When asked by my advisor and professor of education, Mr. Kit Carson, if I was interested in becoming the Student Executive Board Member for NACCTEP, I knew it would be a great opportunity and a once-in-a-lifetime experience. To be quite honest, I didn’t realize just how much I would benefit from the experience. I, like most community college education students, had never heard of NACCTEP. Over the next several months, I would come to realize just how valuable this organization is to education students at community colleges across the United States.
My first experience as the NACCTEP Student Board Member came in September 2008 at the fall board meeting in Washington, D.C. I have to admit I was quite apprehensive about the trip in the beginning. I had never flown before, been in our nation’s capitol, or even taken a taxi. So needless to say, this was quite an adventure for me. It did not take me long to get over the fear of flying. Once in the air, I realized that this way of traveling was not so bad after all. Now all I had to do was tackle the big city of Washington, D.C. After arriving, getting to the hotel turned out to be a breeze. That evening, I met a few of the board members for dinner. I received a very warm welcome from them and immediately felt like I had been part of the group for quite some time. We took the Metro to Union Station where we ate and shopped. This was an experience as well!
The following day the executive Board meeting began. Over the next day and a half, I realized how much of an advocate NACCTEP is for education students at community colleges. I learned of visits to Capitol Hill and heard from representatives of various organizations such as the American Association of Community Colleges and the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. I did not realize until this point just how much work goes on behind the scenes for students. I think as students we take for granted that we can enroll at an institution and receive the education we need for our major without thinking of all of the hard work that goes into ensuring we receive what we need to achieve our dreams. After the fall Board meeting adjourned, I could hardly wait for the NACCTEP conference in Reno scheduled for March 2009.
The conference in Reno was a very educational experience. From the Opening Session by Sharon Bowman, Turning Passive Listeners into Active Learners, to the breakout sessions I attended, I learned an abundant amount of information I believe will be very valuable to my career as an educator in the future. Some examples include how to keep the attention of your students and thereby enabling them to learn; how to create a multicultural classroom; and using lessons learned from The Three Little Pigs to teach topics such as manners, bad behavior, and money matters.
My experience as the NACCTEP Student Executive Board Member has been extremely valuable. I know that what I have learned will enable me to become a better educator and allow me to achieve my dreams of making a difference in the lives of children. I will no longer take my education for granted. I have a new outlook on my college education because of NACCTEP. I now have an understanding of how much work goes on behind the scenes to ensure that when I graduate with my associate’s degree, I will be prepared to transfer to a four-year university to obtain my bachelor’s degree in early childhood education. I am very grateful to Mr. Carson; Dr. Virginia Carson, President of NACCTEP and South Georgia College; and NACCTEP for allowing me to serve as the Student Board Member for this organization whose services are invaluable to teacher education programs at community colleges. |
