Primary Grade Students Study Buffalo State
It is much easier to achieve a goal that can be seen clearly in the mind’s eye. That’s why Buffalo State’s Center for Excellence in Urban and Rural Education (CEURE) is hosting almost 500 children from the Buffalo Public Schools on campus this week as part of project “I Am College Bound.”
The young first- and second-graders attend PS 39 Martin Luther King School, PS 45 International School, and PS 94 West Hertel Academy.
“We are very pleased to be part of this effort to create a college-going culture in our local schools,” said John Siskar, interim associate vice president for teacher education. More than 24 classes are visiting campus. The first visit took place on April 15; the other visits are taking place this week.
“Research shows that children who are aware of college at an early age, and whose parents expect them to go to college, are much more likely to not only attend college, but to graduate,” said Joseph Zawicki, associate professor of earth sciences and science education.
Before the visit, the students’ classroom teachers explain what college is, and describe their own college experiences. On campus, the students visit five separate stations in the Science Building. “The science curriculum for first grade includes an explanation of day and night, and how light creates shadows,” explained Zawicki. “So we take them to the planetarium, where they can see the sky change from day to night, and we show them the constellations.”
The last station focuses on chemistry, and the students see how adding one substance to another can change the properties of the substances. “One student told us that he’s going to come to Buffalo State to study chemistry,” said Zawicki.
Another highlight for the youngsters has been receiving their own Buffalo State ID card, which identifies them as college-bound. The football team escorts the students to lunch in the Sports Arena, and one football player delighted a young visitor by showing his own Buffalo State ID, making the child feel like a member of a very special group indeed.
“The children love the ID” said Allison Turley, CEURE associate and coordinator of the project, “and the parents are saying, ‘Even I learned something.’”
Meanwhile, Kathy Wood, interim associate dean of the School of Education, is hosting students from a Rochester high school this week. The students are members of a Future Teachers Club. One of the scheduled activities is a panel presented by current Buffalo State students who are preparing for careers as teachers. They will discuss why they chose Buffalo State and their experiences here.
Wood has been active in establishing Future Teachers Clubs in Buffalo high schools. “We need teachers for our urban schools,” said Wood. “What better way to get them than to inspire students who are attending those schools to teach in them?”
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Photo gallery.
The young first- and second-graders attend PS 39 Martin Luther King School, PS 45 International School, and PS 94 West Hertel Academy.
“We are very pleased to be part of this effort to create a college-going culture in our local schools,” said John Siskar, interim associate vice president for teacher education. More than 24 classes are visiting campus. The first visit took place on April 15; the other visits are taking place this week.
“Research shows that children who are aware of college at an early age, and whose parents expect them to go to college, are much more likely to not only attend college, but to graduate,” said Joseph Zawicki, associate professor of earth sciences and science education.
Before the visit, the students’ classroom teachers explain what college is, and describe their own college experiences. On campus, the students visit five separate stations in the Science Building. “The science curriculum for first grade includes an explanation of day and night, and how light creates shadows,” explained Zawicki. “So we take them to the planetarium, where they can see the sky change from day to night, and we show them the constellations.”
The last station focuses on chemistry, and the students see how adding one substance to another can change the properties of the substances. “One student told us that he’s going to come to Buffalo State to study chemistry,” said Zawicki.
Another highlight for the youngsters has been receiving their own Buffalo State ID card, which identifies them as college-bound. The football team escorts the students to lunch in the Sports Arena, and one football player delighted a young visitor by showing his own Buffalo State ID, making the child feel like a member of a very special group indeed.
“The children love the ID” said Allison Turley, CEURE associate and coordinator of the project, “and the parents are saying, ‘Even I learned something.’”
Meanwhile, Kathy Wood, interim associate dean of the School of Education, is hosting students from a Rochester high school this week. The students are members of a Future Teachers Club. One of the scheduled activities is a panel presented by current Buffalo State students who are preparing for careers as teachers. They will discuss why they chose Buffalo State and their experiences here.
Wood has been active in establishing Future Teachers Clubs in Buffalo high schools. “We need teachers for our urban schools,” said Wood. “What better way to get them than to inspire students who are attending those schools to teach in them?”
Related
Photo gallery.
Media Contact:
Mary A. Durlak, Senior Writer | 7168783517 | durlakma@buffalostate.edu