Interview with Morgan Engelhardt

Speaker 1: Morgan Engelhardt, a James Patterson scholar at Towson University, began her teacher preparation in August 2013. Speaker 1: These are her reflections after completing one and one-half semesters of study. Karen Blair: Miss Englehart, thank you so much for taking some time this afternoon to come and share with us your choice of Towson and your choice of teaching. Karen Blair: One of the things that we need to point out to our audience is that you are a member of a very select group of eight candidates, teacher education candidates,

Karen Blair: who have received the James Patterson Scholarship, and that was in the name of his mother, who was a teacher. So that's very special. So we're just delighted that you're going to be part of our collective story. Karen Blair: I think a good place to begin is in the beginning. So would you talk to us a little bit about where you were born, where you grew up, and all the kinds of things that you were thinking about in terms of a future career? Morgan Engelhardt: So I was born in Morristown, New Jersey, and I grew up in Jefferson Township, New Jersey. It was a pretty small town until we gathered together with the other half in high school. So I've been going to school with the same people since kindergarten, which was really cool, and I think I've always wanted to be a teacher. It's always been, like, the career that I had, Morgan Engelhardt: and it changed, like, often from subject to age group, like, I wanted to be a science teacher, and then an English teacher. And then finally I decided that elementary school was definitely for me.

Morgan Engelhardt: So it was, I think, in 4th grade that I decided, because I had an amazing teacher that was really, like, involved in, like, everyone, and made us get to our full potentials, and I just wanted to be just like her and be teaching 4th grade or elementary school. Karen Blair: Sure. Did you do anything when you got to high school that was related to teaching? Did you do any service projects or volunteering or… Morgan Engelhardt: There was a club in my high school called Future Educators for America and we got to go to either the middle school, elementary school or kindergarten and like, shadow them for two periods out of every month, Morgan Engelhardt: so two periods at the end of the day. And my junior year, I went to a middle school class and I got to shadow the teacher and, like, see how the class worked, and I decided that middle school was definitely not for me. Those kids, they're really great, like, in school, and they just weren’t for me.

Morgan Engelhardt: They were too hard to handle, I think. And then, my senior year, I went to a fourth grade class, and I got to shadow that class. And I absolutely loved every moment of it. The kids were so nice. The teacher was great, Morgan Engelhardt: Like, it was just an amazing time and, like, experience, I liked it a lot. Karen Blair: And what did you get to do? Did you actually participate in instruction or did you just watch or… Morgan Engelhardt: In the beginning I just watched, and then towards the end she actually let me help her teach a lesson. I got to teach, like, a history lesson at the end of the day with her.

Morgan Engelhardt: And I also got to read to them before the buses came, which was, like, really fun, because they'd all sit on a mat at the end of the day and I'd read them a book that I brought in and that was, like, the best time. Yeah. They loved it. They had so much fun. Karen Blair: Isn't that interesting? That that's the group that you identified with again and that was the teacher that you most admired, that 4th grade just seems to be… Morgan Engelhardt: It's where I keep going back to. It's just what I like a lot. Karen Blair: Uh-huh. Absolutely. So you're in high school and probably a junior, maybe a senior. And you're thinking, OK, I really think, I've always thought, that I want to be a teacher.

Karen Blair: And you applied to colleges, and you were in New Jersey. So how did you come to look at Towson? Morgan Engelhardt: So I applied to two schools in New Jersey, and then I wanted to try out of state, because I wanted to go farther away from home, and I looked in Maryland ‘cause it's pretty close to Jersey, but it's far enough to, like, be away, Morgan Engelhardt: and I found Towson because of it being originally a teachers’ school, and I looked into that and I found it really interesting that that's what it was originally. Morgan Engelhardt: And I looked into it, and I visited the school, and I loved it and how it felt like a small campus, although it's really big. So that's how, like, I found Towson, and I decided to go here.

Karen Blair: Did you have anybody from your school or your community that either was going here as well or had come here in the past? Morgan Engelhardt: There's actually- My cousin goes here now. Morgan Engelhardt: She's a junior. So she had mentioned it. And then I looked into it and found out that it was a teacher's school. So that, like, really drew me to it. Morgan Engelhardt: And that's, like, how I heard about it.

