Ferrum College Found Me - An Introduction to New Blogger Rebecca!

by Rebecca M., Panther Blogger

Hey everyone!  My name is Rebecca and I am currently a junior at Ferrum College.  I am a Liberal Arts major and am double-minoring in Elementary Education and Criminal Justice.  I'm from Richmond, Virginia.

I went to a small high school, so I wanted a college in which I felt like I was a student and not just an identification number.  I looked at a variety of different colleges and was not really sure that any of them were for me. I got a call from the Ferrum Admissions office about a potential scholarship offer. When I had applied to Ferrum, I had never even heard of it. After looking into Ferrum College, I decided I needed to come and check it out. After coming for a visit, I fell in LOVE with Ferrum and it was exactly what I was looking for!

After switching my major for the fourth...or fifth time, I decided that Elementary Education was the right major for me.  One of the things I love about Ferrum is that with every education class, there is an internship involved.  I am able to get into the classroom and see first-hand what it is like to be a teacher as well as how much education has changed since I was in elementary school.

I am involved in a few activities on campus as well. I am in the Scholars in Residence Program, which requires having a certain GPA and attending one educational or community service event each month.  I also have a work-study job and am a freshman seminar mentor, and an orientation team member (I was an O-Team Captain last year).

As I always say to my friends:  Bye for now, be safe, and make good choices!

My Internship Experiences

by Maryann C., Panther Blogger

During my last semester here at Ferrum College, I have been doing two internships with the Franklin County Public School System. I have been working with a fifth-grade class at Ferrum Elementary for one of those internships. I have really enjoyed working with these kids. So far, I have administered a spelling test, helped students work on writing essays and helped students make corrections to their essays. I also have been assigned to work with one student on her reading comprehension. I have just started working with her, and we are in the process of figuring out where she is in her understanding of reading and writing. Working with this young student on an individual level is going to be a great experience for both her and me. I have never worked with this age group in an academic setting and it is truly a great experience.

My second internship through the Franklin County School System is at the Gereau Center. I am in the process of working with fellow classmates, faculty here at Ferrum College, and faculty at the Gereau Center. We are working to create lesson plans incorporating data that the CEED building collects. So far this has been a very different and challenging experience. Trying to figure out how to incorporate real data into a lesson plan has proven to be challenging. However, I have just recently finished my first lesson plan and I am very pleased with it. I hope that it will get easier now that I am starting to get the hang of it. Working with my assigned faculty member has been a great experience as well. She is very helpful and resourceful. I am looking forward to see what other types of lesson plans my fellow classmates and I come up with.

New Experiences

by Maryann C., Panther Blogger

This is my last semester at Ferrum College. I am having many different emotions about this fact. I feel excited, nervous, scared, sad, and glad all at the same time! I thought my last semester at Ferrum would not have any new experiences for me; after all, I have been here for four years. I felt like I had done everything there was to do. Well, I was wrong!

This semester, I am doing an internship at Ferrum Elementary School and an "externship" at the Gereau Center in the nearby Town of Rocky Mount.  The Gereau Center is part of the Franklin County middle school where 8th graders go for half of the school year.

Working at Ferrum Elementary School is going to be a very new experience for me. I am studying secondary education, so I have not worked with this younger age group in school before. I have met with my cooperating teacher once and have observed her class one time so far. Based on my first impression, I think I'm going to have a great time working with these kids and learn a lot from my cooperating teacher.

I have done internships at the Gereau Center before, but this one is going to be very different for my cooperating teacher and me. This semester, one of my main focuses is to create lesson plans that all the teachers could access and use that they desire. Let me explain.

At the Gereau Center, they have what is called the CEED Building. It is an environmentally-stable building, and it uses energy from the environment - such as wind and solar - to power itself. The CEED Building also collects data, such as temperature, precipitation, and carbon dioxide levels. My goal is to take the data that the CEED Building collects and use it to create lesson plans, and then make those lesson plans accessible to all teachers.

I am very excited to begin working in both of these internships with the Franklin County Public School system.  I think I am going to learn a lot and of course gain experience. It's amazing how the faculty and staff at Ferrum College never cease to go beyond my expectations with the opportunities and support they provide.

My Education Internship

by Maryann C., Panther Blogger

Every time a student takes an education course here at Ferrum College, he/she is required to complete 40 hours of internship time at a public school here in Franklin County. This semester, I was placed at Benjamin Franklin Middle School in an 8th grade physical science class. I really enjoyed working with my cooperating teacher and the students in each of her classes. I learned a lot and was able to improve some of my personal teaching skills.

I think it is great that the education department makes it a requirement for students to be in the classroom for 40 hours each semester. Many other education departments at colleges and universities do not have this extra time in the classroom incorporated into their programs. These other institutions only have the student teaching aspect.

