“I give them a minute to just get everything situated,� says the Orange County Public School teacher, “and we normally do a bunch of reading in the morning.�

Among their books of choice: If You Only Knew What Failure Could Do — the elementary school educator and two-time Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ graduate’s newly-released children’s book that’s inspired by her failures as a student to empower readers to overcome their own.

Failure is not an option. Why not? Who says so? Giessuebel believes failure is inevitable and wants children to have a healthy relationship with it. Only then will they learn the strength they achieve from failure is something they can only get from failed experiences.

Here Giessuebel shares more about her career in education, journey to becoming an author and the important message within her first book.

I was destined to teach.

I’ve always had a passion for working with children. I actually got inspired to teach by my first-grade teacher who’s a character in my book, Mrs. Daniels. Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ is really known for its , so there was no doubt when I graduated high school that I would go there because I knew the quality of education and the quality of professors that I would have would be unmatched to any other university.

The road to becoming an educator was rocky.

I was always never good at taking tests my whole life. I almost gave up teaching because I couldn’t pass the state exams. My brother has been a heavy supporter of me wanting to go into education. I remember when I didn’t pass some of the certification exams, he paid for my retakes without me even knowing. He was a huge part in how this failure has come to not be a failure anymore, but instead my testimony, my story. Without people like him, I don’t think I would be where I’m at today.

I feel the buildup of testing pressure in my own classroom.

It’s frustrating. In education today we see there’s so much pressure on these tests. I see students struggling with testing anxiety. They could be a straight-A student but not pass a test and then are told they can’t move on to the next grade. I’m trying to change that narrative. I’m open to talking about failure with my students. I tell them that we all are going to fail. I think it’s a balance between communication, encouragement and transparency as an educator to a student. It’s all about relationships and them knowing that I don’t value a test over them.

When I could write a book about anything, I chose to write about my failures.

I’ve always been super determined in life to not just be a teacher, but be a teacher with a purpose. I actually saw another educator write a book with children’s illustrator Diana McDermott. I was looking at the book and thought, “Why can’t I do this? I have a story to share.”

My 32-page children’s book is inspired by real life events that I’ve gone through. A boy named Thomas, who’s named after my brother, is called upon to read out loud in class. He has all this confidence as he’s reading, but then comes across a word that he doesn’t know. The fear of failure takes over him until his teacher, Mrs. Daniels, tells him that everybody fails and shares her own struggles with learning and needing a tutor. Through his teacher, Thomas gets to see failure from a different lens and realizes that it isn’t a failure, it’s just a learning step to get you to where you need to be.

It was pretty clear on my heart what I wanted to write about. Diana loved the story and believed in my vision, and that’s how the book was born. At first when I told my students that I was an author, they were like, “Oh, are you famous now?” No, I’m not famous, but look, an actual book came out of my failure. It’s proof that good things do come from hard times.

What has failure taught me? To believe in myself.

I was always never good at taking tests. But when it really mattered to get my degree at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½, my failed experiences taught me that I can do it. I had to believe in myself because I’m the one taking the test. If everything was easy and we never got anything wrong, we’d never grow. So I think my failed experiences have built perseverance, resilience, strength and this unshakable belief in myself that I can do hard things. I’m proud of the failures, and now I’m not ashamed to talk about them. I hope that I can share this message with others: that we should be talking about our failures because we have something to learn from them.

And with that, Jeanette Marie Reynoso received some of the worst advice ever given by a college counselor. Reynoso was shocked. She thought the indifference and casual cruelty she encountered in her youth was behind her. But she dried her tears, picked herself up and enrolled in Seminole State College, the first step on a path that has led her to Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ and halfway to realizing a lifelong dream.

“I’ve wanted to be a teacher my entire life,� says Reynoso. “I was that kid who would ask for a blackboard for Christmas and I would teach to my stuffed animals. When my cousins came over, I would make them worksheets on notebook paper.�

But her own experience with schooling — and with life — started out rocky. As a young girl growing up in Bergen County, New Jersey, Reynoso never knew her father. Then, at the age of 12, her mother dropped her off at a sleepover and never came back. Reynoso’s sixth-grade reading teacher helped her get into foster care, but the group home she ended up at didn’t allow her to attend school. A teacher would visit regularly, but the lessons were basic and unstructured.