Karen Blair: Yeah. And what’s she majoring in? Morgan Engelhardt: She is a business law major. Yeah. Yeah. Totally opposite. Karen Blair: That’s OK. At least she introduced you to the campus. Morgan Engelhardt: Yeah, I'm glad she did because I like Towson a lot.

Karen Blair: And it's not like we don't have a whole lot of kids from New Jersey. We have many. Morgan Engelhardt: Yeah, there's so many. It's either New Jersey, New York or Maryland. Yeah. Karen Blair: There're just a whole lot of young people who are in New York and New Jersey who want to go far away, but not too far. Just…. Morgan Engelhardt: Yeah, it's like the perfect distance.

Karen Blair: Yeah, just like you, they kind of thought that this was going to be the distance that was most appropriate. Karen Blair: Is there anything else that you did while you were in high school? I've mentioned this before, but that reaffirmed other than your internship experience, that just reaffirmed again that it would be great for you to be a teacher? Morgan Engelhardt: Well, through my, like, teaching, Morgan Engelhardt: like I was in an AP class and my teacher was an amazing teacher. Again, she was high school, but she also showed me that teaching is more than just books and learning. It's about knowing your students and helping them become better as a person,

Morgan Engelhardt: not only a student, so, like, that made me want to go to, like, younger kids, and make that impact that she made on me, and, like, it just drove me to that, like, wanting to be a teacher more. Karen Blair: Sure. So you've been accepted to Towson and you're excited to be here. And what kinds of courses have you taken so far? I mean, this is only the middle of your second semester, but what did you do in the fall? Did you do anything in the field of education or… Morgan Engelhardt: The first semester I didn't have any education classes. I just took a lot of gen eds like biology, and actually took acting, which was really cool. And I found that you could apply it to teaching in a way, because it teaches you how to get in front of people and talk to them and, like, get confident in yourself, Morgan Engelhardt: and talking in front of a large group of strangers so that, like, really helped, and it was really interesting, because I've never taken a class like that before, so it was really cool.

Karen Blair: Well, I guess teachers do do a little bit of acting, don’t they? Morgan Engelhardt: Yeah, it's like, ‘cause you're talking in front of a group of people and you have to be confident in what you're saying. So that really helps. Karen Blair: And, you know, you're going to be talking to parents. Karen Blair: And so just to have the poise to do that would be really helpful.

Karen Blair: And what else did you take in the fall? Morgan Engelhardt: I also took a… Karen Blair: It was so long ago. Morgan Engelhardt: So long ago. I was in, I said biology. I took…

Morgan Engelhardt: Oh my goodness. Morgan Engelhardt: Biology, acting… Karen Blair: They're probably… Did you take any math? Morgan Engelhardt: Not math yet. I'm taking math this semester. English this semester. I took a Towson seminar on Extreme Teaching, which was really cool because we learned about, like, problems in the education program,

Morgan Engelhardt: like programs now and like how to fix it and stuff like that. So I guess that was an education course that connected to it. But basically, you learned how to, like, write a research paper. That was the biggest part of that class. Karen Blair: And it was called Extreme Teaching? That's great. Morgan Engelhardt: Yeah, it's called Extreme Teaching because it talked about, like, problems in the system and how to, like, fix that, and kind of like the Common Core and how, like, talked about that a little bit. Morgan Engelhardt: And, like, charter schools, and stuff like that, yeah.

Karen Blair: Did it talk about dealing with different kinds of students or… Morgan Engelhardt: It didn't really touch upon that. We talked more about, like, how to do research in that class, like, it had teaching within it, but it wasn't really focused on teaching and that kind of thing. Karen Blair: It was really to give you some skills that you'll be using through your career here. Karen Blair: And what have you've been doing this semester?

Morgan Engelhardt: This semester I'm actually in a lot more education classes, and I like them a lot. My favorite is intro to special education, because it's a really interesting subject, and it teaches you a lot about a classroom and how to handle it and how to best teach students and, like, Morgan Engelhardt: how they learn, because everyone learns differently, and I find that really interesting and helpful. Karen Blair: And so it talks about different kinds of disabilities or… Morgan Engelhardt: Yeah, it touches on disabilities, behavioral disorders and that kind of thing, and how to handle a classroom, like, in general, just general students, how to handle them and how to teach them the best way and get their attention and manage the classroom.