The benefit of Ferrum College having the internship time for each education class gives students the opportunity to know if they really want to become educators or not.  Once students decide they want to continue with the education program, they are able to practice teaching skills and build relationships with the faculty and staff in the Franklin County Schools. It has certainly benefited me that I have been able to be in the classroom gaining experience before I even began my student teaching!

Greetings from a New Panther Blogger!

by Keenan L., Panther Blogger

Hello! My name is Keenan, and I am currently a senior here at Ferrum College. I am originally from Hagerstown, Maryland and graduated from North Hagerstown High School. I am an only child on my mother's side of the family and the youngest of 7 on my father's side. I am extremely close to my mother, and she is one of the most inspirational people in my life. My short-term goal is to graduate from college, and my long-term goal is ultimately to teach in an elementary school either in Maryland or Virginia.

I found out about Ferrum through a phone call during my senior year in high school. Ferrum contacted me about 3 times a month and also sent me a birthday card when I turned 18. When I received the birthday card, I was super excited because I never had colleges or universities send me something so personal, which showed me that Ferrum cares about their students. Ferrum became my first choice of schools because everyone I talked to was super nice and very caring. I applied to Ferrum and got accepted! After getting accepted, I met one of the nicest people who helped me get through the process of getting all the important paperwork completed and turned in on time. I owe a lot of my freshman year accomplishments to Mr. Jason Byrd, who helped me a lot. Without him, I think I would have been lost!

I love the culture and atmosphere around Ferrum. Coming from a place about the size of Roanoke, Ferrum was a little different for me. I love the people around the area. Everyone is very nice and are ready to help you whenever you need it. Ferrum also has a very pretty campus. I love the beginning of fall around the campus because it is just BEAUTIFUL!  I would definitely recommend Ferrum to other students because it is one of the best places you will ever go. My favorite memory here at Ferrum has been the past Homecomings. My friends and I have had the best time at the sporting events that have been offered on campus.

Last year's Homecoming (2011) - can't wait until this year's!

Ferrum has been very beneficial in preparing me for the future. I have been lucky to be able to be a part of the wonderful education department. The education program has helped me learn the fundamentals of being a teacher! Currently, on campus, I am a Resident Assistant in Bassett Hall, the treasurer for Student Government Association, and a member of Resident Hall Association (RHA).

I am looking forward to talking to everyone!  Feel free to contact me.  :)

Greetings from Ferrum College Student Blogger, Maryann!

By Maryann C., Panther Blogger

My name is Maryann and I am a senior at Ferrum College. I am from Sterling, VA, which is not far from Washington D.C. I am working toward a major in Biology with minors in Chemistry and Secondary Education. My short-term goal is to graduate next spring. One of my long-term goals is to find a teaching job after graduation where I can make science fun and exciting for my students.

I found out about Ferrum College at a college fair when I was in high school. I was looking for a small college with a pre-professional science major. At the time, I wanted to become a veterinarian. I also wanted a school where I could play soccer but still have time to do what I wanted to do. I knew that a big school was not for me, so I came to Ferrum.

At first, I had some reservations about coming to Ferrum, but once I came here, I soon grew to love Ferrum! There are a lot of different things I love about Ferrum College. One thing I love about it here is the faculty and staff. Teachers are always trying their best to help students in any way they can. I can name multiple scenarios when a teacher was willing to work with me so I could succeed. The many other faculty and staff who work on campus are also very helpful and friendly.

Ferrum College is a great school and is preparing me for the future each and every semester. The best example I can think of is in my goal of becoming a teacher. I have taken many Education classes here at Ferrum College. Each semester that a student takes an EDU class, 40 hours of internship at a public school are required. Forty hours seems like a lot, and yes it can be difficult, but the benefits are so worth it. Since I have been in the Franklin County Public School system doing internships for three years now, I know that I actually want to be a teacher. Plus, I am gaining experiences that many other teacher education students at other schools are not getting. This will help me to stand out more when I apply for a teaching position.

There are so many different ways to get involved here at Ferrum. I am currently on the women’s soccer team. I have also run for the women’s cross country team in the past. I am president of a club called Sisters Serving Christ. I have also been a part of our Orientation Team, which works with the freshmen on Gateway Weekend. I have also played many of the intramural sports offered during the year, such as basketball, soccer and volleyball. What is so great about Ferrum College is that it’s easy to find clubs that interest you; if there is a club you want to be a part of but that is not already at Ferrum, you can easily make a club.

I have created so many wonderful memories here at Ferrum College, so it’s hard to pick just one to talk about. I can’t wait to see what new memories will be made during my last year here.