Normand of the Sixteen Acres section of Springfield is on track to graduate in December with a bachelor’s degree in education through the Cynthia A. Lyons Center for Equity in Urban Education (CEUE). In January, she will begin pursuing her master’s degree, also through CEUE. She has worked in education for nearly 25 years, as a paraprofessional and more recently as a grade 7 mathematics interventionist with the Academy of Kiley, a Springfield middle school that is part of the Springfield Empowerment Zone Partnership. Earning her bachelor’s degree is the first step toward accomplishing her longtime goal of becoming a classroom teacher.
I first came to Elms College in 2007-08 to begin work on my bachelor’s degree. I had hopes of finishing it off but then life got crazy. I had 4 kids at home at the time, and trying to juggle all of them, and take care of myself with school just wasn’t working so I stopped.
A few years ago, the principal at the Academy of Kiley said that they had partnered with the great program at Elms called the Center for Urban Education, and he thought I was a great candidate and that I should go there and finish my bachelor’s. If I did that, he said he would find me a teaching job at Kiley. So that’s why I enrolled.
I don’t have any regrets that it took me this long to put myself first and say I’m going to finish my degree. I’m grateful for this program. I’ve already been offered a math teacher position in Kiley in January. That is what my end goal has been, to be able to teach and have my own classroom.
As a math interventionist, I work primarily with small groups of children who have fallen behind in math. I help them master the math needed to bring them up to grade level. CEUE has helped me professionally by teaching me to see through my students’ eyes. They come from all walks of life, and all backgrounds. You don’t know what they are experiencing at home. CEUE has opened me up to accepting and being able to teach kind of across the board. I’ve learned over the years that the kids I work with cannot learn about something if they can’t see it and experience it. This program teaches me to use a more hands-on approach to reach my students. For example, last semester I had a class project about developing a lesson plan for teaching about ratios. I used Skittles for my presentation and the worksheet, and when people were done they could eat the candy. I used the same presentation to teach my kids. And they loved it because it was hands-on and it involved food.
CEUE has absolutely helped me. It is wonderful – every aspect of it. If I need support, if I need words of encouragement, if I need anything, they provide it. The faculty have been great with all of it. I’ve met so many awesome people. The professors are amazing. They help you every step of the way.
To learn more about the Cynthia E. Lyons Center for Equity in Urban Education or how to register, go to the department homepage at http://mtmvhf.cherryplumcreations.com/ceue/