Rhonda Jordan, ELMAC ‘05
Current Intern in Language Arts (fourth grade), Mathematics (third and fourth grades) and Science (third grade) at Bates Academy, a public K-8 school in Detroit, Michigan. Rhonda is a single parent of a beautiful, rambunctious three-year-old little girl named Larhonda. “It’s never too late to pursue your dreams. Even though I designed computer software for over a decade, I have always wanted to become an educator. Fortunately, the ELMAC program will provide me with the opportunity to see my dreams as an educator come true.”
Background: Rhonda worked in the metropolitan Detroit area as a computer programmer and systems analyst for about 13 years. As a computer specialist, her favorite part of her work included training and helping users to better understand the software they were using. Prior to coming to the ELMAC program, Rhonda briefly worked as a substitute teacher in the Detroit and Southfield Public School Systems in 2003. She tutored fellow college students at Oakland University in mathematics and volunteered as a literacy tutor for the Literacy Volunteers of America. She has also worked with middle school girls from the metropolitan Detroit area in the University of Michigan-Wayne State University GO-GIRL (Gaining Options, Girls Investigate Real Life) program.
The ELMAC Experience: Although Rhonda’s mother and aunt were administrators in the Detroit Public School system, she had not considered becoming an administrator. While she had not previously considered school administration, she now sees this role in her future. “The ELMAC professors want us to understand that it is our ethical responsibility as educators and future administrators to provide an equitable education to all students regardless of background or socioeconomic status. Every ELMAC course requires us to reflect on equity issues that allow us to focus on the task of providing educational excellence to each and every student.”
Rhonda has found the Michigan approach to teaching and learning to be powerful for her Detroit students. “I’ve learned that the constructivist approach allows students to focus on understanding concepts and connecting their personal experiences to learning. Learning becomes more important to my students if they can relate to it. Constructivism allows my students to become engaged in the direction of their own learning and develop cognitive skills while interacting with their peers. We’re being taught to teach our students how to think.”
Why ELMAC is right for Rhonda: Rhonda enjoys the cohort organization of the program. “I like the community that we have. I enjoy being around my classmates. We’re just like a family and each of us brings our unique personalities and experiences to our cohort, which makes learning within our cohort rich and colorful. While we may disagree with each other on occasion, we never stop being family. After we graduate, I will look forward to reuniting with my cohort during next year’s ELMAC Alumni Conference.”
In addition, the coursework is appealing to Rhonda because the professors’ practices and instruction align with the one of Rhonda’s core educational principles. “All of my professors have a primary passion that they have ingrained in us which is that ‘every child can learn.’ I agree 100% with my professors and I realize that every child can learn, and if they are not learning, it is not the child’s fault, but mine.”
What Prospective Students Should Know About ELMAC: Rhonda has several suggestions for potential applicants. First, Rhonda suggests that you should not be intimidated by the challenging curriculum. “The UM ELMAC is an intensive program but if you work hard, remain focused, and have a passion to become an educator, the ELMAC is the program for you.”
Second, Rhonda has drawn on and revised her knowledge about teaching. “ I had to ‘unlearn’ many of the teaching strategies that I implemented as a substitute teacher. Every ELMAC student will learn, and re-learn something fresh within the program. Everyone in the School of Education is supportive--that is a major factor in completing a demanding program like the ELMAC. Don’t let a lack of teaching experience keep you from applying. You have full support here.”
Rhonda advises applicants to be prepared for the rigors of the 12-month masters program. “Be ready to work. You’ll have some opportunities to catch up on work, or just take a break, but the program is definitely intense. And well worth it.”
