posted October 20, 2014- written by Ashley Weselak, SOE Graduate Assistant
“No day is the same and every single day you will learn something new.”
For Marshay Hawks, choosing Buffalo State was an easy decision – the campus is located right in the city of Buffalo, and the college has a reputation for being the teacher-school. There was no better place for her to pursue her educational training.
Previously, Hawks had wanted to be a paleontologist. After working at a summer camp she fell in love with the concept of instructing and motivating others. When the phone call offering a teaching position took place, Hawksaccepted it without hesitation. She moved on a whim knowing this was her moment, then pursued her master’s online and taught at home on the side. She continues to seek ways to expand her options.
Buffalo State helped Hawks understand self-management. While at Buffalo State, she worked in the President’s Office, participated in Tha Ink Club and Best Buddies, and also completed the Leadership Program during her first semester. Hawks grew from a young student to a young professional, involved in networking and personal development.
Hawks gained maturity and the realization that each of us is accountable for our own actions and decisions.
While college prepares students for education careers and helps teacher candidates acquire the skills to succeed in the classroom, it is a whole new world of challenges when those new teachers are confronted with distraught students, adults and parents.
Hawks notes that she had to “…learn how to do a grade book, how to write sub plans, how to talk to parents, how to hold a conference…” Yet she also expresses the importance of teachers taking time for themselves. Teachers are entrusted with the livelihood of many students and, “It can be hard to find time for your own life as well.”
Hawks advises novice teachers to take everything in moderation, to set themselves apart from the other applicants in the field, to network, and to “make yourself marketable, be confident and smile a lot.”
“I have this crazy drive to achieve so much. I know what I don’t want to end up like and I know that there are things I must do in order to live the life I want to live.”
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