Nancy Larson had a unique opportunity this past May Day to visit Kansas State University and meet two of the Nancy Larson Scholars, Katie Cook and Clarissa Corkins. Kansas State University College of Education Dean Debbie Mercer and KSU Foundation College of Education Director of Development Marty Kramer invited Nancy to visit the campus, speak to a secondary science methods class, and attend the 2015 College of Education Scholarship Banquet.
Staples’s secondary science methods class.
Nancy was asked to speak to students in the secondary science methods class taught by Dr. Kimberly Staples. Nancy shared her thoughts on the new Next Generation Science Standards and National Framework as well as learning progressions in teaching science. One area of concern students brought up was classroom management and Nancy shared the importance of being prepared and visualizing before even starting class. She said to be one step ahead of situations that might arise and think through how you will handle these situations. She also shared how important it is to model the behavior for even the smallest things so students know your expectations.
Following the classroom visit, Nancy was invited to a luncheon with Dean Mercer and Mr. Kramer at the Manhattan Country Club. They had a wonderful discussion about current issues in education and the dean shared things that KSU College of Education is doing to try to prepare students to be the best teachers possible. Also they are working on being a support system for newly graduated teachers in those first difficult years of teaching.
The main reason Nancy was invited to visit Kansas State University was because of the support KSU students have received from Nancy through her Nancy Larson Scholars program. Though the scholarship program is a national program, in the past four years six recipients have been KSU students. Dean Mercer wanted to express her appreciation and invited Nancy to the 2015 College of Education Scholarship Banquet to meet current Nancy Larson Scholars from Kansas State. Nancy was able to meet Katie Cook, 2014 recipient, and Clarissa Corkins, 2013 recipient. Both scholars are seniors and graduating this spring. They are planning to continue their education working on their Special Education degrees. Nancy had a wonderful experience meeting Katie and Clarissa and is excited to follow their future teaching careers.
