The number one question I get when I tell people I am getting my master’s in theatre education: Fontbonne has a theatre?

Why yes, yes they do, and the theatre is producing excellent pieces of work through student productions and through Mustard Seed Theatre. The upcoming student production is a show written by Sarah Kane and directed by Tricia Duffin: “Crave” is an intense and experimental piece that explores the yearning and the longing to form relationships and the forces that stop these relationships from working. read more. Please note that this production does contain adult themes and language.

The other response I get is, “Oh, I love going to see shows.” I should really go see one. Again, yes, yes you should go see a show. Did I mention that “Crave” is free to all Fontbonne students? In this economy, who can beat that? A FREE night of thought provoking entertainment. Right here on the Fontbonne campus.

“You get mixed messages because I have mixed feelings.”
― Sarah Kane, Crave

My favorite class this semester is my Edu201 class. There is a lot to this class, and I am really getting a lot out of it. We meet for 2 hours and 45 minutes on Tuesdays and beginning next week, the last hour of the class will be spent mentoring a few of the middle school students. I am really excited to begin working one-on-one with some of the kids. I hope to be able to work with at least one of the 7th graders that I work with when I observe. My favorite part of this course is that I am required to observe in the Brentwood Middle School for a minimum of 30 hours this semester. Since I am a math major I am paired up with the 7th grade math teacher and I am loving it.

I go on Fridays and am there for 3 hours so I am there for 2 full classes, and I’ve really gotten to know some of the students in those 2 classes. It’s so much fun to be able to help them, and see them figure out problems on their own. This class is certainly confirming the fact that I want to be a teacher and that I am on the right track here at Fontbonne!

Fontbonne’s Education department is terrific and everyone is so helpful!

I’ve found my niche on campus.

At the beginning of the semester, I dabbled with the idea of switching majors to Secondary English Education. It seemed logical: blogging is my favorite part of the week, honors composition is my favorite class, and a few of my favorite women teach English. However, my work-study position granted me a new perspective.

As Clinical Assistant in the Communication Disorders and Deaf Education department, my job description sounds like I partake in the typical hum-drum processes of office work: filing paperwork, answering phones, making copies, brewing coffee. But, it is so much more than that—I am immersed in the Speech Pathology culture.

Every morning the graduate students start to trickle in around 8 o’clock. Even with heavy coarse loads, they are dressed to impress and eager to begin their days. Shortly after their arrival, the hallways are filled with laughter, clomping feet, and exhausted moms trying to keep up their energetic kiddos. This excitement is only intensified when our graduate students greet their young clients. Everyone is eager for therapy to begin.

While I am witnessing everything from behind a desk, I can’t help but be reminded that this will be my life in 3 years.

I don’t know if it is the serenity of the sage green walls, or the dedicated graduate students, but something here is comforting. There is so much going on, but the peaceful aura is never lost.

I know this is where I am supposed to be.

There are so many people around campus who inspire me. So many that I won’t even mention them all, I will just highlight a few.

As far as teachers go, this semester I have a pretty awesome range of teachers! I have my favorite math teacher for the third time, Mrs. Graves! She is awesome! She is really good at explaining problems, and let’s face it — Calculus might as well be a whole new language, so it helps a lot to have a great teacher. She is constantly pushing me not to give up when I can’t figure a problem out, and she’s always willing to help when any of her students are having trouble.

I have two great education teachers this semester. The first is Sr. Rita (whose class I have just after I finish this blog…) She is the nicest lady you probably will ever meet on campus! She is constantly smiling and so positive about everything! Her energy for teaching all of us about the Philosophical Foundation of Education just reminds me why I chose to become a teacher! My second education teacher is Carey Tuckey — she is such an amazing teacher! I have learned so much from her class already. She teaches a class for all secondary education majors, and we attend class on Brentwood Middle School’s campus and hear from some of their teachers, as well as help out in classrooms. She has so much knowledge, and so many different ways of teaching instead of constantly doing the same thing. It’s my favorite class this semester, even though it is my longest!

Other than the teachers that inspire me, so do my friends that are so involved in sports, FAB, campus ministry, and so much more! I wish I could manage to be involved in all that, but I just try my best to make it to as many events as possible. Fontbonne makes it so easy and fun to get involved, it’s almost hard not to be.

I hope everyone has a good week, and that there is someone on campus who inspires you too!

Three weeks have come and gone, and it feels like we never even had a summer break. It’s so natural and easy to fall back into step here at Fontbonne — back in the same routines with classes, work, homework, and hanging out with friends. Although it feels like we never had a summer break, I have certainly noticed the course load difference between freshman and sophomore year. I have much more homework, and my class schedule is completely different as well. On Mondays I have 4 classes, and on Tuesdays I have 2, one of which is 2 hours and 45 minutes, and we meet at Brentwood Middle School. Wednesdays I have 3, but then on Thursday and Friday I only have one which makes it easy to relax at the end of the week.

