masters of elementary education & teaching certification

1. masters of elementary education & teaching certification Margolit sands, foodcorps 2013-14, Boston, ma M.Ed. – i.Teach.az program Arizona state university, phoenix, az

2. Why I chose grad school • FoodCorps Experiences: shaped my interests and career goals toward garden education in a structured setting • Undergraduate degree in Environmental Science • Had minimal work experience in teaching • Sought out formal teacher training to pursue jobs in schools, nonprofit gardens/farms, etc.

3. Why I chose i.teach.az • Funding & professional development through government SEED Grant • 15 month program • Included teaching certification • Immediate immersive experience and learning in a local school district • Reputable program • In my hometown with family

4. this program is for people who… • Want to be teachers in the public school system and/or use those teaching techniques in other settings • Want simultaneous work experience and graduate level education • Want a unique, effective teacher training program that almost guarantees a job after graduation • Are up for the challenge of being committed to an intense graduate program for 15 months

5. this program is not for people who… • Want to engage in alternative forms of education (i.e. Waldorf, Montessori, etc.) • Want to have a relaxing, extended graduate experience • Are looking for academic research and/or only classroom-lecture style learning • Do not want to be teachers

6. Includes: internships, student teaching, & job opportunities • First 4 months: 3-4 internships in different classrooms within the school district; opportunity to find which age levels you like to work with • Option to teach summer school • 1 semester of student teaching • Opportunity to apply for full-time positions during the program instead of student teaching

7. Hi! I am Jess Polledri, service member 2011-2013 Portland, OR: Growing Gardens

8. My Graduate Program • I attended Lewis & Clark College in Portland, OR from 2013-2015 • I graduated with an M.Ed in School Counseling

9. Why Grad School? • I decided to go to graduate school because I wanted to continue working with children in the school setting while also making a sustainable salary. • I chose school counseling because I could not envision myself as a classroom teacher, and because I wanted to continue my work with school gardens and be an advocate for children.

10. Why Lewis & Clark? • Honestly, because they accepted my application after the deadline. • Fortunately, the program is excellent. • Small cohort • Small, well-respected school; beautiful campus • Focus on social justice • Admissions and financial aid offices very accessible and eager to help

11. Who would this be good for? • Program is 2 years long full time, or 3 years part time. You can work during the program. • Hands-on internships start immediately. • There is a large research component to complete before graduation. • It is 100% in-person, no online classes. • I highly recommend L&C.

12. Dana StevensNew Haven, CT • THEN (woah-5 years ago!): • 1-term Service Member in FoodCorps’ inaugural year (2011/12) in Machias, Maine • 2-term FoodCorps Connecticut Fellow (2012-2014) • NOW: • Put Local On Your Tray Program Coordinator, UCONN Extension Sustainable Food Systems • Event & Project Coordinator at Farm to Institution New England

13. Green Mountain College Master of Science in Sustainable Food Systems (MSFS) Poultney, Vermont

14. Why I chose the MSFS Program

15. Research Opportunities: Capstone Project

16. This program is good for people who: • Can’t/Don’t want to uproot and move to continue education • Are interested in studying and applying education to current food system • Are happily working in the field already • Want to connect with folks from different food systems all over the world • Want to pay by course and have the flexibility to take courses off • Are parentsor caretakers • Self-directed, highly motivated to do work on their own/without class • Comfortable in a newer program • Can ignore puppy-eyes when it’s homework time

17. ThalyaYanell Reyes FoodCorps Alumna 2014-2015 New Brunswick community farmers market- new Brunswick, new jersey

18. Thalya Y. Reyes • Born in Passaic, New Jersey • B.A. Environmental Studies; Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ (Class of 2013) • AmeriCorps alumna- NJ Watershed Ambassadors with Passaic County Planning Department and NJ Dept. of Environmental Protection (‘13-’14) • FoodCorps 2014-2015: New Brunswick Community Farmers Market; New Brunswick, NJ– Rutgers Cooperative Extension and NJ Farm to School Network • NB FoodCorps member now serves through New Brunswick Public Schools

19. Thalya Y. Reyes • Currently attending the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University • Dual Masters’ in Public Policy and City & Regional Planning (MPP/MCRP) • Concentration: Youth, Family, & Community Development • Focusing on solving issues of social, racial, economic, and environmental justice through youth empowerment and youth development via research and practice

20. Thalya Y. Reyes • Why Grad School? • Left undergrad with a desire to further my education in the near future • Wanted AmeriCorps service to guide what program I pursued • Felt inspired to combine my passion for research communication and community outreach with a meaningful public service degree