“I read hundreds of books because we weren’t allowed to watch TV,� Reynoso says. “That was really where my love of reading started.�

Reynoso moved on from that facility at 14 and was finally able to attend high school. But having gone without formal instruction for so long, she struggled. Reynoso dropped out a year later and started working full time. Then, when she turned 18, she aged out of the foster care system.

“The director of the group home said, ‘The state won’t pay for you to stay here anymore,’ and I asked her what I was supposed to do,’� says Reynoso. “She said ‘A lot of people go to college,’ and I said ‘OK, I guess I’ll do that.’�

Reynoso got good scores on the SATs and was accepted to all five colleges to which she had applied. She settled on Fairleigh Dickinson College because it was right around the corner from her group home. For the first time in years, Reynoso was felt hope, pride and a sense that the worst might be behind her. But those positive thoughts were shattered on move-in day at the college.

“I got there and everything was out of my league,� says Reynoso. “Everyone was there with their parents, moving into the dorm, and I showed up by myself carrying a black plastic bag. I had the clothes I had taken from my group home and that was it. I remember just crying my eyes out. That was in August and I only made it to October before I left.�

After her false start in college, Reynoso spent a year volunteering for AmeriCorps, an experience that rekindled her passion for teaching.

“My year in AmeriCorps was in one of the roughest school districts in New Jersey, and it was the most transformative year of my life,� says Reynoso. “I wrote an after-school literacy program for kids in kindergarten through eighth grade.�

Not long after that, Reynoso met Miguel, the man who would become her husband. Suddenly, she went from having no family to being embraced by a huge one.

“When I was in the foster care system, I didn’t have any family,� Reynoso says. “When my husband and I met, I said ‘Tell me about your family,’ and he said ‘Well, I have 12 aunts and uncles and dozens of cousins.’�

Most of her husband’s family lived in Florida, so they decided to move to the Orlando area. After having three children, Reynoso decided to go back to school to be a teacher. She started inquiring at local colleges, which led to that disheartening interaction with an academic advisor.

“I left that meeting in tears. I said to myself, ‘What was I thinking? I’m meant to be a stay-at-home mom,’ � Reynoso says. “My husband said, ‘Do not let this one person dictate your future.’ �

With support from her husband, she enrolled at Seminole State College and immediately set about proving the advisor wrong. Reynoso earned straight A’s throughout her time at SSC and finished with a 4.0 GPA, all while balancing her classwork with her responsibilities at home.

After earning her associates degree, Reynoso took advantage of the DirectConnect program to continue her schooling at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½. At first, the transition was overwhelming.

“The first time I stepped foot on campus, in January 2020, I remember thinking, ‘What am I doing?,’ � says Reynoso. “There were flyers up everywhere for different clubs and events and I’m thinking ‘Yeah, I go to bed at nine o’clock. How am I going to fit in here?’�

It didn’t take long, however, for Reynoso to settle in and start taking advantage of the some of the programs Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ offers to support students.

“I saw a flyer that said ‘Get on the Knight track.’ If you took a bunch of different steps, like meeting with an academic advisor, going to two workshops and meeting with SARC (the Student Academic Resource Center), you’d get a $500 scholarship,� says Reynoso. “That’s how I ended up applying for McNair Scholars. It was a catalyst for all of these really cool things that I got to do.�

Then along came COVID. Ironically, some of the same pandemic-driven changes that caused many students to struggle actually helped Reynoso excel.

“Moving classes online made it really easy for me to be active and participate in things where I wouldn’t have been able to be on campus in person,� Reynoso says. “Some meet ups were at six in the evening, when I’d be in the middle of making dinner for my family. But I could Zoom while throwing together a salad. In this case, technology really helped me feel integrated and feel like I belonged.�

Fast forward a couple of years and Reynoso has excelled in her pursuit of her elementary education degree.  She participated in the Phillips Academy Institute for Recruitment of Teachers (IRT) summer program, which prepares future educators to pursue advanced degrees. Last summer, Reynoso also studied virtually at Vanderbilt University as part of the Leadership Alliance summer research program.

In addition to all of her other responsibilities at school and at home, Reynoso finds time to volunteer, helping students through a number of Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ programs, including Saturday reading camps and the university’s bookmobile initiative, which gives away free books to kids who don’t have access to a library. Reynoso also volunteers on an ongoing basis at the ACE (Academic Center of Excellence) school in the Parramore neighborhood of Orlando.

