STEM GOES RURAL ADVOCATING FOR RURAL EDUCATION ...

CATCHING UP...with Jessica (Horn) Fohl, BA ‘05How long have you been at Lighthouse?This is my third year at Gary Lighthouse Charter SchoolLighthouse in Gary, Ind. I was one of the teachers whoopened it in 2005. I currently teach 1st grade.development throughout the year, as well as 3-4 weeksat the beginning of each school year. We expect ourstudents to reach grade level, grow at least 1.5 years in oneschool year and return 100% of their assigned homework.What do you like most about being a teacher?I greatly enjoy seeing the growth in my students, bothsocial and academic. I loop with my kids every two years,so I get to see their progress over the course of two years.I had an excellent teacherin elementary school thathelped me through sometough times as a kid, andI appreciate having theopportunity to pay it forward.What do you findto be the mostchallenging aspectsof your job?The most challenging partof my job is knowing thereis still more to accomplishat the end of the day. I amoften at school past 7:00. Isometimes forget to take free time for myself, which canbe draining at times. The key is knowing before that draincomes to go out or take a nap.What’s unique about Lighthouse and theteaching methods you use there?Lighthouse is an arts-infused, college prep public charterschool. Our mission is to prepare students for collegethrough a rigorous arts-infused program. Our visionis that all students will be taught by an outstandingteacher in a nurturing environment. Every student willachieve at high levels and develop the knowledge andvalues necessary for responsible citizenship and life longlearning. The impact of our collaborative efforts willfundamentally change public education. We assess ourstudents often and use data to drive our differentiatedinstruction. We serve urban areas that are in need ofschool choice, such as Gary, Chicago, Cleveland, D.C.,and the Bronx. Our teachers receive constant professional“Jessica is an extremelyintelligent, reflective, andcreative teacher. She hasa sound base of pedagogyin which to draw from andconstantly thinks abouther practice.”—Karen Poplawski, Primary Principal/ Director of InstructionGary Lighthouse Charter SchoolCan you tell me about the awardyou received last summer?During our Summer Summit, which is a week longprofessional development session where all theLighthouse schools fromacross the country meet,acknowledgements weregiven to teachers who madeLighthouse standards basedon end of the year NWEAscores. I was recognizedfor making at least 1.5years of growth in bothreading and math, as wellas reaching at least gradelevel scores in reading andmath. This was a huge honoras my class was the firstGary Lighthouse CharterSchool kindergarten/firstgrade class. There wereapproximately 117 teachers in our network at that time,many of whom made individual goals.How did your education at Purdueprepare you for your teaching career ?The best part of my Purdue education was the fieldexperience. I cannot imagine successfully teachingwithout that experience. I also worked as a Super Saturday/Summer instructor for three years. That most preparedme for a teaching position, as I was required to have lessonplans, parent interaction, assessments and classroommanagement. Those teaching positions and opportunitieswere a great way to ease me into a career in a public school.Do you have any advice forour current students?Be certain you are ready to devote more of yourself to thisprofession than any other area of your life, and make sureyour loved ones comprehend and sanction this idea.www.education.purdue.edu 19