By Michael Fleming
michael@cerra.org
Submitted by FMU Teaching Fellows

​The Teaching Fellows at Francis Marion University have been working hard these past few months to better not only themselves, but those around them. Our Teaching Fellows know that one of the key characteristics for a great teacher is having a caring heart. Therefore, our Fellows have been volunteering in the local community on numerous occasions.

Melayna Neupert, one of FMU’s freshman Teaching Fellows, has taken on not one, not two, but three tutoring positions. Amidst her busy school and work schedules, she finds the time to help a local fifth grader, fourth grader, and a preschooler with special needs. When asked about her tutoring, Melayna says, “I do not take this task lightly. I am molding these young minds and that is an incredible amount of pressure. The best part of this whole experience is seeing the students start to love learning.”

​Teaching Fellows Travel!
Recently, two of our sophomore Teaching Fellows traveled with FMU’s Honors program to New York City.
Katey Roberson and Anna Patton enjoyed Broadway shows, the Today Show, and everything else the “Big Apple” had to offer.

​Teaching Fellows Give Back!
During the months of November and December, all of our Teaching Fellows collected donations for the Foster Care Clothing Closet’s Christmas party. Fellows brought in blankets, hot cocoa, mugs, and books to be used as gifts for local foster children.
On the day of the Christmas party, four Fellows decided to volunteer at the party. Sophomore Anna Patton and junior Shelly Smith helped the children complete arts and crafts. Alex Barber, a sophomore, assisted with games. Rian Avin, freshman and owner of We’ve Got Character, had her employees come to the party as Elmo, Mickey, and Anna from Frozen. Rian came as Elsa!

​Teaching Fellow Teaches!
Rebecca Alexander, a freshman Teaching Fellow, volunteers every Wednesday at Sandhurst Church in Florence. She teaches a classroom of two and three year olds a Bible story and leads arts and crafts.

Teaching Fellow Elected
Sophomore Anna Patton was recently nominated to the Board of Executives for the Foster Care Clothing Closet in Florence, SC.
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Teaching Fellows Assist with the “Cure for Collins” fundraiser!
When the Teaching Fellows at FMU heard about an employee’s two year old daughter battling leukemia, they knew they had to help! Our Fellows are assisting with the “Cure for Collins” fundraiser. They are selling BBQ tickets to Roger’s BBQ in Florence for March 7, 2017. From 4-7, FMU’s Teaching Fellows will be serving plates to help this precious child!

By Michael Fleming
michael@cerra.org
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Written by Teaching Fellow Ashley Giordano
​Submitted by Dr. Lee Vartanian, Campus Director

​Last fall, our Lander University Freshman Teaching Fellows had the opportunity to learn about Stephen R. Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The freshman enjoyed learning about the 7 Habits which then spread to our committees. This semester we have brought something new and exciting to our program. We have created what we call a “7 Habits Institute”. Based on Covey’s famous book, this institute consists of four, hour and a half sessions where our director, Dr. Lee Vartanian, encourages our Fellows to engage and exhibit behavior that Stephen Covey would describe as being highly effective. The fellows receive 10 hours of service learning for completing the institute (6 hours of Institute work and eight 30 minute week-planning sessions) Our fellows are challenged to change their way of thinking and responding to be more meaningful and purposeful in their thoughts, conversations, and choices every day. We have set out to embark on a journey to “sharpen our saws” and to keep in mind how being proactive and effective can be beneficial to our careers as educators.

​Because of today’s ready technology, our fellows use an app designed to break down The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. This app provides flash cards on the different habits and how you can practice improving them, creating your own mission statement, and even daily motivational pieces from the book to encourage you to work on each of the 7 habits. This app is great for fellows because it is a constant reminder of the goals they set for themselves: who they want to be, what they want to accomplish in four years, what legacy they want to leave. This has been a great institute for our fellows and we encourage everyone to jump on board with the 7 Habits and see how you can sharpen your saw!

By Michael Fleming
michael@cerra.org
Submitted by Mrs. Kimberly Baggs, Campus Director

 The CSU Fellows did an awesome job planning and executing our third annual Mock Interview Day. We hosted 30 participants who now feel much better prepared for their upcoming CERRA regional Interview Day as a result of their time on our campus.  I’m always appreciative when Fellows volunteer, but I am especially proud when they are willing to wake up early on a cold Saturday morning to better equip others in their quest to become SC Teaching Fellows.
The junior cohort and I are busy planning our Junior Experience trip to St. Augustine, Florida in mid-March. We will be taking an excursion to the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind
(the same school Ray Charles attended) as well as seeing several of the educational sites around the city.
And of course, the girls are also crossing their fingers for beach weather while we’re there. Looking forward to a fun time away together. 
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By Michael Fleming
​michael@cerra.org

Ms. Lynn Dowd, campus director, reports from Newberry College:
Newberry College started the new year off with a revised mission statement for the Teaching Fellows. The new mission statement is pictured below. 
Michael Fleming, program facilitator for Teaching Fellows, presented a great overview of the 7 habits at our January meeting. The Fellows also received a copy of "The Leader in Me" to see the transformation 7 habits is making in our schools. Students are seen below discussing the habits and applying them to their future role as teacher.