. It might sound cliched, but
I've found my niche. I cannot picture
myself doing anything else with my life
and there really is no other feeling like it.
I am excited to be a teacher. I am excited
to be a good teacher, and, yes, I will be
full of P.E.P.
Cathie McCormick joins an
elite group of PSH Alumni
Cathie McCormick will join Penn
State Harrisburg's roster of elite students
when she accepts the Ralph Dorn Hetzel
Memorial Award on April 29 at the Penn
Stater Conference Center and Hotel during
the university's annual award ceremony.
McCormick's hard work and dedica
tion to her duties as editor in chief of The
Capital Times, has ensured PSH of its fifth
Presidential Award in a row.
Named for the university's tenth pres
ident (1926 1947), the Ralph Dorn
Hetzel award is given to two seniors in
recognition of their high scholastic attain
ment, good citizenship and responsible
leadership in student activities. The award
also exemplifies the promise of public
spirited leadership in the future.
Recent recipients of the Hetzel award
include three students from the school of
business administration. Jon Segnor, who
majored in information systems and
served as the technology representative for
the SGA, received the award in 1998.
In 1999, Wanda Bonasera, a manage
ment major, received this prestigious
award for her work with the SGA as the
senior senator of the school of business
administration.
Last year, I was honored to receive
the Hetzel award for my work as president
of the SGA, while completing my bache
lor of science in marketing and informa
tion systems. McCormick has officially
broken the SBA's streak of three consecu
tive winners.
PSH's fifth Presidential Award recipi
ent was George Daka, who received the
Jackson Lethbridge Tolerance Award in
1997 for his outstanding work as president
of the International Affairs Association.
The Lethbridge award recognizes a stu-
Have you seen me? Call: 361-8677. Seen
near 1500 blk. of S. Market St., E-Town.
Hawaiian
Continued from Page 10
cargo shipment from the island of Oahu
arriving at the Harrisburg International
Airport on March 25. H.I.A. officials
were unavailable for further comment.
Continued on Page 14
By Roderick Lee
dent for outstanding efforts to enhance the
understanding of diverse cultures and cre
ate a community where individuals are
accepted and valued. This award is named
in honor of Jackson Lethbridge who is a
Penn State alumnus.
Recent PSH recipients of the Hetzel
award share a common bond. All were
non-traditional students who managed to
balance their busy work and family lives
along with their academic workload while
finding time to get involved in the campus
community.
McCormick's nomination for the
Hetzel award rose to the top of approxi
mately 150 others based on her dedication
to ensure that student voices were heard,
that the student newspaper arrived on the
racks in a timely fashion and that she was
directly involved with the campus com
munity.
McCormick has mastered the art of
squeezing 26 hours out of a 24-hour day to
teach the martial art of Tai Chi Chuan in
her spare time.
According to PSH officials, only one
other student received the Hetzel award --
in 1989. This may have been the first time
a PSH student received one of the
Presidential Awards.
The sacrifices these students made to
make PSH a better place should not go
unnoticed. Additionally, these awards are
very prestigious. I feel that there ought to
be a space reserved on campus to recog
nize past winners, enlighten other students
of the tradition that is continuing, and
serve as a barometer for responsible lead
ership.
The question now is "who will carry
the torch next year and represent PSH?"
OPINION • 13