Seton Hall Magazine, Winter 2003 - Seton Hall University

Active on the Xavier Hall Council, Burns teams up with other
students to plan events, raise funds and nourish campus life.
is individualized. As a student
masters a skill or lesson, he
or she moves on to the next
level. Burns usually concentrates
on one or two students
at a time. “I’m really proud
of working at the DLC. Even
though every day is a challenge,
and I never know what
to expect, I learn so much,”
she says.
One student at the DLC
who loved science but
lacked reading and math
skills proved to be especially
challenging for Burns. “Even
though the student had a
learning disability, we successfully
initiated a reward
system that worked,” she
explains. “Whenever he
completed a reading or math
assignment, he ‘earned’ a
science-related activity.
Although science remained
his favorite topic, eventually
he became more accepting
of other subjects.” Burns
believes the knowledge
she gained at the DLC will
be useful throughout her
teaching career. “Each
progressive step means so
much, especially when the
student remembers you from
year to year and you realize
just how much of an impact
you have made.”
During Fall 2001, Burns
spent every Tuesday and
Thursday at the Robert
Treat Academy in Newark,
which enrolls about 250
students in grades K-4. As a
student observer in the firstgrade
classrooms, she learned
about teaching methods and
helped students with their
questions about the lessons.
As an added bonus, she had
the chance to try out her own
lesson plans. She found that
“teaching at the academy was
very different
than teaching
at the DLC
because I was
working with
25 students,
on average,
versus oneon-one.”
Every
week, Burns
and her Seton
Hall classmates
discuss what
they have
learned and observed during
their fieldwork. She will complete
this year’s fieldwork
requirement at Edison’s
Lakeview School for children
with cerebral palsy. Her field
adviser is Deborah Strazza,
M.A., professor of special
education.
In addition to maintaining
a high GPA and devoting
time to her fieldwork, Burns
spends 15 hours each week as
a work-study student in Seton
Hall’s Office of the President.
She especially enjoys learning
about University procedures,
providing input from the
students’ perspectives and
receiving advice from
co-workers, many of whom
have been working with
students for years. “Everyone
in the office has so much to
offer, and they are all a great
resource,” Burns says.
“With the greatest
tool of life —
education — you
can achieve
and grow to
be anything
you desire.”
Active in Seton Hall’s
Xavier Hall Council, she
also works diligently with
other students to improve
residence hall programs
and “to make campus life
better.” She joined this
organization because she
did not want simply to complain
without attempting
change. As a council member,
she is involved
in event planning
and fundraising.
She
believes that
the council and
the Resident
Student
Association are
the “best
venues for
communicating
with housing
staff and the
administration.”
Her plans for the immediate
future include “doing well
academically and ensuring
that I stay on the right track
with my fieldwork,” she
says. Obviously Burns is
succeeding — she recently
was inducted into Kappa
Delta Pi, an international
honor society in education.
Upon graduation, the Kearny
native is “open to relocating,
but I don’t think I’ll go too
far,” she predicts. Given her
drive to teach special education
and her commitment to
children with disabilities,
that is very good news for
New Jersey’s school districts.
— Pamela Dungee
WINTER 2003 11