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Mandi Thayer '02 Education Hometown: Odebolt, Iowa |
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"Iowa's education program has been great. There are lots of hands-on opportunities, and the methods classes are really good. I'd recommend the UI to anyone interested in becoming an educator. . ." Mandi knew early on that she wanted to become an education professional. In high school in Odebolt, she worked as a teacher's aide, helping a favorite instructor every day around the classroom. That experience gave her a different perspective on school from that of many of her classmates, one that has shaped her life. Iowa's early childhood education program is helping Mandi turn her enthusiasm for education into a career. And private support from friends and alumni of the College of Education is making the experience particularly useful and enriching. Mandi has benefited from initiatives made possible by gifts to the college's Advancement Fund, such as the Electronic Portfolio Project, an innovative career-placement tool that helps her demonstrate her technological skills to prospective employers. She's taken advantage of practicum opportunities with Iowa City schools. And she uses the Curriculum Laboratory often: "It's excellent," she says of the lab. "It has useful resources, like computers, textbooks, and kids' picture books. It's great to have something like that right where we take our classes." All of these opportunities and resources will help make Mandi a better educator, which benefits us all. So the private support that makes these opportunities possible is truly a gift -- for students like Mandi, the College of Education, and our society for generations to come.
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