I started my day at the gym again (sorry forgot to take a picture again :/). And then I had a morning meeting cancelled, so I had extra time to get ready( win!!).
My day mostly consisted of a lot of homework, unfortunately just one of those days:(
Working hard with my friend Izzy in the library!
Luckily today I was able to have dinner with my roommate, Abby! Eating alone definitely gets old.
Some good chicken and broccoli for dinner tonight featuring Abby!
To wrap up my day, I collected as many non-perishable items as I could find to add to our class backpack. Our senior pre-practicum class visited the Nativity school of Worcester last week and we all decided to donate to their “Blessings in Backpacks” fund in which donors fill backpacks with non-perishable foods for those Nativity families in need.
Hi everyone! My name is Ally, I am a senior math major in TEP and I will be taking over the blog this week (so excited :)!
I usually start off my mornings by getting up around 7am and going to the gym (sorry forgot to take a picture). This morning was particularly hard to get motivated as I was up late last night watching the Red Sox win the World Series (yay!!!) in addition to it being a terribly gloomy, rainy Monday morning:(
Afterwards I usually head to my one class of the day, Geometry, and then it’s off to Sullivan Middle School to observe where I will be student teaching in the spring! I observe Mr. Bousquet’s 7th grade math classes and I will be taking over a few of them next semester.
Hannah, Maureen and I at Sullivan! We are all senior TEP students student teaching at Sullivan
Today was unique because the teacher I observe had prep periods most of the time I was there so I was able to observe other teachers at the school teaching various subjects. Specifically, I used my time to sit in on a History and English class. It was super helpful to gain perspective across different subject areas and observe other teaching styles!
I observed Mrs. Foley’s English class (Hannah’s supervising practitioner)! She’s the best:)
After returning from Sullivan my day consisted of homework, homework and more homework…. oh and emails! Super fun, I know.
Oh and dinner!! I know it looks like a lot for one person, but if being a senior has taught me anything its meal prepping:)
I will check in with everyone again soon, stay tuned!
These two days totally blended in for me! I have classes all morning Thursday and work in the afternoon. I work for the office of Diversity and Inclusion on campus. This is an amazing experience and space where I get to learn about the importance of the subject but also the ways in which we can better assist those that work diligently to improve our campus. Friday mornings I also work in the office and have classes in the afternoon.
My little office
I want to end my Take Over Week by saying that this was a great experience. Often times we are not really aware of how much we really do throughout our day. This served as a reflection exercise but also a form of appreciation for all the different insight that I will be able to offer to my student!
Beautiful Sunrise this morning!Latinidad Identidad is a Latinx dance group on campus that focuses on bringing students together to educate the public on Latinx culture and dance! I am lucky enough to be a former member and now a helper.Breakfast, courtesy of Cool Beans on the Rocks
Today the Teacher Education Program Pre-Practicum students had the opportunity to observe at the Nativity School of Worcester! I must say this has been one of my favorite experiences of the year. The school has a very welcoming environment and the students were extremely polite. Hoping to have the opportunity to stop by once more before the year is over!
Tuesdays are fairly calm days for me. I have three classes and two mentee meetings. Working for the Peer Mentor Program has brought me so much joy! My mentees are all wonderful and always come with a smile to our meetings. It has been cool to see their transition from high school to college and as we walk through their journey together I have the opportunity to reflect on my time here/growth.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I bring my homemade coffee to class.Lunch with friends! Second time in Lower-Kimball this semester.Mentee meeting with Thanh!Mentee Meeting with Alison!Appreciating some HC nature. A huge shoutout to the HC landscape crew, they do a great job in making sure that our campus is always beautiful.
Mondays may be one of my favorite days of the week.
Every amazing day starts with an awesome outfit.I begin my day with some MTEL prep with the help of Professor Capotosto! I am so grateful for the support that I receive every time I walk to the Education Department. I am so grateful that Jailene and I are located in the same school! A huge shoutout to Mrs. Suarez for the flawless picture.
After my hours at Burncoat, I spend my day in and out of meetings, until 10:00 pm. It may seem like a lot but I truly enjoy being this busy, it keeps me on my toes. Id like to call Mondays my 9-5’s in Cool Beans.
Cool Beans!Friends that study together succeed together!Mentee Meetings with Noemi; future educator!
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Thursday and Friday blended into one day because my cousin came to visit from Minnesota. She is a junior and high school, so she is starting the college search! After a two hour drive to Logan Airport due to traffic, I was excited to finally see her, but we had a long drive back to campus thanks to rush hour traffic.
Driving Back from the Airport
We thankfully got back to campus just in time for my Student Programs for Urban Development (SPUD) intern reflection. Since Campion was closed, we were able to have the reflection in the chapel. It was the perfect, quiet place to have our reflection and could not have come at a better time for all of us. We definitely needed those thirty minutes to focus on relaxation and centering.
Part of why I love being an intern for SPUD is getting to know the other interns. We all share a common passion for service and social justice. The responsibility of overseeing sites and planning events on campus can make it feel more business-like, but it is the reflections that we have every other week that bring us back to why we do SPUD.
The reflections give us time to reflect upon the injustices we see in Worcester as well as the wealth of knowledge, growth, and potential we see in the community. We all work with different populations, so it is helpful to come together so that we can find the commonalities between our work. Then, we are able to work with our lead community organizer to see what we can do to further engage our community in the hopes of enacting change.
SPUD Intern Reflection
Today, after an early morning of working out and classes, my cousin and I got lunch at the Pub and then went on a tour of campus. The main attraction was of course the Holy Cross Bookstore. After visiting Dinand Library and the academic buildings, we made our way to St. Joseph Chapel to finish the tour.
