In only a few years, Jasmine Jowers has become one of the go-to teachers on her Slidell elementary school campus.
小蝌蚪APP淎nytime anything needs to be done for the grade level, or they have questions about something in the curriculum, I小蝌蚪APP檓 the one they go to,小蝌蚪APP Jowers says. 小蝌蚪APP淓ven beyond my grade level, any time they小蝌蚪APP檙e looking at the whole school, they come to me because they know that I have a leadership background.小蝌蚪APP
As a 小蝌蚪APP小蝌蚪APP檚 Master of Education in Curriculum & Instruction graduate, and current Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership student, they know she has the skills to guide curriculum, school improvement, and strategic planning.
Born to Teach
Educators are drawn to the classroom for a number of reasons. For Jowers, that new-book smell was the first attraction.
小蝌蚪APP淚 remember being so excited to get new school supplies,小蝌蚪APP she says, 小蝌蚪APP渁nd it had to be Crayola 小蝌蚪APP everything had to be top-of-the-line.小蝌蚪APP
But Jowers小蝌蚪APP inclination toward teaching 小蝌蚪APP and leading 小蝌蚪APP was evident from her first 小蝌蚪APP渏ob.小蝌蚪APP
小蝌蚪APP淲hen I was 11 or 12, I would babysit all the time. I小蝌蚪APP檇 create a schedule of things I wanted to do with the little kids I was working with,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淎ny time I was helping my cousins with their homework or just teaching them anything, I was just excited that from talking to me or hanging out with me they learned something new.
小蝌蚪APP淚 just like being part of someone小蝌蚪APP檚 success, and I thought education was a great way to do that.小蝌蚪APP
Applying Theory to Practice
UL Lafayette小蝌蚪APP檚 M.Ed. Curriculum and Instruction, Instructional Specialist concentration, is offered 100% online in accelerated 8-week terms and gives graduates the opportunity to apply for an add-on endorsement from the Louisiana Department of Education.
The program provides a balance of theory and practice and was the first in the state to build instructional coaching coursework into its program.
Jowers says that hands-on collaboration was particularly useful because she hadn小蝌蚪APP檛 begun managing her own classroom yet.
小蝌蚪APP淲e were looking at classrooms, how they functioned, and making a plan of what we would do to further the conversation and figure out the holes in their lessons,小蝌蚪APP Jowers says. 小蝌蚪APP淵ou were really focusing on what that particular classroom needed, and what that particular teacher needed to push her students further.小蝌蚪APP
Jowers began teaching kindergarten during the final semester of her master小蝌蚪APP檚 program and says she小蝌蚪APP檚 been applying the knowledge she小蝌蚪APP檚 gained since day one.
小蝌蚪APP淭here was a (special education) class that talked about gifted and talented learners 小蝌蚪APP exceptional learners 小蝌蚪APP and that was a very useful class,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淚t talked about ways you can push those higher learners so they小蝌蚪APP檙e not being bored, and I use that now 小蝌蚪APP I still have that textbook.小蝌蚪APP
Becoming an Ed.D.
In addition to her classroom duties, Jowers is also the lead teacher for her grade level, serves on the School Improvement Plan team, and is the Robotics Club sponsor.
Balancing those responsibilities along with school and family, she says, requires discipline.
小蝌蚪APP淓ven for family functions, I have to bring my computer because I have a lot of school work to do,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淓very night I小蝌蚪APP檓 either doing work or school work for my classes. There小蝌蚪APP檚 not much time I can sit and relax. Even when I小蝌蚪APP檓 on vacation, I小蝌蚪APP檓 doing work.
小蝌蚪APP淚 know it has to be done; I have to work on something every day.小蝌蚪APP
Jowers小蝌蚪APP dedication should pay off in 2021 when she小蝌蚪APP檚 hooded as Jasmine Jowers, Ed.D.