Throughout my junior experience in the ELA program, I had the opportunity to be Mrs. Julie Ward's mentee. Mrs. Ward is a third grade teacher at Liberty Elementary School in Bismarck. I observed her wonderful group of students and helped with a Language Arts lesson in her classroom. I also got the chance to sit in on a PLC meeting where all of the third grade teachers discussed and planned a PBL. I attended an all staff meeting that covered the topic of student trauma and toxic stress. I also got to observe several parent teacher conferences. All of these experiences made me more aware of the many aspects of being a professional educator. I feel more prepared to engage with parents in the future as well as communicate and network with other professionals.
Faculty Mentorship
During my junior year in the ELA program, I also had the opportunity to be Mrs. Kim Marman's mentee. Mrs. Marman and I met bi-weekly to discuss various professional goals and plans. In addition to pouring out knowledge and valued advice from her years of experience in education, Mrs. Marman also helped me improve my resume and brought me to an education career fair. Mrs. Marman recommended that I speak at the NDACTE Conference in Grand Forks. Erica Binegar and I selected the topic of Student Trauma and Strategies for teachers. After researching and preparing, we presented at a breakout session and attended the educational conference. Both Mrs. Marman and Mrs. Ward are excellent examples of educators and leaders that I look up to and aspire to be like.