Tour of Campus
After our day of exploring campus, we went into Worcester for dinner at in the Canal District. As if we weren’t full from dinner, we went to the Queen’s Cups for cupcakes for dessert.
Dinner in Worcester
We went back to campus quickly so we could catch the volleyball game in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. They invited the organization, the Pink Hippy, to campus for the game and honored the women who are currently fighting breast cancer.
Today was an eventful Wednesday! Instead of having class for our Pre-Practicum class for TEP, we observed a college level class in our discipline, so I observed Professor Cecil’s Calculus 1 class. Even though I have him as a professor this semester, I am usually too busy copying notes and trying to understand new concepts that I am unaware of the teaching strategies he implements into his lessons. By observing, I realized that all of the little things he does in class, even just using different color chalk, are done intentionally to make the new material clearer.
Since SPUD has so many members and sites, it is nice to get together with my program directors as often as I can to touch base and to hear what they are doing at their sites and if they have made new friendships with the people they work alongside. These reflections bring the work we do back on campus and bring life to the attendance log including all 46 sites.
Reflection in the SPUD Office
After one more class and some time for homework, I was excited to get off campus to go to my second SPUD site, the Nativity School. Last year, I worked with a member of the Mveng class who is now in the sixth grade, and this year, I am working with a member of the Grande class who is in fifth grade.
This past summer, I was fortunate to work at Nativity through the SPUD Summer Internship Program. Nativity has an extended school year, so for three weeks in July, students come to school for Summer of Service. The school day comprises of math, reading, and service learning classes in the morning and then off campus service site visits in the afternoon.
I worked with the sixth grade during the morning and then a group of fifth, sixth, and seventh graders in the afternoon. I loved getting to know all of the students and am grateful that I get to continue working with them throughout the school year. The faculty, administrators, and fellows taught me so much about what it means to be a teacher, the inner-workings of a school, and the importance of dedication to one’s mission statement.
Nativity’s strong community stems from the dedication all members have to the four pillars: strength, scholarship, character, and service, and I am grateful to be part of it.
Today, I started my morning with observations at Doherty Memorial High School with my two supervising practitioners, Mrs. O’Leary and Mrs. Razzaq. I will be taking over Mrs. O’Leary’s Honors Pre-Calculus class and Mrs. Razzaq’s English Language Learner (ELL) Geometry and College Prep Geometry classes.
Mrs. O’Leary is starting to implement more technology into her classroom, so we focused on helping students set up online accounts so that they could then complete assignments online and receive instant results. Although we were running around a lot, helping different students, I enjoyed it because I finally got to get to know my future students better by working with them one-on-one.
Since I have been working with Mrs. Razzaq since last year, I have taken a more active role this year in the classroom. I am constantly walking around, helping students who are struggling with concepts. I’m happy to say I think I have finally learned all of the students’ names in her ELL Geometry class, but I still need to work on learning the names of her College Prep Geometry class of thirty students.
I am so excited to be at Doherty in the Spring and am so lucky to have such amazing and supportive supervising practitioners.
Doherty Memorial High School
After observations, I went straight to class and then office hours for help on my problem set with Ally. She is at Sullivan Middle School this year and knew as soon as she saw me that today was my day for observations thanks to my work outfit!
Ally and Me Post Math Office Hours
After my busy day of observations and school, I was excited to get off campus to tutor my Montserrat professor’s daughter. I love being able to get off campus and to feel like I’m at home when home is so far away in Florida. We always make sure to get homework done while also having a good time. I also love getting to catch up with my professor each week. Our Montserrat class became a tight-knit group that is still friends today.
Tutoring Off CampusAstrid Showing Off Her Wig for Halloween
After tutoring, I went straight to the gym to work out, so I was excited when I got back to campus to make a quick dinner: pasta and brussel sprouts.
Hi everyone! In addition to being in the Teacher Education Program, I am also a Math major and plan to teach high school math. I’m placed at Doherty Memorial High School for my student teaching and am so excited to be at Doherty full time in the Spring but am enjoying my last semester of classes at Holy Cross right now.
Today, like any day, was definitely busy. It started off with my alarm ringing at 6:30 am, so I could make it to Shrewsbury in time for Orangetheory. Once I got there, I was happy to see some of my friends from Holy Cross were there, including my friend, Meg, who I met on my Spring Break Immersion trip to Chicago last year. If you are considering SBIP, I would highly recommend it. I met some of my closest friends on the trip and learned so much about social justice in context.
Spring Break Immersion Group
After working out, I ran a few errands and made it back to campus for Topics in Geometry. It’s a requirement for TEP Math students, so it’s nice because I have class with both Kat and Ally. We’ve been on the same track with classes throughout our four years and have done our observation hours together, making it feel like we are in a cohort. This year, we are all at different schools and therefore aren’t as attached at the hip anymore, so I was excited today when I got to drop Kat off at Burncoat Middle School for her observation hours in between classes today.
Dropping Kat off at Burncoat Middle School
After classes, I had my bi-weekly meeting with one of the chaplains on campus, Marty Kelly. I am the lead intern for Student Programs for Urban Development (SPUD), and he is the adviser to SPUD. Marty is our biggest supporter and helps us maintain our relationships with our community partners.
Campion House
Fittingly, after my meeting with Marty, I headed straight to one of the SPUD sites I volunteer at, Boys & Girls Club (BGC), with two of my friends. We work in the Homework Help Room and strive to make it a place where students can get their work done and receive support.
After our two hours at BGC, Deirdre and I had a nice and quiet dinner of Chinese takeout and realized how much work we should have done over break!
