What Students Really Say About Farmington


Why did you pick your major?
I picked Special Ed, focusing on learning disabilities, because I think that that’s the group of people I'd like to teach. I think it's an area in Special Education that's changing a lot, as far as the definition of learning disabilities, and learning disabilities is the largest group of people in Special Ed that receive services. I feel I can make a big difference in this area.

Did you come in with that major?
Yes. Originally, I came in thinking that I’d like to teach older students but then I started thinking I could be more effective if the students came to me earlier.

What is a special strength of Farmington's Special Ed program?
One strength of the Special Education program here is that all the professors provide you with different tools you can bring into the classroom. After four years here, I feel very prepared to go into the classroom with new ideas and to help change special education.

For instance, I’m taking things I learned from my practicum experiences in my regular education class and my Special Education practicum class and using all those tools to get a better understanding of what assessment is and how it should be used.

My philosophy of education is tied into that — they’re drawing from everything and nothing feels isolated. I’m also taking a class in Special Education law right now and I find I’m constantly referencing between that class and another class. It helps me better understand what I'm doing now.

Have you had a favorite class at Farmington?
I liked a lot of the math classes I’ve taken here and I think the math professors at UMF are wonderful, specifically Paul Gies [Associate Professor of Mathematics] — I think he’s a great professor. The way he teaches is that you might have several homework assignments to build on the skills you’ve learned in class. And then in specific classes you do more exploratory homework where you play with what you learned and maybe generalize it to other areas. So you build on those skills and then you really solidify them. When you come to a test or a quiz you feel you really know the material. He does a great job and I feel I remember things more the next semester. So I go to the next class and I continue to build on it. I like that continuation of things.

Tell me a bit about your Special Ed teaching practicum.
I’ve enjoyed my Special Education practicum the most. I was able to apply everything I’ve been learning. Plus, the Special Ed classroom is definitely where I want to be, I feel very comfortable in that classroom environment. But I also felt more needed and that my practicum supervisor really wanted me there and wanted me to help. In the Special Education practicum I’m in now, I get to work with certain students and my supervisor had me run different lessons she was having that day. I was an extra set of hands, eyes, and ideas in the classroom. It's fantastic!

Do you plan teaching in a Special Education classroom?
Yes. Eventually, I'd like to teach in a Special Education classroom.

What has been the most useful thing you’ve learned in a class?
I think I've learned to be a continuous learner. I’m going to continue reading things and applying to academic journals that talk about disabilities and the latest research-based teaching methods.

How did you choose to come to Farmington?
I’m from New Hampshire and I went to a college fair at Pinkerton Academy, which is near my town. I spoke to a UMF Admission rep about the school. At that time I knew I'd like to major in Special Education and there aren't many affordable schools in New England that have an undergrad program in Special Ed.

Later on, I received a postcard from Farmington asking if I'd like more information — the card was kind of funny and cute. It wasn’t an overwhelming amount of information but it seemed like a place I might want to visit. So I came to visit in October of my senior year and everybody I met here was really friendly and I felt I could see myself here. I liked it, so I chose to apply.

What do you like now that you’re here?
I still feel the people are really genuinely friendly and they go out of their way to help you. I also like the small-town feel. For some people it’s hard that we don’t have big shopping malls and big places to go out and do things, but I like that. I love the quaintness of downtown. And I like that I can go to the on-campus Landing to see shows and different things. I like that I’ve met a group of people I feel really close to. I think that at bigger schools you meet a lot of people but you never get close to a small few. Here, you definitely get to know people really well.

Has any class affected the way you think?
Special Education 101, the intro class, was really great because they had the Council for Exceptional Children [a student organization that works with children with special needs] come and speak to us. That got me involved in that organization and led to me helping out with Maine Special Olympics and getting me involved in the local community.

The Council for Exceptional Children is a national organization that puts on conferences and produces journals about children with disabilities. The branch at UMF is a group of students who try and help and be effective in some way to the surrounding schools. They go in and do different activities, like pumpkin carving and bring some kind of experience to the classroom.

Another memorable class was a summer session class I took with Phyllis Fisher [Professor of Learning Disabilities] on the structure of phonics. I got a lot of useful information out of it. I think that's a testament to the professors here at UMF. Dr. Fischer was willing to work with me individually, she e-mailed me all the materials, answered all my questions and I met with her a couple times during the summer. I think that a lot of the professors in Special Education are still very much involved in the Special Education community. I know Phyllis Fisher is also involved in aspects of disabilities law and working on developing state regulations for Special Education practices. She is a part of the advocacy world and keep us updated on that aspect of the Special Ed field.

Who do you go to for academic advice?
Phyllis Fischer is my faculty advisor, but I feel comfortable talking with all of my professors. I've seen Ray Glass [Professor of Special Education] about a travel abroad program to Mexico I'm interested in.

Was the western Maine area a draw for you?
Definitely. I'd say being surrounded by mountains and lakes makes Farmington a fun place to be if you enjoy doing outdoor things. New Hampshire and Maine are fairly similar geographically, and I’ve always been drawn to outdoor activities. So I'd say yes, the location was a draw for me.