All this experience in the field left Reynoso well prepared for her current role as a full-time student teacher at Bentley Elementary School in Seminole County.

“When it was time for me to be in my own classroom, I was ready,� she says.

On the cusp of both graduating and turning 36, she’s still not done proving that old advisor wrong. Reynoso was recently accepted into the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ master’s program for elementary education. From there, she hopes to become a “triple knight,” earning her doctorate in the same subject. Ultimately, Reynoso wants to become the superintendent of a school district, a position that will allow her to exercise her love of teaching while “trickling down” some of the lessons she’s learned over years of being involved in education and activism.

Her message to other parents is to not shy away from filling up their days in pursuit if their dreams.

“One of the biggest misconceptions about going to college is that there’s a point in time when you’re too old to do it,� says Reynoso. “It’s not easy juggling childcare and pickups and making meals and all those other things.  But you can do this. School is for you, and you can join clubs and meet people and be a part of things.�

“I’m so glad I took the leap,� she says. “Being a Knight really has changed my life.�

The department also states that these areas represent “where postsecondary institutions do not produce enough graduates to meet the needs of Florida’s K-12 student population.� Lake County Schools, which serves more than 42,000 students at 59 elementary, middle and high schools, is no exception.

“We have a shortage of certified teachers,â€� says Stephanie Luke, a math and science education instructor at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ and chair of the Lake County School Board. “As a school board member, I’m critically aware of that.â€�

To address the problem, a growing partnership between the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ College of Community Innovation and Education and Lake County Schools created a pathway for high school students with an interest in becoming teachers to earn a bachelor’s degree and become certified to fill the county’s vacancies. The Tavares Teaching Academy, now in its second year at Tavares High School, is designed to not only introduce students to the profession with specialized courses and hands-on classroom experiences, but also provide impactful collaborations with Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ elementary education faculty and students. By cultivating teachers within the community, this grow-your-own program was conceived to deliver a self-sustaining supply of new educators.

“The vision of this program is to produce highly qualified graduates who are from Lake County and will come back to teach in Lake County,â€� Luke says. “We know that if they come through this program from high school to Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½, they will be ready to go — and we’re really excited about it.â€�

Creating a Pathway

The partnership path leads Tavares Teaching Academy graduates to Lake-Sumter State College, where they will earn an associate’s degree that qualifies them for admission to Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ through the DirectConnect to Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ program. Upon achieving their bachelor’s degree and Florida state teacher certification, which they can complete at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s elementary education program on site at the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Connect South Lake Center in Clermont, participants are guaranteed a job interview with Lake County Schools.

“We want to grow the teachers who know about the culture and community in Lake County,� says Bonnie Watkins, the Tavares High School teacher who leads the academy. “Our hope is that these experiences solidify [the students’] desire to become teachers and fulfill the needs in our classrooms.�

For Marni Kay, Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ instructor of reading education, the value of the academy is to place qualified, passionate, purposeful teachers in classrooms.

“The critical teaching shortage is the reason the Tavares Teaching Academy was started to intentionally show high school students what college will look like for them,� she says “We’re working to grow our own right in Lake County so that they’re able to start in Lake County schools, do service-learning partnerships with kids in their own community, and then become teachers in the community.�

According to Watkins, the strength of Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s elementary education program and its presence in Lake County are key to the partnership.

“Our students receive the benefit of shared resources from Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½, as well as advice from a Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ instructor,â€� she says. “We work together to create valuable field experiences that are essential to the success of the Teaching Academy program.â€�

Fueling Collaboration

Building a pathway for future teachers also involves bringing the high school and college students together for collaborative events and mentoring. The groups recently met at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Connect South Lake Center in Clermont to celebrate International Dot Day, a recognition of the works of children’s author Peter H. Reynolds. Thirty-five Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ students worked with 17 Teaching Academy students through six educational stations that reinforced the methods they’ll use one day to teach children to read. It’s this type of hands-on, practical experience that will fuel their success when theory becomes reality in their own classrooms.

“It’s so important to connect the research into action,� Kay says. “We model for students what they can do in their own classrooms and help them develop successful teaching strategies.�

It all adds up to Tavares Teaching Academy graduates who are better prepared to succeed in college — and in leading a classroom after they graduate from Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ and become certified by the state.

