Allysea Thompson Rebecca Agosta Discourse Community 18 Nov 2013 They on!

t even get pai enough"# The $irst %uestion that you get &hen you meet someone ne& in college is 'hat!s your ma(or)# There have been a couple o$ times &here people have respon e to the $act that * am a +re,e ucation ma(or &ith- 'hy o you &ant to be a teacher) They on!t even get pai enough)# or Teachers (obs are easy an must be so $un"# Assumptions that teachers (obs are so easy an that they on!t &or. har or as long as other pro$essionals are not ne&/ The constant changes to the curriculum an the comple0ity o$ the la&s an le0is teachers must $ollo& signi$y that there is a comple0ity an s.ill that goes unnotice by the general public an even North Carolina Department o$ +ublic *nstruction/ 1ver the past $ive to seven years there has been an e0treme ecline in those &ho gra uate college &ith an 2 ucation egree/ Categori3ing teaching as a lo&,s.ill# or un esirable# has ha a negative e$$ect $or public schools inclu ing increase class si3es- ine$$ective teachers- an no raise $or NC teachers/ 4uch o$ the general public $ail to reali3e that &ithout teachers- there &ill be no e ucation/ 5ecause o$ this- many universities have create 2 ucation 6earning Communities to %uic.ly grab those &ho &ant to become teachers an e%uip them &ith the .no&le ge an s.ills to ma.e them e$$ective an %uali$ie e ucators/ 'hat is a iscourse community) Accor ing to 7ohn 8&ales- a communication analyst- a iscourse community is escribe as a group o$ people that have the same goals or purposes- an use communication to achieve these goals 98&ales- 11:;/ *n etermining &hether or not a group

is a iscourse community- there are several certain rules- rather a list o$ criteria- in &hich the certain community must comply &ith in or er to be establishe as a iscourse community/ The people * eci e to observe &ere the members o$ the Teacher 2 ucation 6earning Community- most commonly re$erre to as the T26C/ * am a member o$ this group- you coul call me an insi er# an that is the main reason &hy * eci e to analy3e this group o$ people/ Three ama3ing e ucators hea the T26C- Dr/ 4isty <athcoc. is the irector o$ the teaching $ello&s an the T26C- 4ic.i Cro& er is the program irector an Alicia Davis is our gra uate assistant/ The T26C is comprise o$ t&enty,si0 girls- t&enty,$our are Caucasian an t&o are A$rican American/ 'e are statione in 6ynch <all- a suite,style orm on the $ourth $loor- an there are si0 rooms &ith $our T26C girls in it an one room &ith t&o T26C girls an t&o non, T26C girls/ * am $ortunate enough to have a roommate that &ants to be a teacher li.e me an t&o &ho o not/ Any&here there are 2= girls rooming together- there is going to be some .in o$ con$lict/ 2ach o$ us have our o&n personalities- have been raise a i$$erent &ay- an li.e an isli.e certain things/ Almost all o$ the > rooms have ha some type o$ roommate problems/ These range $rom one roommate $eeling le$t out- con$licts &ith cleaning or not having much in common &ith your roommate/ 5ut no matter &hat &e go through- &e &ill al&ays be connecte by our common goal to become e ucators/ 'ithin the T26C- &e have a set o$ common goals that are both $ormally &ritten an implie / 'e have a syllabus an course outline that tells us our re%uirements $or being able to stay in the learning community/ 5ut it is implie that i$ &e o not $ollo& them- &e &ill not gain access into the College o$ 2 ucation an &e &ill be .ic.e out o$ our lovely living %uarters/ To become a member o$ this ama3ing group o$ $uture teachers- one must $ill out an application separate $rom the main ?NCC housing application/ There are t&o essay %uestions- 'hy o you

&ant to be a member o$ the Teacher 2 ucation 6earning Community)# an 'hat can you contribute to the Teacher 2 ucation 6earning Community)# to even be consi ere / The purpose o$ these %uestions are so that the irectors can see ho& you &oul $it into the group an o you

have the character traits that a great teacher must poses/ 1nce accepte - * reali3e ho& bene$icial being a part o$ this community o$ girls &oul be/ 5eing a member o$ the T26C gives us an a vantage over the other +re,e ucation ma(ors/ 'e get special one,on,one interactions &ith the 8enior an 7unior Teaching $ello&s- Teacher Toolbo0 Tues ay classroom strategies- outsi e $iel trip e0periences an even a $irst han e0perience in the classroom" 2ach &ee. our irector- 4isty- sen s out a @acts sheet etailing the events an activities that are coming up $or that particular &ee./ 1n the $act sheet- she al&ays inclu es a teaching %uote an a character trait o$ the &ee. to remember to e0hibit these traits since &e are going to be teachers one ay very soon/ 2ach Thurs ay 12A30 to 1ABC- all o$ the T26C girls go to seminar together/ 2ach &ee. the seminar $ocuses on i$$erent topics/ To prepare the T26C- to become more mar.etable an prepare &e are becoming more an more ac%uainte &ith speci$ic terms &e &ill encounter once &e become a teacher/ 1ne o$ the re%uirements $or being a art o$ this community is that &e have to ta.e 2 ucation 2100 &hich is the basic intro uction to e ucation/ 2ach &ee. &e get a list o$ vocabulary &or s that &e nee to .no&A some o$ the &or s inclu e are *2+s- retention an social promotion- <orace 4ann- 5ro&n vs/ 5oar o$ 2 ucation- tenureNC 8tate 2thics- 8i0 8tan ar s o$ NC 2valuation an 2/C// 'hat ma.es this group uni%ue is that &e have girls &ho &ant to teach i$$erent areasD inclu ing 2lementary- 4i le- <igh 8chool- 8pecial Nee s an even 4usic 2 ucation/ * &as not able to have a $ace,to,$ace intervie& &ith 4ichelle ue to our con$licting sche ules but * .ne& * ha to intervie& her because * see a lot o$ similarities bet&een the t&o o$ us so * intervie&e her

over the phone/ 4ichelle eci e to ma(or in 2lementary e ucation because a$ter she eci e to go into the e ucation $iel - she .no& that there &as no &ay she coul han le mi le school .i s