21. Thalya Y. Reyes • National alumni chapters- networking! • Flexibility to work in many different (but interrelated) sectors- non profits, government, academia, research firms • Interdisciplinary work and study • FT Career Services Coordinator that specializes in Planning and Policy • Why Public Policy and City Planning at the Bloustein School? • Commitment to social justice • AMAZING regional location

22. Thalya Y. Reyes • Who is this program well-suited for? • Committed to public service • Interested in urban issues • Passionate about a career that can have a transformative social impact • Internships? Practicum experience? • MPP: Practicum and AFE required • MCRP: 2 professional studios required, optional internship

23. I just want to be there in love and in justice and in truth and in commitment to others so that we can make of this old world a new world. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. ThalyaYanell Reyes Bloustein Student Recruiter- MPP/MCRP ’18 W: recruit@policy.rutgers.edu P: treyes87@gmail.com

24. Hello! My Name is Jane Mulcahy • I served from August 2013 – July 2014 with CitySprouts in Cambridge, Massachusetts • In the Fall of 2015 I began a Masters program in the Geography Department at Syracuse University. The Geography Department graduate program is in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. It’s a 2-year program in which I take classes and work as a graduate assistant in the Syracuse Community Geography office. It’s an academic degree in which I will write and defend a thesis in order to graduate (in May 2017)

25. Why I Decided to Go to Grad School • • To learn more about the food movement, how food systems/industries currently operate, and how people are working on/strengthening local food systems • • To take a critical eye to food systems work, rather than learn how to do something or learn a specific trade • • To figure out where I ultimately wanted to work within food systems in the US

26. Why I Chose This Program Over Others • • Geography – and the Syracuse University Geography Department in particular – emphasizes taking a critical look at whatever you’re studying. Geography as a discipline uses a spatial lens to study complex issues, and puts equal emphasis on both humans and the environment • • I had been an undergrad student at SU, so I knew the program, I knew the professors, I knew I liked it, it was close to home • • I was offered a complete funding package • • I would have freedom to study a topic of my choice • • I was offered a graduate assistantship with Syracuse Community Geography, which would allow me to hone my GIS skills and continue community-based work around issues of environmental and social justice

27. Who This Program is For • • Someone interested in academia, academic research, becoming an expert on a particular topic, getting their PhD, or becoming a professor • • It is a full time job – so there is little time for outside work (and outside jobs are technically not allowed while you’re in school, if you have a funding package). But your stipend is basically enough to live on (in Syracuse, NY… not in NYC). • • Internship/practicum experience would only be in the form of your assistantship – so either a teaching assistant, a graduate assistant of some sort, or a research assistant for a professor

28. Flannery Cerbin-Bohach • Iowa FoodCorps Fellow, 2012-2013 • AmeriCorps Service Member, 2009-2010 • Feel free to email me questions at: cerbfl01@luther.edu

29. University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Master’s of Public Health in Community Health Education Why graduate school… why this school? - Frustration - Social pressure - Timing - Proximity - Affordability Photo credit: https://lessoninmotivation.wordpress.com/tag/graduate-school/

30. University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Master’s of Public Health in Community Health Education + Pros + --Cons -- Name recognition Broad rather than specific - pro/con Lack of educational pedagogy classes (FoodCorps members would have advantage) Morale Wisconsin K-12/post-secondary education have taken hard hits Hoop jumping… Out-state-tuition = $$$$ • FoodCorps = perfect prereq! • Diverse backgrounds of classmates • Small cohort size • Contact with professors • 400-hour Preceptorship (aka internship) • Accredited institution • Flexibility - work, family, etc • In-state tuition = $$

31. Masters in Public Health Tae-Young Nam University of New Mexico MPH Candidate FoodCorps Service Member ’13, ‘14

32. What Is a Master’s in Public Health? • Prepares you to work in improving the health of populations • Public health is “The science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through organized efforts and informed choices, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals. • An intersection between Sociology and the Hard Sciences • Mass Incarceration vs. Outbreak Investigations • Interdisciplinary approach which includes 1) Epidemiology 2) Public Policy 3) Community Health 4) Healthcare 5) Environmental Health 6) Biostatistics 7) Global Health • Involves combining theoretical and practical applications

33. Types of Jobs for an MPH Graduate • Outbreak Investigations • Program Planning • Anti-smoking programs, Vaccine programs, Nutrition programs • Within local, state, national departments, non-profits or on a global health scale • Evaluation • Public Policy • Affordable Care Act to Soda Taxes • Research

34. Why Grad School? • For me? My Belief in the FoodCorps Model • My Goals of expanding that model into Healthcare • Why UNM? • Wanted to work in New Mexico • Cheaper • It is a CEPH certified program (fancy acronym for legit) • Can work while in the program • Practicum experience/Internships are a requirement for majority of MPH programs

35. Questions?