“These students will have a head start because they will have already spent time in front of a class,� Luke says. “In fact, as college instructors, we’ll need to step it up when we have this level of student coming in.�

For the high school students, spending time with their college counterparts helps reinforce why they participate in the academy.

“I enjoyed the opportunity to work with students who have the same passion as me, but are also role models since they’re older,â€� says Ashley Ellixson, a Tavares High School junior. “Meeting new people who are from different walks of life, but who also share the same interest, was an eye-opening experience.”

And there are benefits for the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ teaching students, as well.

“I feel like a role model, trying to help the high schoolers understand what the expectations of being an elementary education student are at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½,â€� says junior Kira Dowling. “It’s giving back to the community because these students are going to be in my position one day.â€�

The connections the students will build during the program are valuable beyond what the coursework will produce, because, as the instructors explain, teaching is a team effort.

“Teaching is not an isolated event,� says Kay. “Teaching should be a community partnership, because in the end we’re all in it to serve students.�

“The new rankings reflect our focus on student success and faculty excellence and puts us one step closer to reaching our goal of becoming a 21st-century university committed to fueling the talent, ideas and innovation that will drive our community and state forward.�

The list shows the university’s upward trajectory in the number of programs on the top 100 list; there were 18 programs ranked in 2017. The rankings measure the quality of 800 schools’ faculty, research and students, and are based on peer and expert opinions.

“From our growing academic reputation to our successful athletic programs, the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ has made impressive gains over the last decade,â€� says Elizabeth A. Dooley, provost and vice president for academic affairs. “The new rankings reflect our focus on student success and faculty excellence and puts us one step closer to reaching our goal of becoming a 21st-century university committed to fueling the talent, ideas and innovation that will drive our community and state forward.â€�

Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s top-ranked program this year, Emergency and Crisis Management, tied for No. 7, above programs at Texas A&M University, American University and George Washington University. The program is under the direction of Associate Professor Claire Connolly Knox, who says the course builds on the strength of the faculty, advisory board and alumni who mentor students.

“Effective emergency and crisis management is vital for every community,� Knox says. “Since 2016, four hurricanes — Matthew, Irma, Maria and Michael — and three mass casualty events — Pulse nightclub, Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School and Fort Lauderdale Airport — have greatly impacted Florida communities. There is an increasing need for emergency management specialists to expand their knowledge, skills and abilities through an advanced degree so they can more ethically manage emergencies and crises.�

The next highest Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ rankings are the Nonprofit Management at No. 8 (moving up from 12) and Counselor Education at No. 9 (moving up from 10).

Other programs ranked in the top 50 are: Optics and Photonics (No. 12), Elementary Education (No. 22), Public Administration (No. 23), Criminal Justice (No. 26), Industrial Engineering (No. 36) and Health Administration (No. 46).

Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ programs with the biggest point-gain improvements this year were in nursing. Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s master’s nursing school ranked No. 61 overall, moving up 26 points, and the Doctor of Nursing Practice ranked No. 72, improving by 29 points.

Other programs in the top 100 are:
Computer Engineering (No. 52)
Communication Sciences and Disorders (No. 53)
Electrical Engineering (No. 53)
Overall best public administration graduate school (No. 53)
Materials Science and Engineering (No. 57)
Physics (No. 61)
Environmental Engineering (No. 63)
Civil Engineering (No. 65)
Mechanical Engineering (No. 65)
Social Work (No. 70)
Overall best graduate engineering school (No. 75)
Overall best graduate education school (No. 78)
Computer Science (No. 82)
Overall medical research school (No. 88)
Part-time MBA (No. 89)

This was the first time in the top 100 for the part-time MBA, which includes both the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Evening MBA and the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Part-time Professional MBA.

1. Pop Parlour

Serving up sweets is practically in graduate Brandon Chandler ’10’s DNA. In 2013, Chandleropened Pop Parlour, a shop offering fruity, creamy and boozy frozen treats as a tribute to his grandfather PopPop, who sold similar items after World War II. Pop Parlour has grown to two locations and serves coffee, tea, craft beer and wine, depending on which spot you visit.

³¢´Ç³¦²¹³Ù¾±´Ç²Ô²õ:Ìý4214 E. Plaza Drive on the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ campus; 431 E. Central Blvd., Suite C; ThePopParlour.com
(Pop Parlour’s Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ location will be closed on Small Business Saturday due to campus closures, but you can still visit the downtown location or stop by another day.)