Karen Blair: Well, and I think now probably you're going to see kids with disabilities in your regular classroom. Morgan Engelhardt: Yeah. It's very integrated now. That's what we're learning, how it's like, the general class and the special ed class kind of mixed together now. Morgan Engelhardt: So that's really like, I'm actually thinking about adding special education to my major, like El Ed Special Ed, because I think it will help a lot in an elementary level. Karen Blair: I think that's a good idea because as I said, I mean, these will all be your students regardless. And we do have that program and…

Morgan Engelhardt: Yeah. And it's a really good one too, because it integrates both elementary and special Ed so. Karen Blair: And you get the certification for both as well. So that's very nice. Karen Blair: In that course, did you have any opportunity to go out and observe students at all? Morgan Engelhardt: She mentioned that we might, but not yet. We've had speakers come and talk to us. There was a really interesting one. She's a principal in elementary school and she had to deal with two students that had behavioral problems. And she got them on a behavioral chart. And it was really cool because the prize they wanted was to play basketball with her every day after school.

Morgan Engelhardt: And I thought that was really cool. How the prize they wanted was to play with the principal. Like, that's just amazing. And like, it makes me really want to be in an elementary school because they're so innocent and like, they love simple things. Morgan Engelhardt: And I just find that cool. Karen Blair: Yeah, that that would be enough. Enough of an award. Morgan Engelhardt: Yeah, like, that's what they want and not, like, cookies or stickers. They wanted to play with the principal.

Karen Blair: Yeah, that's pretty cool. Karen Blair: And how nice that the principal is just really willing to be part of such a thing. Morgan Engelhardt: And how to- Like, how she helped them was just amazing. Karen Blair: What other kind of… Have you had other speakers in that class?

Morgan Engelhardt: That was the first one. We're having another one soon, but we haven't had any others yet. Karen Blair: OK. Karen Blair: and you said that there was another education course, maybe? Morgan Engelhardt: Yeah, I'm taking Teaching in a Diverse Society, which is really cool because we're learning about diversity and how there's so many different students and how you have to look at where they come from,

Morgan Engelhardt: and how their culture works, and how they act because of that. And it's really helpful because it's, like, teaching you how to handle a classroom and how to look at people and help them the best you can. Karen Blair: And has that had any kind of visits to schools or anything now? Karen Blair: Do you think maybe that would that's going to happen? Morgan Engelhardt: I don't think in that course it will, because it focuses more on diversity than teaching. It, like, brings teaching in and helps you with it, but it focuses more on diversity.

Karen Blair: Well, certainly when you go into schools, you're going to see tremendous diversity among your students. So I think that would be a helpful thing. Hmm. And what else are you taking this semester? Morgan Engelhardt: I'm in math, which is a struggle for me. I cannot do math at all. Morgan Engelhardt: I've always struggled in math, but I just work through it and try really hard. Karen Blair: And is this the math course where it has some application to how you might teach in an elementary school?

Morgan Engelhardt: A little bit. Yeah. She'll, like, stand to the side and tell us, like, how this connects to teaching students. And she's a really good professor because she'll, like, connect it back to… Every lesson is connected back to how a kid sees it. So she looks at their view of it and how you have to teach it this way, Morgan Engelhardt: you have to learn it this way, because they're seeing it for the first time, Morgan Engelhardt: and like, you need to show them, like, this is how you do it in steps and break it down for them, which is really cool, yeah. Karen Blair: So that's not quite an education course, but it sort of is.

Morgan Engelhardt: But it brings it in, yeah. Karen Blair: That's nice. And anything else, any other courses that you're taking? Morgan Engelhardt: I'm taking Spanish right now, which is cool. I've taken Spanish in high school, but I wanted to, like, refresh it, because I think it's good to know another language when you're teaching, especially Spanish because it's found in a lot of schools. Yeah. So that one's good. Morgan Engelhardt: And then I'm also taking geography, which is interesting. It doesn't connect it to teaching at all. This is just a gen ed course, but I like it. It's interesting. We're learning a lot.

Karen Blair: But, well, those gen ed courses are supposed to… Sometimes that's a course that will change people's mind about what they want to major in and what they want to do. Morgan Engelhardt: Yeah, I enjoy them. They're very interesting. Morgan Engelhardt: Even though they don't connect to education. Karen Blair: But if you're a fourth grade teacher, you'd probably be teaching a little bit of geography.

