Tusculum students earn special guest status at education conference

Two Tusculum College students recently attended the Southwest Virginia Early Childhood Conference at the University of Virginia at Wise, as guests of the conference keynote speakers, Dr. Harry Wong and Dr. Rosemary Wong.

Dr. Harry Wong requested Amanda Silvers and Rick Rogers attend the conference after Dr. DiAnn Casteel, professor of education, shared with him samples of their work.

“He was so impressed that he requested permission to use their work in his future publications,” said Dr. Casteel.

Dr. Harry Wong is well-known internationally and has published several books on the topic of classroom management. According to Dr. Casteel, teachers in the Greeneville and Greene County school systems utilize his materials extensively for classroom management.

Silvers is completing her undergraduate degree in teacher education. Rogers is completing his Master of Arts in education degree and has been accepted into the University of Tennessee’s doctoral program for mathematics. Dr. Casteel and Dr. Kathryn Crumm, assistant professor of education, also attended the conference.

While taking a classroom management book with Dr. Casteel, utilizing Dr. Wong’s book, Silvers said the book, “The Classroom Management Book,” is essentially a handbook for both new and seasoned teachers. “It gives explicit suggestions on establishing classroom procedures and rules,” said Silvers, “The book recommends steps to take to help you, as an educator, create an effective learning environment for your students.”

Assignments during the course included setting up an imaginary class and completing various assignments that required the students to set classroom rules and procedures, as well as the preparation a script which that could be used to keep pace throughout each day as routines are established.

It was these projects, completed by Silvers and Rogers, that Dr. Casteel shared with Dr. Harry Wong.

“Hearing Dr. Wong and his wife speak makes me so excited to get into my own classroom, and to put all of this information to use,” said Silvers. “I am certain that the information I learned in Dr. Casteel’s class, and the works of Dr. Harry Wong, will help me to be an organized, effective teacher.”

Rogers said attending the conference reinforced everything that he had learned in the MAT program at Tusculum.

“The presentation allowed me to meet the authors of our classroom management class textbook.  They turned a subject that can be very dry into a presentation that was fun, motivational, educational and applicable,” he said.

 

 

From left are Dr. Harry Wong, students Amanda Silvers and Rick Rogers, and Dr. Rosemary Wong. Silvers and Rogers were guests of the Wongs, who were keynote speakers at the Southwest Virginia Early Childhood Conference at the University of Virginia at Wise.