New Student Blog Brings Warner School Experience to Life

A new student blog, authored by Margot, a master’s student in both the Reading and Literacies and Urban Teaching and Leadership programs, brings the Warner School experience to life and shows the school’s mission in action. The Warner Perspectives blog, located on the Web at warnerperspectives.wordpress.com, gives readers a glimpse into the life of a Warner student as she navigates through a year of learning and growth on her way to becoming a teacher.

Throughout the duration of her 15-month graduate study at the Warner School, Margot will share her experiences as a student and a new teacher, taking readers into her classes and internship sites. Joanne Larson, Michael W. Scandling Professor of Education and chair of the teaching and curriculum program at the Warner School, describes Margot as a model student for sharing these valuable experiences with other emerging educators.

“She is committed to urban education, and her expertise in language and literacy brings together school and out-of-school practices, particularly new media literacies, in authentic and meaningful ways,” says Larson. “Her work and teaching truly merge theory and practice and embody the spirit of the Warner School’s mission, and her dedication and passion for education and children make her an inspired teacher.”

The Warner Perspectives blog, which was initially created to offer prospective students a current student’s perspective of life at Warner, has evolved to be a useful resource for the entire Warner community, and opens a new level of communication and learning for everyone. Margot’s blog goes even deeper than her classroom experiences as she shares her emotions, uncovers the highlights and obstacles that she encounters in education, and demonstrates the archetypal skills for and the commitment to the teaching profession that are needed to be successful.

“Margot’s blog is a wonderful way to get an introduction to student teaching in the Rochester City School District,” explains Sonia James-Wilson, director of the Urban Teaching and Leadership Program at the Warner School. “Both her honest and thoughtful comments and the beautiful photos help to paint a vivid picture of the joys, complexities, and challenges of teaching in an urban school district.”

The Warner School community and outside visitors, who have a particular interest in education, are encouraged and invited to send comments to Margot via her blog or to e-mail her at StudentPerspective@warner.rochester.edu with any questions or suggestions on topics for her to write about in the future.