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Cara Brouse
EDU 402
Dr. Grace Ward
September 12, 2010
Background Statement for Cara
When thinking back to my years at Laurelton Elementary School in Pennsylvania, I can only
recall fun and happy memories. Each student had their own little storage space in the back of the room.
This area was hidden by a wall, which for some reason I always thought was neat as a kid. For the
most part, desks were in groups and each group would pick a “team name.” These teams were changed
throughout the year so that everyone got to know each other. Most of the learning was done through
interpersonal activities or in a hands-on way. I feel that my elementary school was very serious when it
came to education, despite how fun it seemed to me at the time. Actually, I can remember learning a
little bit of grammar in elementary school that I later had to refresh in my high school years.
Half of my middle school years was spent at Mifflinburg Elementary in Pennsylvania and the
other half was at Caribou Middle school in Maine. Thinking back on, I realize that there were many
dramatic differences between these two schools. Mifflinburg Middle School was very strict and
conservative. Compared to Caribou Middle School, the school in Pennsylvania seemed more like a
high school. Mifflinburg Middle was a three story building with a two story library. Each student had
a locker, as well. The desks, for the most part, were in traditional rows. Students were expected to
take school seriously and there were consequences to falling behind at Mifflinburg. Students who
failed to turn in three homework assignments were given detention. Any student who had been given
three detentions was put in In School Suspension. Parents were almost forced to be involved with their
students education as well. A parent signature was required on any test with a failing grade. Not
getting a parent's signature on a failing test resulted in a detention.
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There was a great sense of professionalism at Mifflinburg Middle School. Education was
serious to the teachers and faculty. I was always in the higher level courses and I remember that they
were incredibly challenging. The dress code was very strict. Students were not allowed to have any
unnatural hair colors or facial piercings. These were considered distractions. The curriculum itself was
fairly intense. Much of the material I had covered at Mifflinburg Middle School I had to repeat in high
school! The teachers at Mifflinburg Middle were approachable and incredibly helpful and
knowledgeable, however they were all fairly strict and serious. For me, this worked.
When I moved to Caribou when I was twelve, I felt almost as if I was in elementary school
again. I was encouraged to jump ahead two whole grade levels when I moved to Caribou because the
Pennsylvania schools were so much ahead of the educational system in Caribou. I had decided not to
jump ahead because I was already nervous enough having moved to a new state. Rather than lockers,
at Caribou Middle School we only had hooks in the back on the classroom for our coats, backpacks,
and other belongings. We each had our own desk in our homeroom classroom and this is where we
would keep our books. The desks were always in groups (which, I have learned, can be very
beneficial). The students were for the most part white, but during harvest season every year Mexican
students would attend our school so their families could work. Once harvest season was over, these
students went back to Texas.
I feel that Caribou did not have the “professional” feel to it that Mifflinburg had. For me, this
made school seem as if it were not as serious. My grades began to slip as I went to this school. Parents
were not involved that much with the education of their children. I failed quite a few tests and my
parents never even found out about it until the report cards were issued. I might be wrong, but I do not
even think that mid-term/progress reports were sent out to parents. I hate to be cynical, but Caribou
seemed more like a day care than a school which to me is very heart breaking.
High school, for me, was not serious enough. The school I graduated from, Hampden Academy,
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was very informal and casual. While I was in high school this seemed great to me, but looking back on
it I wish the school had been tougher because I might have taken in more seriously. The only
consequence for failed tests and missing homework assignments was a lowered or failing grade. I am a
little ashamed to admit this, but I got away with skipping class on more than one occasion without
consequence, too. I do understand that a school with a more laid back feel to it might make students
feel more comfortable and at ease in their school, but I think it personally made me lazy. Overall, I am
happy with the education that Hampden Academy provides, though.
I may have come to realize why math and science was and is my weak point. Math and science
teachers normally do lecture based instruction for the majority of their classes. This does not work for
me. In elementary school, I did very well in both math and science. Math was actually my favorite
subject in elementary school! This might have been due to the type of instruction and the teaching
methods that my elementary teachers used. We did group work activities, projects that allowed us to be
creative, and hands-on activities. Perhaps the reason I love literature and the English Language Arts so
much is because of how creative the teachers allowed me to be in these courses. Having creative
freedom is very important to me and my most memorable teachers were the ones who encouraged this.
