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Mary Malloy's story on how my education got me where I am as a teacher today: Well, meeting Carolyn "Cutler" (Osborne!) in the last millenium for one thing!! She is an inspiration even these many years later. But also when I graduated with a PhD in Second Language Acquisition, my German teacher mentor-friend chided me saying, "Well, maybe now you want to go be a Frau Professor Doktor bigshot somewhere, but being a foreign language teacher in US-America has been the best working life I could possibly imagine." So in 2000 I came to Champaign, Illinois, Unit #4 Schools and have been a German teacher ever since. I have a cluttered room, frequently inoperable technical devices, five classes a day, 4 different preps, 150 students, monthly club activities. At night I lie on the couch exhausted before going to bed early and getting up at 5:00. But I agree with my mentor -- it's a great life. I have been National Board Certified twice thanks to fantastic videos with my students here. The best thing I do is to frequently barge into the room and yell: "Stuehle weg!" meaning get the chairs out of the way for a Bewegungsspiel of song and movement to which the students always scream in happy anticipation. I am not a noble person, but I really truly believe that daily teaching US-Americans foreign language words is the best peace work anyone could possibly do. I am also certified in Spanish and French and I am working on an Advanced Certificate in Second Language Teaching Practices from the National Language Resource Center in Minneapolis. (You've got one in Columbus for East Asian Languages). Language learning and teaching is my life.

Capital University Alumni! To help current students, let's share stories, ideas, and anything that you would like to share from your experiences after graduation. I'll start it.

When I graduated from Capital in 2010 with my degree in Early Childhood Education and Special Education, I started working in the Game Presentation department for the Cleveland Cavaliers. At the time, the Cavaliers were looking to expand their entertainment teams, and because of relationships I had formed through summer jobs that I held, I was lucky enough to be hired by the Cavs. I handle everything involving the mascots; from scheduling appearances, writing skits for mascots to perform at games, to creating school shows for our dancers and hosts to present at schools. The Cavs didn't have anyone working in their marketing department with a background in education, and while they were trying to make a bigger impact in the local schools, they saw my experience as extremely valuable to them.

I can credit my educational background to helping me be successful with my job now. When I write skits, I write them like lesson plans. I determine my objective (entertain fans), decide what props or materials the skit will need, and then step by step, write out the skit. We use skits more than once, so after it is performed, I go back and review it and determine what I could have done different to make it better. I don't know if I would think this way about it if I didn't have a teaching background.

The other skill that teachers learn that is beneficial to almost any job anywhere is the communication skills we develop. We are very good at learning something, and then being able to teach others. I have learned that human resource jobs fit education majors well. They plan events for new employees and deal with everyone in the company. When I was in school, I thought the only job available to people with an education degree was a job teaching. I was very wrong.

Hopefully we can get more alumni to share stories and experiences, and I look forward to reading what people share. Thanks!

Mick Rowan, Class of 2010