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Students Taking Note

EDUCATION STUDIES

During my Junior year at Hamilton College, I found my second minor and began taking courses in Education Studies.  I'd worked with kids for a number of years already, but studying education in a formal setting opened my eyes to the complexities of designing a curriculum, navigating structural issues, and creating real change through education.  I took a number of courses in Education, including Issues in Education, Sign Language and Deaf Culture, Methods in Tutoring ESOL Students, Anthropology of Education, Ethnography of Learning Environments, and an Education Practicum.  For a few of my classes, I also spent time in local school systems, observing and assisting in teaching. 

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ISSUES IN EDUCATION

While taking a class on the issues of education today, a few classmates and I took particular interest in the difficulties facing First Generation Students, especially when they begin the application process.  We put together a brochure of basic information and resources which we then printed out and offered to the local Westmoreland High School Guidance Office, along with a pdf copy so that it could be updated each year.

American Sign Language

During my Junior year at Hamilton, I took a class on American Sign Language and Deaf Culture.  It was one of my absolute favorite classes, as I have always loved learning languages, and this one came with an utterly unique culture.  As part of our final project, my partners and I translated the song "I Want It That Way" by the Backstreet Boys into sign language, and then signed along to the song.  The most important part of this project was to emote as much as possible in order to translate the music and the message of the song, which I believe we achieved.  

Writing Guide

Hamilton College is an institution dedicated to excellent writing skills, and over the last 4 years I have honed my ability to express and process my thoughts and ideas on paper.  During my senior year, I spent a semester observing a social studies class at a local high school.  The teacher I observed was excellent, and had high standards for writing in his class.  However, because he had so much information to get through and present to his students, he could not spend as much time as he wanted on developing writing skills.  I began to wonder what kind of resources the students had, and checked out the school's writing guide on their website.  What I saw was a mess of links and information.  When I was in high school, the teachers worked together one summer and delivered to us a comprehensive writing guide, which they made available online.  I used it for nearly every assignment, just as a reference tool to keep me on track.  I felt that my teacher would appreciate a writing guide to offer to his students, so that they had that support if they needed it.  Drawing on my own high school's writing guide, Hamilton College's writing tips, and a number of other University's resources, I created the following guide.  

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©2023 BY JESSICA R. WILLIAMS. PROUDLY CREATED WITH WIX.COM

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