Morgan Engelhardt: Yeah, I think you teach like regional. So where you are. So I'd teach about Maryland if I were in Maryland, and like New Jersey. Morgan Engelhardt: Because I remember when I was in that classroom in the fourth grade, in senior year, that's what they were learning about, like, New Jersey for their geography part. Morgan Engelhardt: So it was really cool. Karen Blair: Of course. Know your own state for sure. And most, and many kids haven't been outside the state, so...

Karen Blair: Anyway, anything else about your experience so far at Towson that you'd like to share with us? Morgan Engelhardt: I've enjoyed it a lot. I think that all the courses are really helpful, even if they don't connect to education they're really helpful and interesting and I've enjoyed taking them and learning from them. Karen Blair: And has the experience here been a good one so far? Morgan Engelhardt: Yeah, I've gotten involved in a lot of stuff like Building Council, which is a lot of fun. I'm actually the secretary, so I take notes.

Karen Blair: And what's Building Council, is that just sort of… Morgan Engelhardt: It's for the residence hall. So I live in the tower, so I'm like the secretary for that Building Council, and we make events for the residents, Morgan Engelhardt: and stuff like that. So it's a lot of fun. Karen Blair: Well, it sounds like some organizational skills.

Morgan Engelhardt: Yeah, definitely, it can connect back to teaching, and how, like, you're meeting so many people and you're making events for them and seeing what they like and how they respond to it. Morgan Engelhardt: Yeah, I like it a lot. You can always connect it back, I think. Karen Blair: I think just about anything. Karen Blair: Are you doing anything this summer? Do you have plans, opportunities to connect you with schools?

Morgan Engelhardt: I work in a daycare in the summer, so I mean, it's younger kids. It's not elementary, but still with kids, and, like, making lessons for them and doing arts and crafts and stuff like that. Karen Blair: And have you done that in the past? Are you going back to… Morgan Engelhardt: Yeah. Last year was the first year I've done it, so I worked all there up until I came to Towson and then I went back during winter break, and then I'll go back in the summer. Karen Blair: Well, tell us a little bit more about that. So you have been in a teaching role?

Morgan Engelhardt: Yeah. So, I'm actually, like, an assistant to a teacher there, so I don't teach the kids, but I help with the lessons they have. Like, I do, like, crafts with them and, like, teach them through that, that kind of thing. It's cool because that daycare has a lot of kids with disabilities. So I get to see that and learn with them. Morgan Engelhardt: And that's really interesting too. Morgan Engelhardt: So I like it a lot. It's really fun. Karen Blair: And so those would maybe be three and four year olds?

Morgan Engelhardt: Yeah, my age group that I work in, the room that I work in, they’re three to four. So they're really cute and adorable and crazy. Karen Blair: Yeah, but they can learn things. Morgan Engelhardt: Yes. Yeah, they're very… They love learning things, that's what the amazing thing is. Morgan Engelhardt: They love simple learning, like alphabet, they’ll always be counting things and spelling their name, and it's so fun because they're just learning it. So it's fun to watch them.

Karen Blair: Absolutely. So what do you envision doing when you graduate? Morgan Engelhardt: I hope to get a job right away in an elementary school. I mean, I would love to teach fourth grade, but it depends where the jobs are, and I know that. But yeah, I just want to be in the field as much as I can, and as soon as possible. Karen Blair: Of course. Karen Blair: And do you think you'll go home to New Jersey?

Morgan Engelhardt: Really depends where my parents are living, and my situation, and where I get a job or where I can get a job. But yeah, I would go back to New Jersey or stay here. It really depends again where I get a job. Karen Blair: Sure, and we're talking a little bit down the road, aren't we? You've got a little… Morgan Engelhardt: Yeah, it's a while from now. Karen Blair: Yes, a few things to do before you get to that point.

Karen Blair: Is there anything else that you want to add to your story at this point, that you'd like to share? Morgan Engelhardt: Just that there was a lot of teachers, like, throughout my time in school. But there's only a few that make an impact, and I think the teachers that make the impact do more than just teaching, and they help their students and they help them reach their full potential, because that's what my 4th grade teacher did for me. And that's what drove me to continue on the track of education. And I just love it. Morgan Engelhardt: Because of her. Karen Blair: Thank you, and thanks for coming in and talking with us. This has been fun.

Morgan Engelhardt: It’s my pleasure. I enjoyed it.