Journal of the Effective Schools Project, Volume 18, 2011 Page: 12
79 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Book Buddy Program at Tarleton State
Univeristy: Mentoring the Readers of
Tomorrow
Michele R. Staples"When I go to my elementary
school each week, I go with open
eyes and ears. I am like a dry
sponge as I wander the hall-
ways. I use my eyes and ears to
sponge up anything and every-
thing that may help me later. I
closely watch my teacher and
closely watch how she directs
her students. I take notes as to
what she says that works and
doesn 't work with her group of
children. This sounds weird to
some and especially to my
friends that are not interested in
the field of education, but it is
what I want to do and is my pas-
sion. Helping, Serving. I think
those two words go together,
and having a book buddy is very
satisfying to me" (Leftwich, per-
sonal communication, November
10, 2010).
Field experience opportunities can
be one of the critical catalysts that
help pre-service teachers gain the
experience needed to convert col-
lege students into exceptional
teachers (Blanton & Moorman,
1985). Tarleton State University's
pre-service education faculty be-
lieve in blending the community
and the university together and
forming partnerships to unite the
two. The quote in the previous par-
agraph pulls these two together.
Tarleton students help and serve
others in order to help themselves
become the best teachers they can
be. The pre-service teachers who
enroll in Tarleton's program are
provided many opportunities toparticipate in public school learn-
ing environments through field
experiences in order to give back
to the community. Spending time
in the public schools allows the pre
-service teacher the opportunity to:
a) Deepen their understanding of
the theory-practice connection
and their Tarleton State Uni-
versity coursework to real
world applications;
b) Observe the many factors
(academic, social, physical,
and emotional) that influence
student learning;
c) Observe master teachers and
how they implement the state
and district mandated curricu-
lum;
d) The opportunity to see differ-
ent teaching and management
strategies and determine how
to develop their own;
e) Experience diversity of philos-
ophies, strategies, and class-
room and school environ-
ments; and
f) Participate in many of the skills
required by professional teach-
ers in today's school environ-
ments.
"Collaborative projects such as
this one between schools and
universities have several poten-
tial benefits" (Bromley, Winters
& Schlimmer, 1994). Book Bud-
dies is a collaborative program
between TSU and the Stephen-
ville ISD (SISD) that supports
reading instruction in the public
school classroom. This program
provides engagement of the pre-Tarleton State
University's pre-service
education faculty believe
in blending the
community and the
university together and
forming partnerships to
unite the two.12
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Tarleton State University. Effective Schools Project. Journal of the Effective Schools Project, Volume 18, 2011, periodical, 2011; Stephenville, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth201694/m1/16/: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Tarleton State University.