2. Six28 Boutique

Six months after graduating with a degree in elementary education, Rachel Ledbetter ’16 took a risk to pursue entrepreneurship by opening clothing boutique Six28. Located near Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½, Six28 sells trendy, affordable women’s clothing and accessories, which can also be purchased on the store’s online site.

Location:12082 Collegiate Way; 407-630-3890; Six28Boutique.com

3. Bikes, Beans & Bordeaux

Cycling enthusiasts Darrell Cunningham ’93 and Jen Cunningham ’95 ’96MSW opened Bikes, Beans and Bordeaux to provide a space for people to bond over good food, drinks and company. With a commitment to health in mind, the shop sells breakfast items, sandwiches, soups, salads, desserts, beer, wine and more daily and at special events each month. While at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½, Darrell studied civil engineering and Jen majored in social work.

Location:3022 Corrine Drive; 407-427-1440; BikesBeansandBordeaux.com

4. Deli Fresh Threads

Marketing major Anthony “Biggie� Bencomo ’98 merged his love of sandwiches with another creative passion by opening Deli Fresh Threads, a clothing store? with designs inspired by what he considers the #KingOfMeals. You can buy foodie fashion in the form of T-shirts, hats, pins and stickers on the online shop. Bencomo also hosts a monthly #SandwichEatUp at local shops around Central Florida to help support other small businesses.

Location: 321-303-5129; DeliFreshThreads.com

5. Tactical Brewing Company

Owned and operated by veteran and psychology graduate Doug Meyer ’14 ’16MBA, Tactical Brewing Company serves craft brews created on-site to veterans, first responders and all beer lovers alike.

³¢´Ç³¦²¹³Ù¾±´Ç²Ô:Ìý4882 New Broad St.; 407-203-2033; TacticalBeer.com

6. Retrolando

Retro Orlando captures the City Beautiful’s history while giving back to others. The online T-shirt company offers men and women’s clothing inspired by former iconic Orlando businesses, organizations and landmarks. Each purchase is something you can feel good about because owner and English major Shannon Flesch Couillard ’04, donates a new shirt to a local homeless shelter for each shirt sold.

³¢´Ç³¦²¹³Ù¾±´Ç²Ô:ÌýRetrolando.com

7. Yaupon Brothers Tea Co.

Brothers — Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ senior hospitality major Kyle White and legal studies graduate Bryon ’09— have revived an ancient Native American superfood with their yaupon holly tea company. The brothers sustainably harvest their organic crop and distribute their product at restaurants and shops. Online purchases can also be made on their official site and Amazon. Yaupon Brothers also offers sustainable agricultural consulting services for Florida farmers looking for alternative crops.

³¢´Ç³¦²¹³Ù¾±´Ç²Ô²õ:ÌýVarious local shops such as Lucky’s Market, Credo Coffee, Infusion Tea and Dandelion Communitea Café; YauponBrothers.com

8. A Piece of Work

Started by marketing graduate Curtis Young ’04 in 2007, A Piece of Work apparel company creates custom embroidery and screen printing. Through partnerships with companies such as the Orlando Magic, Funky Buddha and more, the online site offers quality work clothing. A Piece of Work also sells eco-friendly items such as recycled journals and organic cotton totes.

³¢´Ç³¦²¹³Ù¾±´Ç²Ô:Ìý321-662-3836; APieceofWorkGear.com

9. Just Save the Date

Whether you need to put together a small intimate gathering or a major extravagant event, Just Save the Date can help make any occasion special. Communication graduate and owner Kelly Erickson Fowler ’02 started the event planning company after planning her own destination wedding. Just Save the Date operates from two locations in the Orlando and Key West areas.

³¢´Ç³¦²¹³Ù¾±´Ç²Ô²õ:ÌýOrlando – 407-258-1944; Key West – 305-767-3774; JustSaveTheDate.com

The Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ “Knights Write!â€� program, completing its 17th year at Arbor Ridge, sees Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ education majors spend a semester learning on-site at the elementary school while working one-on-one with an Arbor Ridge student to develop their reading, writing, and storytelling skills. At the end of the semester they present their finished poems and books to the rest of the class and celebrate the terrific progress they have made.