Although the work load is harder, I am still really excited about this semester. The class on Tuesday that meets at Brentwood is a lot of fun, and is teaching me much more than I imagined. It’s my first real education course I have taken, and it is making it very clear to me that teaching is what I want to go into. This course also requires 30 hours of observation, so I am spending 3-4 hours a week in a 7th grade, math classroom. I have already gone once, and I absolutely loved it! The kids are so energetic, and it is so much fun to see how they try to figure out problems. Observing, and helping in a classroom opened my eyes much more than I thought it would. I never looked at the classroom from the teacher’s point of view, so that was really cool to get to do.

Along with balancing work, classes, and a social life, I am trying to be more involved this year. I am going to more FAB events (Fontbonne Activities Board) as well as trying to help out with Campus Ministry more. So far, these three weeks have been great! I couldn’t be happier to be back, and to not be the lowest on the food chain anymore

Hello Everyone,

Long time no blog! Well for those you new to the scene, let me introduce myself. I am Jeanne Eveld. I am a sophomore seeking a career in Special Education. I picked Fontbonne for its small, but close-knit community. I did not find it hard to get involved and make new friends at Fontbonne! Plus, they have a GREAT education program! If it doesn’t already show, I love kids and look forward to showing them all the knowledge out there that they can learn.

I am also an avid reader, and reading is a deep passion of mine that I take part in frequently (almost too frequently!). I am currently reading the Divergent Trilogy even though only two are out and the third won’t be out until 2013!! It is a pretty intricate futuristic novel about the world’s population broken up into 5 factions, each focused on one quality, like bravery or selflessness. It focuses on the journey of one girl who tries to find which faction she truly belongs in when it seems like she fits into more than one and that is an unusual quality in this book’s world. Well that was my book plug!

I like anything involving the outdoors, such as hiking, knitting (I’m not good though), and watching a plethora of movies (Princess Bride wins as the BEST!). That is me, so come back and read some more. I write weekly, and I try to keep it informational in one form or another. So, enough about me, what about you?

Jeanne!

Many people can look at the life of a Fontbonne student in different ways. I for one think that my life as a Fontbonne student means family — on and off campus. In many of my classes, there have been special bonds formed, even if it’s just for a semester. The bonds between the class help us to encourage one another with instruction and support. Take, for instance, my Public  Speaking class. It is a small class, but being able to present and share a part of ourselves each week gives insight about each of us. There is some unique vibe that we all collaboratively share. When my class ends, I go home to my own family, which reminds me of why I am a Fontbonne student anyway. It is my family that I desire to share my successes and failures with because they are the most important people in my life. I am a Fontbonne student because I know that my education is worth the hard work, and I am my children’s first example in life. They watch me take care of them, maintain a household, do homework, be responsible and teach responsibility. Fontbonne is not just a part of my life, but part of my family’s life.

At every family event, I get the same questions. Those questions. The ones about college, and majors, and dorm life. Those questions. This Easter, my favorite question was “So what’s your major this week?” And it’s not like I have changed my major at all… Don’t get me wrong, I have questioned if high school math was the exact field I wanted to go into or not, but never if education was. I know I want to be a teacher. No matter what. I just have to make up my mind on the level. With each family member that asked me how college was, about my major, and how freshman year has gone, I began to wonder if I am going in the right direction or not.

Wondering is good. It’s okay to be unsure, so if you are coming to Fontbonne undecided, don’t be afraid. You are not alone, and there are plenty of people to help you find what you want to do! And don’t be afraid of those questions — everyone gets asked them.

There may come a time when I ask myself, “Why am I here?” Not here on Earth specifically, but here at Fontbonne University. The answer to that question is simple. The answer is because I value a college education, but what is the value in college education?

The education that I am able to receive here at FBU is of a far greater quality than I believe I could receive elsewhere. Small classes, a helpful faculty, and a sufficient learning environment allow me to receive the type of education not seen in typical educational institutions. It is for that reason that I find value by being here at Fontbonne. This education is the next step in ensuring a successful future for myself.

Taking that next step to college is a whole new experience for me. There’s new people, new things to learn, a new place to call “home,” and an entirely new city to explore. Adjusting can be quite difficult, but the students and faculty here at FBU have made it really easy. Just this month, our floor is competing against each other in an “open door” contest. We receive stars daily (yes, like Kindergartners, but it’s fun to act like a five-year-old right?) for each time our RA sees our doors open for communication. This has provided a friendly competition for all of us on the floor to partake in, and I find myself talking and being more sociable with others. I have learned here that college isn’t just about learning and studying  (and maybe partying for those who have a wild side), but about embracing all that your college can offer you, which is more than just an education.

I look forward to continuing here at FBU, and winning that “open door” contest at the end of the month!

It’s hard to place a monetary value on my college education. Education holds the keys to wealth, and not just monetary gains, but socially, emotionally and morally.  An education opens your eyes to so many things in your environment. For me, an education helps my observation skills, and I choose to pay attention to things that are important to more people than just me. My education helps me to focus on the needs and concerns of others, and not just my needs and desires.