Questions seemed to be a burden for some of my math and science teachers.
A very sad math memory I have comes from my high school Algebra 2 class. The teacher
insisted that we all buy our own graphing calculators for the course. This was a requirement.
Unfortunately, my family and I were going through some tough financial times and I was unable to
purchase the calculator. The teacher became angry with me and told me that I needed to get one of the
calculators. As respectfully as I could, I brought up how the work we did in class did not require the
calculator that he had asked we all purchase and that if I learned the equations I could do these
problems by hand with a cheaper calculator. Basically, this made the teacher upset and he did not seem
to care why I could not get my hands on one of these calculators. Being a stubborn, German Brouse, I
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learned how to do the work by hand on my own and passed the class without ever purchasing the
calculator. This memory will never go away because of how embarrassing as well as infuriating the
situation was for me. Hampden is a very “rich” town. Most of the students there came from somewhat
wealthy families. My family was not so well off and the reason that I lived there was because my mom
needed to move to the Bangor area for a job and Hampden Academy has a great reputation.
Teaching, in my humble opinion, is one of the most important jobs there is. Teachers have an
incredible impact on youth and have the potential to either help a student become a successful learner
or cause a student to become apathetic. Throughout my education I have had great teachers and
teachers who were only there because it was a job. School should be a place where we prepare our
children to be educated citizens, lifetime learns, and contributing citizens. School is a place for a
youngster to find themselves, to be creative, and to become knowledgeable. I find myself frightened of
teaching in a school where the teachers do not care about their students. At the same time, maybe I
should teach at a school like that so that I can at least try to help some students. I admit that while I
was in a high school during my teaching practicum, I went home and cried one day because the
students could not spell simple words. This kills me inside. I understand that some teachers feel that
spelling is not as important as the concepts, but I feel that there is not excuse for an entire class of
fourteen year old kids to spell words such as “equal” or “before” incorrectly. It is not fair that some
kids are unable to reach their full potential due to the school district they attend or the teachers who
they are placed with.
A huge concern I have is finding ways to cause ever student to care about their education. A
few faces and names of peers from my past come to mind who did not care about their education at all;
these students were only in school because they had to be. How can I show a student like this how
important school is for their future and for them as an individual? Are there ever students who cannot
be helped or reached?
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I am grateful that I was able to attend schools in two different states. Had I gone to school in
only one of the two states, I think I might not have decided to become a teacher. Going from a very
professional and serious school system to one that was the opposite had a great impact on me. I would
like to combine the two extremes and reach a middle ground in my classroom. I loved going to school
in Pennsylvania because of how strict and professional it was. School seemed like it mattered and
should was to be taken seriously. However, I can understand that some students may feel overwhelmed
by a teacher who is all business all of the time. A student might not feel comfortable approaching a
teacher with a problem if the teacher is too serious. This can be intimidating. A successful teacher is
one who can find a way to be both professional and laid back and expects great things from his/her
students yet is willing to make room for exceptions when needed. I also think that a good teacher
should enforce the rules, but should chose his/her battles.
Being an assistant manager, I have some experience already with being the law enforcer, the
goofball, and the comforter. My work crew knows that I expect only the best from them because I
know that they are all capable of great work and I reward them with thanks and praise when they do a
job well. At the same time, I am often told that I am intimidating because the crew has learned that I
basically do not allow apathy, laziness, or attitudes. One multiple occasions I have had crew members
come to me with their problems and concerns because they know that I will do everything in my power
to help the situation if I can. If it is something outside of my power, I will try to help them find a
solution, point them into the right direction, or I will at least listen. I am incredibly grateful that I have
had the opportunity to work as a manager because I feel like I have a better idea of who I am as a
teacher and how to be professional yet approachable and fun.
Even though I feel that I did not receive the proper education from the Maine schools I went to,
I am glad that I did attend these schools because I may not have decided to become a teacher. In all
honesty, I almost feel like it is my responsibility to try my best to help young people reach their
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potentials as well as take school seriously because I, unfortunately, did not have a large number of
teachers who did this for me. School is not a day care; it is a place of growth and learning.