The “Knights Write!â€� program is another example of a partnership that offers extensive benefits for everyone involved. Arbor Ridge students get an opportunity to advance their writing skills and develop a mentor relationship with Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ students, Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ faculty including Dr. Roberts get to remain connected to schools and the needs of elementary students, and Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ teacher candidates get on-site experience in their future work environment as well as opportunities to work with students at different levels of competency and achievement.

“I think it is so rewarding for me to actually see our Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ students in action; they learn so much working with little buddies every week!” said >Dr. Sherron Roberts, professor of Language Arts and Literacy, and coordinator of the program. “Just to meet in a classroom adds a level of reality to their experience, and it raises their investment in themselves and their personal and professional growth. And there are so many layers of positive outcomes: the pre-service teachers love it, the (Arbor Ridge) teachers love it, the little buddies come in each week with a smile on their face, and the principal has hired many of our Knights Write big buddies, so she loves it. That makes it all worth whatever extra energy is expended. It’s a great experience for everyone.”

“It is an absolutely wonderful, educational program both for the young writing buddies and for us big writing buddies,” Ashley Manser, one of the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ teacher candidates, told us. “During our classroom meetings we discuss different strategies and techniques to use when teaching writing to children, and then we apply and develop those techniques with our buddies. Not only did it allow us to practice our writing instruction, but we were able to see what works with our teaching style and what doesn’t. We had support from our professors when needed, and we were able to experience the joy of teaching. Each week before class, someone would share an ‘ah ha!’ moment with the class – moments when we saw the light bulb appear with our writing buddies. This was the most rewarding experience of all and reminded me every week why I am here doing what I am doing.”

The “Knights Write!� program is just one of the opportunities that CEDHP programs offer to give teacher candidates experience working directly in area schools with students.

Two different Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ courses are being offered on the Stenstrom Elementary campus: the lower-division course features teacher candidates providing weekly one-on-one tutoring to first graders as they learn how to assess and instruct students in reading. The upper-division course involves students enrolled in internship 1, and is a reading practicum where Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ students conduct student assessments then provide this data to the classroom teachers in order to facilitate student achievement in literacy.

“Being able to teach my courses at an elementary school is a win-win for all,â€� , Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ faculty member and program leader tells us. “Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ students get ‘hands-on’ experiences and are able to apply what I have taught immediately. The first-graders get targeted instruction, and the classroom teachers reduce their class size. I think the sooner our Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ students can get into schools, the better prepared they will be to teach.â€�

The professor-in-residence model employed in these courses promotes interaction among the faculty and staff, as well as with the teacher candidates. The on-site nature of the courses allows students to simultaneously implement what they are learning, from tutoring individual grade school students to performing student assessments and collaborating on activity development and lesson planning.

Jenna Martucci, junior student in elementary education, sees tremendous benefits for her own teaching experience and professional development. “The opportunity to take a Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ course at an elementary school is a definite advantage for elementary education majors,â€� Jenna told us. “I am very glad that I chose this course. Connecting with my assigned student, Adassa, and building a relationship with her has been my favorite part. Working one-on-one with Adassa has given us time to work on her strengths and needs. We have worked on reading, spelling, vocabulary, punctuation, and different assessments throughout the semester. I have seen tremendous improvement in Adassa’s work and within my own, too.â€�

Kemonni Jackson, also a junior in the Elementary Ed program, recounted the many benefits he has seen while working on-site with the Stenstrom students. “This is actually the main reason I chose to pursue being a teacher – I want to empower tomorrow’s leaders in any way I can,â€� he told us. “These weekly interactions with (my assigned student) Jonas, Dr. Kelley, and the Stenstrom staff are great ways of preparing me for what lays ahead. They recently started FSA (Florida Standards Assessment) testing and I love the environment that they have created: warm, encouraging, safe, but serious about learning. This is the atmosphere I wish to create in my classroom someday. … I’m looking forward to these final weeks of working with Jonas and learning the ins and outs of reading assessments as the end of the semester approaches.â€�

As a result of these on-campus efforts at Stenstrom, Dr. Michelle Kelley was asked to facilitate professional learning communities (PLCs) with the teachers at this school. The PLC model offers the teachers at Stenstrom an opportunity to continue their professional development with the assistance and expertise of a Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ faculty member on site. Beyond the convenience of having access to this opportunity at the elementary school, the Stenstrom teachers get to study and implement the latest research and educational practices directly related to the .