&ho &ere getting into $ights or in the mi le o$ puberty/# 8he is also too sarcastic $or high school stu ents an thus she &oul be ma.ing (o.es &ith them all the time an nothing &oul get one/# @actoring in all o$ this an the $act that she loves &or.ing &ith little .i sD it (ust ma e sense# $or her to be an 2lementary 2 ucation teacher" 7ust li.e mysel$- she loves little .i s" 4ichelle loves ho& e0cite the .i s get once they $inally un erstan something they have been struggling &ith"# 1ut o$ allt he things one coul possibly love about becoming a teacher4ichelle is most loo.ing $or&ar to seeing the .i s/ 8he gaspe - 1h my gosh" * love &al.ing into a classroom an seeing so many bright smiling $aces" * cannot &ait to have my o&n classroom $ull o$ them" They can be so s&eet an caring an so smart" They are li.e little sponges an a sorb everything that you teach them an they see"# To see &hether or not 4ichelle ha the right mi set &ith becoming a teacher * as.e her- 'hat is the most important trait a person can have i$ they &ant to become a teacher)# 'ith the help o$ 4egan- 4ichelle!s roommate an $ello& T26C member- 4ichelle states- * thin. the most important trait nee e in or er to be a teacher is commitment" Eou have to be committe not only to the stu ents but to the rest o$ the sta$$ an to the &or.loa that you &ill ta.e home &ith you/#

Common Rea ing 20perience T26C members &ere re%uire to participate in the Common Rea ing 20perience/ This program &as esigne to provi e a share aca emic e0perience &hich serves to assist all $irst, year stu ents in their transition to ?NC Charlotte/ The Rea ing e0perience inclu e rea ing 'ine to 'ater- atten ing the author .eynote- an participating in boo. tal.s/ 'ine to 'ater

$eatures the story o$ an or inary barten er &hoFs changing the &orl through clean &ater/ *n 200B- Doc <en ley G a small,to&n NC barten er G launche &ine,tasting events to raise $un s $or clean,&ater pro(ects an to bring a&areness to the &orl Fs $resh&ater crisis/ <e planne to onate the procee s to other &ell establishe organi3ations- but instea $oun himsel$ traveling to one o$ the &orl Fs most angerous hot spotsA Dar$ur- 8u an/ During our boo. tal.- it &as interesting to see ho& each person relate to the boo./ Carsyn proclaime - * on!t let people in$luence me/ As a teacher- it is important that you .no& &ho you are because i$ you on!t your stu ents &ill ta.e a vantage o$ you/# <alle sa& hersel$ becoming emotionally attache to the chil ren o$ Dar$ur/ 8he! &ent on a mission trip to <aiti this past summer an Doc!s pictures ma e her recall the ay &hen she bought the chil ren bubbles to play &ith an they &ere so happy an than.$ul/ The most important things in li$e are not things-# sai <alle/ The me iocre teacher tells/ The goo teacher e0plains/ The superior teacher emonstrates/ The great teacher inspires/# H 'illiam Arthur 'ar / +ersonally- $or me- * have .no&n * &ante to be a teacher since * &as about seven years ol / * &as the chil &ho love to play school &ith the boys an girls in my neighborhoo on the &ee.en s outsi e o$ my house/ * remember the e0act moment in &hich * reali3e * &ante to be a teacher/ * &as in the 4rs/ Curries $irst gra e class an she sent home a letter to my mom saying she &ante to have me teste $or the A*I 9Aca emically *ntellectually Ii$te ; program $or my school/ * &as rea ing on a $ourth gra e rea ing level an * e0celle at all o$ my school &or./ * &as teste an * passe &hich place me in that program/ * &as inspire by the $act that she &as able to spot out something special in me an sa& that * nee e to be challenge more/ 8he &ante me to continue to e0cel an to be &ith other .i s &ho &ere (ust as smart as * &as/ *t &as then that * reali3e * &ante to o the same thing she i D * &ante to inspire an encourage chil ren to be

the best person that they can be/ Throughout the community- there are similar stories o$ ho& girls reali3e they &ante to become a teacher/ * sa& one o$ the boys in my class having i$$iculty rea ing so * sat o&n to rea the boo. &ith him- the same &ay * ha seen my mom o at home &ith my little sister/ The assistant teacher in my class tol my main teacher- 4rs/ Iunether about &hat * ha one an tol me that * shoul consi er becoming a teacher/ 8he ha inspire me"

That!s &hen * .ne& $or sure this &as the (ob $or me-# sai 4ichelle/

'or.s Cite 4atthe&s- 4ichelle/ +ersonal *ntervie&/ Nov = 2013/ 8&ales- 7ohn/ The Concept o$ Discourse Community/# 'riting About 'ritingA A College Rea er/ 2 / 2li3abeth 'ar le an Doug Do&ns/ 5ostonA 5e $or J 8t/ 4artin!s- 2011/