Fall 2003

Volume 7 Number 1
A publication of Macon State College

Partners in Education

Macon State students discover the best way to learn is to do

Macon State College student Chris Osier helps Skyview fifth graders Jerrez Cross and Hannah Rozier work on a social sciences project. Photo by Renee Pearman

By Renee Pearman

Chris Osier begins his Monday in a Macon State College biology lab and ends the day in a fifth-grade social sciences class. In one classroom, he is a student; in the other, he is a teacher. In both roles, he is learning.

Osier is one of 52 MSC students who are volunteer tutors at area public schools this fall. In December, he will complete his associate degree, with a double major in teacher education and history. In fact, most of the student tutors are education majors who are taking advantage of an opportunity to get a glimpse of their future, thanks to the College’s Partners in Education program.

The MSC Partners in Education Committee, co-chaired by faculty members Linda Green and Carol Cheshire, coordinates the tutorial program as well as other projects in three elementary schools: Skyview and Morgan, both in Bibb County, and Linwood in Houston County.

In 1985, Macon State “adopted” Morgan as part of Bibb County’s Adopt-A-School Program, now called Partners in Education, in which local businesses and institutions work with public schools to enhance educational opportunities for the students.

Macon State established two projects when it partnered with Morgan. The Young Authors & Artists Conference each spring includes a writing seminar for Morgan students who submit stories, poems, essays and illustrations to their teachers. The winning entries, selected by the teachers, are compiled in a book, and the student authors and artists each receive a copy of the book and a T-shirt from the Macon State College Foundation.

Through the tutorial service, the College provides student volunteers who visit Morgan classrooms during fall and spring semesters, working with pre-kindergarten through sixth-grade pupils in various subjects and helping teachers with their day-to-day classroom activities. At Skyview, the tutors work with the children individually and in groups, participate in reading and storytelling exercises, proctor tests and assist with after-school programs and special projects.

Macon State College’s Partners in Education Committee members (l-r) Carol Cheshire, Linda Green and Susan Hulett show the Extra Mile Award they received from the Bibb County Board of Education. Photo by Renee Pearman

In addition, the College’s Partners in Education Committee brings artists to the schools. In the past, children’s author Carmen Deedy, Nigerian dancer Ramatu Mohmud and Zambia musician Djimo Kouyate have performed at Morgan. Also, MSC nursing students visit the schools to talk about health and hygiene, and Partners in Education Committee member Barbara Jolley conducts math workshops.

Last year, Macon State received a Georgia Association of Elementary School Principals’ Education Patron Award for its work with Morgan. This fall, the Bibb County Board of Education presented its Extra Mile Award to Macon State’s Partners in Education Committee in recognition of the 1,261 hours of tutoring that MSC students provided at Skyview during the 2002-03 academic year.

“Our commitment goes beyond what most people view as community service because we directly work on a sustained basis with these young children,” said Green, an assistant professor of English in the Division of Learning Support.

The program was expanded to Skyview two years ago, and this year, Linwood Elementary, located near the College’s Warner Robins Campus, was added.

“We have Macon State students visiting these three schools throughout the academic year, doing everything from tutoring and reading to helping with lessons and assignments,” Green said.

Any Macon State student can volunteer with Partners in Education, but education majors, who are required to work with school-age children in an academic setting for a certain number of hours per semester, can fulfill their course requirements through the program.
Often the experience affirms their career choice. “By observing teaching strategies and helping children in the classroom, our students can better identify the grades and the age levels they feel most comfortable working with,” said Susan Hulett, an education instructor at Macon State.

That’s what happened in Chris Osier’s case. He originally wanted to teach high school history, but now he is leaning toward working in an elementary or middle school after spending time at Skyview.

Osier believes the best way to learn is to do, and that is why he asked to return to Donna Wilder’s fifth–grade social sciences class at Skyview for a second year.

“Ms. Wilder allows me to really learn and not just sit and watch,” said the 22-year-old. “She is preparing me to teach. She lets me help with lesson plans and worksheets, and I get to work one-on-one with the students.”

Osier, a Plattsburg, N.Y., native who moved with his Air Force family to Warner Robins in 1985, said his inspiration is his former social sciences teacher at Rumble Middle School. “His style of teaching was very hands-on,” Osier said. “He made history fun. When we studied Mexico, the class had a fiesta. When we studied Argentina, our class learned how to play rugby. That’s also the kind of teacher Ms. Wilder is, and that’s the kind of teacher I want to be.”

Wilder and Dr. Linda Bivins, assistant principal at Skyview, think Osier is in the right profession. “My students look forward to his visits because they know he is going to help them and encourage them,” Wilder said. “Chris is very patient and forthright with the children, and they appreciate that. He is learning to be a teacher.”

Bivins said her staff welcomed Osier back to Skyview. “He has the knowledge and the wherewithal to be an excellent teacher,” she said. “In fact, I know he is going to be an excellent teacher.”