The is just one unique feature of education programs offered at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½. Several programs and courses are tailored to providing hands-on experience and preparation necessary to achieve and maintain certification.

The students will see hands-on demonstrations meant to grab their attention, from holding actual meteorites, to learning to conduct an orchestra, to handling animal bones.

“The kids are wonderful,� chemistry professor Mike Hampton said. “They’re like sponges. Everything you tell them, they’re excited to hear.�

It’s the fifth year for Achieve a College Education Day, or ACE Day, a program designed by The Burnett Honors College at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½. It targets children from five area Title 1 schools that serve low-income and at-risk populations.

ACE Day is the culmination of six weeks of classes taught during the fall semester by Honors College students in elementary school classrooms. Those classes – and ACE Day, which caps it off in the spring – teach fifth-graders to aspire to attend college and learn about possible careers.

Many of the young students involved might not otherwise realize college is a possibility for them.

“College can be such a foreign concept. For many of them, the only person they know who has been to college is their teacher,� said Kelly Astro, director of research and civic engagement for The Burnett Honors College.

Participants will be bused to the campus and broken into smaller groups. Each will attend two hands-on sessions, one from a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) field, and the other from the arts and humanities.

Hampton, who has participated in the annual ACE Day for several years, uses a hydrogen gas explosion to spark an interest in science.

“It’s exciting and it gets their attention,� Hampton said. “I try to show them that science in general – and chemistry in particular – is exciting.�

Organizing the annual event is a complex exercise in choreography, from transporting students to Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ from five schools to shepherding them around campus, touring a residence hall and feeding them a picnic lunch by the reflecting pond.

Even so, it’s a favorite among Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ students. Some 170 volunteers from the Honors College, LEAD Scholars Academy, student government and more are helping with the event.

Ms. Palmer spoke to the attendees at the HAPPY Hour Student Showcase about the importance of education; from a difficult childhood and no thought of ever going to college, Ms. Palmer was able to achieve her dream of being a teacher and inspiring students, regardless of their backgrounds, challenges, or hardships. While a returning student at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½, Ms. Palmer was the first recipient of the HAPPY Hour Student Showcase Scholarship, and she graduated Cum Laude in 2011 with her degree in elementary education. She credited the HAPPY Hour workshops with being an integral part of her success and development as an educator.

“What the HAPPY Hour Student Showcase does, not to mention the other workshops that are put on throughout the year, is phenomenal,” Ms. Palmer told the crowd of education majors at the Showcase. “When I was in school I was a non-speaker; I was very shy. I knew that talking would probably be required as a teacher, but I wanted to do it anyway. This (the HAPPY Hour program) really helped me be prepared for that; not only me but many of my colleagues too. And that practice led me to some opportunities – I had to give a presentation to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the big wigs at my school district, and standing in front of them I thought ‘I can do this.’ And that is because of the HAPPY Hour program.”

Ms. Palmer’s speech also touched on the importance and power of education, relating her own path to her current career and sharing her enthusiasm for education with her current students.

“(For) Many of the students in my classroom, a college career is not even in their reality… They’re just thinking about surviving. And I’m here to tell them that there’s more than just surviving…”

“Christine Palmer embodied the goal of the HAPPY Hour program – the development of its teacher candidates into effective, life-long learners,� , organizer of the HAPPY Hour program, tells us. “We are so proud to call Christine one of our own.�

Concluding her speech, Ms. Palmer told everyone at the HAPPY Hour Student Showcase, “Remember why you’re doing this, find people who are happy and positive with you, and remember that the students come first.”

The HAPPY Hour Student Showcase is an annual event that brings students in the College of Education and Human Performance together to interact in a conference-like setting, presenting their best work on education projects, drafting presentation proposals and work plans, and interacting with practicing educators in all fields for professional development. For more information about workshops and the showcase, visit the .

Presentations on two Bachelor of Science programs will be highlighted at the open house: Sport and Fitness at 5:15 and 6 p.m. in Room 103; and Elementary Education at 5:15 and 6 p.m. in Room 102.

In addition to learning about all the programs offered on campus, prospective students can find out about the DirectConnect to Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ program that allows guaranteed university admission for Lake-Sumter graduates.