fifteen weeks … [they] want to maintain that connection and that experience, and they want to learn more. You definitely see that in the way professional teachers from COA interact with their own learning, and also their kids' learning. You see it in their openness to trying new things, being flexible — all those pieces, you see that in them, and it relates back to their professional capacity. … I think part of the Ed Studies program is a little more scripted than what your normal COA track would be — you're sort of shifted into gear, and you have more requirements than most COA folks. But for someone who's interested in COA, to be able to make that shift, it just says something about their desire and their strong interest in teaching — that they're going to have to forego some of the COA experience of freedom to go in that direction. It says something about the individual as a learner and their commitment to education.
Ben Macko '01 Eighth-Grade Math Teacher Conners Emerson School, Bar Harbor Before I came to COA I had been doing outdoor education in New Jersey, working with kids and really just playing — telling stories about the life cycles of monarchs, exploring the natural world, learning and teaching. COA became an extension of that. I liked the focus of the Ed Studies curriculum, which asked me to apply the things I was thinking about within a specific area of thought and prepared me to be a teacher in a relatively short time. Sometimes I envied my friends who were able to take more varied classes, or what I called "fun" classes — art classes, that kind of thing. In the end, funnily enough, three of my good friends who had been taking all those "fun" classes went back to school to become teachers. I was already set to teach when I graduated from COA. I did my student teaching in a fourthgrade classroom at Conners Emerson, which was great, and before I got my job here I was substitute teaching throughout the system, which allowed me to take on more responsibility. College of the AtlAntiC MAgAzine
Some of the professors' children were passing through then, and it was really interesting to teach them — to teach kids whose parents had taught me — and deepen ties in the community. This is a small place, and even though I'm working in a public system, which means there are certain limitations in terms of [teaching to] standards, I am pretty free to bring a different kind of perspective into my classroom. I can incorporate current events into lessons, encourage students to make up their own projects, and help them ask critical questions like, 'Why am I being taught this? Why do I have to learn this?' I'm not sure how to qualify a "COA perspective," but my methods courses definitely shaped my teaching practice and I always want students to see the broader view. I can tell them very specifically how they might use algebra someday, but I want them to think about things for themselves, to discover the
with other teachers who are working on energy projects and data analysis in their classrooms. About a dozen elementary teachers from the area spent a week with Anna and Dave at COA learning about sustainable energy — figuring out how it all works through hands-on lab activities. I was able to incorporate these lessons into my classroom this year and make real-world connections between math, science, and data analysis. Anna has actually hooked up a monitor to our computer lab, so we can watch how much energy we're using and if there are any red flags. The kids are watching the data to see what's going on and using this information to help make energy use decisions in our own school. I've worked with several COA students in the last few years on service learning projects in my classroom. Two of the projects we worked on were creating a "clean air zone" in front of the school
That "life-long learner" spirit is something I see in the teachers COA has trained. We just conducted the final review of a student teacher, and even though she was through with her student teaching, she wanted to continue to work at her school … that initiative reflects the culture of the college. Michael Zboray '95
underlying patterns of math by asking questions. So that's what we do. It's important to be able to look up, to look outside, and have that sense of wonder. We live in an amazing place, and math is all around us.
Bonnie Burne Middle School Science Teacher Pemetic Elementary School, SW Harbor Recently I worked with [COA lecturer in physics] Anna Demeo and Dave Feldman [faculty member in physics and math] to help connect COA with elementary teachers. We talked about what teachers need and possibly would want in a sustainable energy workshop that would focus on teaching elementary students. Anna and Dave designed and held a great workshop last summer that offered a venue for area teachers to collaborate
and increasing recycling in our school and community. This year my students launched a community energy challenge and created a school energy calendar. It's so nice to have students from COA join us; it's a great connection to have within our community. My students look up to the college students; they are much closer to their age than I am! They're all young people who want to be teachers, so they really love the kids — which I love. COA students are wonderful about communicating with me; they really do a fantastic job. It's a great opportunity to have my students work with members of the community to discover and investigate problems, and then collaborate and work together to help develop solutions to these problems. I'm thankful to be able to work with them. 25