Guest Blogger

Tonight's entry comes from Jocelyn S.

Working at Carpe Diem Academy has been such a wonderful learning experience for me.  I am an Ambassador and when I give tours to prospective students, I always stress that Mercyhurst University is a hands-on environment.  I tell those interested in education that one of the main reasons I chose this school was because students are placed in the field right away.  However, this experience has taught me more than any of my practicums have – and I was just a floater(1)!  I brought it up at a meeting before, and it has become sort of a joke between Dr. Roberts and me, but I went from students running away from me(2) and yelling down the hallway during bathroom breaks, to a calm, quiet line of students (well, more of a cluster, but definitely a quiet cluster).  I have learned fun songs that get students moving and I have worked with students from different backgrounds than I have worked with previously.  It felt good to pass out healthy snacks and dinners to students.  It was nice to see that these students want to learn and are capable of learning anything.  I am so glad that I was part of the program this year and I am looking forward to the fall!

1. Jocelyn (nor any of the floaters) were "just a floater".  The title, "floater" doesn't seem of high importance but it certainly was! We really don't recall how we came up with the term....originally the position was called "Clinical Support Teacher". However, if you recall Hanna's post, it was a little...ok....very chaotic in the beginning and I don't think we could get the words "Clinical Support Teacher" out of our mouths....so floater is what we went with. However, the floaters were very important...assisting classroom teachers as needed, taking students to the lavatory, delivering meals to the classroom, and the list could go on!

2. After reading this entry, I don't want you to think of Jocelyn as a mean teacher! In fact, from what I have observed as she has worked with students, I don't think she has a mean bone in her body! The students were not technically running away from Jocelyn. She is a  very nice person! The running away had to do with the students having high energy and they were eager to expel some of that energy!

As I read each of the guest blogs, I have come to the conclusion that you are saving quite a bit of money by not having to download/purchase books... Who needs books when you have great stories like these to read!......perhaps I need to set up a donation link to the academy! All that money you are saving needs to go somewhere!

Carpe Diem!

  -- Amy