Molly Gibson, alumna (class of ’11), Tacoma, WA
As far as the happenings in my life, after graduation I had a wonderful summer filled with trips to Maui, Boise, and Lake Chelan amidst summer classes for the School of Education at Puget Sound. I am working towards earning my Masters in Education and I took two classes to fulfill the requirements for the program which I began last week!! It’s bizarre to be around campus without seeing all your smiling faces but I’m still loving it. The changes that have been done around campus over the summer (commencement walkway completed, new benches and plazas, Weyerhauser Hall finished, outdoor amphitheater completed…just to name a few!) make the campus look AMAZING!! I’m jealous and bitter at the same time, though, because the psychology department has now moved into the beautiful new building but oh well. As far as my program goes, I’m loving it so far because it feels just slightly removed from the UPS feeling. It’s a small program with only about 10 people in my specific certification area (K-8 Education) so that’s awesome. I’m completing student observations this fall in two different schools for six weeks each. Right now I’m at Grant Elementary off of Prospect street in a 4th grade classroom and I’m LOVING it! It’s totally opening my eyes to the power of education and the possibilities that lie with earlier education. (Exhibit A: While doing an art project, one student approached me and said, “Ms. Gibson? I feel sortof uncomfortable drawing my name in red and green (which she was assigned) because I don’t celebrate Christmas…” After I told her that they were just colors for an art project and had nothing to do with religions or holidays, she was SUPER excited about it!) After this stay and after Fall Break, I will hopefully sit in on a middle school classroom to see how they’re different. I observe in the mornings and take classes on campus in the afternoons and have seminars with the whole cohort on Fridays. Looking ahead to next semester, I will student teach from January through April and I’ll graduate (again…) in May! Come see me!! Then I’ll have about a month off before returning to campus for a sort of capstone class and to write me thesis (again…). Haha! But all in all, I’m loving the program so far and UPS is just as good as it’s ever been. I miss you all and hope your travels, studies, or whatever it may be you’re doing is going successfully!!