CARE
Creative, Active, and Reflective Educators (CARE)
Our program is one of the oldest partnerships in the Patton College and was founded on the principles of Democratic Education as proposed by John Dewey.
- CARE proudly partners with Federal Hocking Secondary School.
- CARE is a partnership for Middle Childhood, Adolescent-to-Young Adult, and Multi-Age majors, and begins in the fall of sophomore year. Students travel together as a cohort through the CARE course of study, working immediately and continuously in Partnership Schools.
- CARE provides opportunities to learn how theory and practice are intertwined. In CARE, you learn how to apply theoretical concepts in real-time practice. You explore the nature of the child as a learner and how social, emotional, and economical factors impact teaching and learning in classrooms.
The Clinical Model Through the Lens of the CARE Program
5 Principles of CARE
Social/Cultural
In a democratic society, the primary role of the school is to develop in students the habits of the heart and mind that make active and full democratic citizenship possible. As teachers in democratic classrooms, your responsibilities go beyond preparing students with subject content or for future careers. Education is not a neutral endeavor. It is both a social activity and an institution that is embedded in an always-changing socio-cultural context. Because we are not born knowing how to be democratic, schools become an important site for developing the traits and characteristics that are part of being a democratic citizen. The promises of democracy are extended to all citizens. How schools can foster democratic ideals such as equity, social justice, freedom, responsibility, community, and tolerance will be examined.
Nature of the Learner
Students will explore the nature of the child as a learner and how psychological, emotional, cognitive, and physical development impact learning and teaching in the classroom. The child comes to school as a naturally curious learner and meaning-maker. CARE students will explore how to keep this natural wonder and curiosity alive through all grade levels by opening a window to the world. Students will explore an array of childhood and adolescent development theories, as well as learn about how social, cultural and economic factors impact the learner within the school experience. We will seriously consider how all children can be educated well, paying attention to issues of difference such as socio-economic class, race, gender, and family configuration.
Curriculum
Curriculum may be defined as the sum of the experiences a child has in school. How teachers and others choose to structure the formal curriculum is often overlooked. Even less examined is the "hidden curriculum" and its impact on students. The choices that teachers make should be predicated upon enhancing the intellectual, moral and social development of each child within the context of a democratic society. Students will gain an understanding of how knowledge is organized and the curriculum is created. Textbooks will be examined with a constructivist and critical eye as only one among many resources available for gathering information. Other resources, including the community, will be explored.
CARE Courses
Course Sequence
| Year | Fall Semester | Spring Semester |
| Sophomore | EDCR 1010 (4) EDCR 2010 (3) |
EDCR 2015 (3) EDCR 2100 (4) EDSP 2710 (3) |
| Junior | EDCR 3100 Reading sequence required for Middle Childhood Licensure only** |
EDTE 2020 EDCR 4100 (offered if demand permits) |
| Senior | Methods courses as appropriate* | Professional Internship |
*CARE students register for methods courses on their own.
**The reading sequence is required ONLY of the MC licensure.
"We must be the change we wish to see in the world." --Mahatma Gandhi
- All CARE students must meet the qualifications for Professional Education and Advanced Standing in The Gladys W. and David H. Patton College of Education. Please make sure to attend the appropriate meetings and turn in your application when appropriate. You will also need to apply for student teaching when appropriate. Please make sure to mark clearly on any of your applications that you are a CARE student.
- Candidates no longer need to register for CARE classes through CARE faculty.
- Leave the times open for the applicable CARE courses, but then fill in the rest of your schedule with courses from our teaching field concentrations, and other university requirements as needed.
Democratic Pedagogy
The role of the teacher in the democratic classroom goes beyond providing students with information to enhance their social, emotional, and intellectual development through experience. Understanding that children have different learning styles, teachers will explore how to utilize creative and active strategies that allow children to experience various educative processes, as well as multiple ways to construct knowledge. In addition, we will explore various methods that promise to provide a more authentic and holistic assessment of children's learning. Also, students will explore various means of creating a sense of classroom community that don't revolve around punishment or marginalization. Rather, teachers will explore how their pedagogy can create an inclusive and meaningful environment for each and every child.
Praxis and Partnership
The Creative, Active, and Reflective Educators program adheres to three basic commitments in teacher education. These are: (1) praxis: that the best teacher preparation includes a blending of theory and practice, and that these two domains inform each other to create a stronger sense of teaching, (2) partnership: the preparation of teachers should involve practicing educators, students, and university researchers as an educational team, and (3) a commitment to explore the democratic notion of the "common good amidst diversity" as it applies to one's local, national and global citizenship. In addition, education should connect with the community in a variety of settings for learning and service. These approaches will prepare our teachers to be active and valuable educational leaders in the classroom, school and community.
Prospective Students
Typically, at the end of the freshman year, education students may apply to enter the CARE Program that begins in the Fall Semester of their sophomore year. At the same time, students should qualify and apply for Professional Education in The Gladys W. and David H. Patton College of Education. Once CARE applications are received, the CARE faculty will review all applications and then schedule interviews with those selected applicants.
CARE Candidate Manual
Applications
The application is currently under revision. Please check back for updates.
For more information, contact:
Bill Elasky
Coordinator of CARE
309Y Patton Hall
elaskyw@ohio.edu
CARE Faculty
Cindy Hartman
hartmanc@ohio.edu
Cindy is a former principal of both Coolville and Amesville Elementary schools and was also the superintendent of Southern Local School District in Perry County. Currently, and in addition to coordinating the CARE partnership, Cindy is a faculty member in the Patton College's Educational Administration program. She is one of the founders of CARE. Cindy is a life-long resident of Southeastern Ohio and currently lives near Corning with her husband, John Winnenberg.
Bill Elasky
elaskyw@ohio.edu
Bill taught at Amesville Elementary and Federal Hocking Middle School for 30 years. He had CARE candidates in his Fed Hock classroom for many years and, after retiring in 2003, began teaching CARE classes at OHIO. In addition to teaching, Bill coordinates the program with Cindy. He and his wife Kathy, who also taught in Federal Hocking for many years and enjoyed working with CARE candidates, live near Stewart. Bill currently does the day-to-day coordination for the CARE partnership and teaches some sections of the "Introduction to Teacher Education" classes.
Ann Cell
acell@fhlancers.com
In addition to teaching with the CARE Program, Ann Cell teaches language arts at Federal Hocking High School and Middle School. At FH, she runs the FH Drama Club, supervises student teachers, mentors new teachers, and heads The Teacher Center, which organizes professional development for the FH staff. In addition to her teaching degree, she holds a B.A. in theater from The University of Akron. She is also the proud parent of two Lancers. Ann teaches EDCR 2100 and EDCR 3100. Both are general methods classes with an emphasis on progressive practice.
Jadey Gilmore
jgilmore@fhlancers.com
Jadey Gilmore has a wealth of experience teaching children at many levels in both private and public school settings. Since coming to Federal Hocking, she has taught at both Amesville and at the Secondary School. Specifically, she has taught first, second, and third grade (she "looped" with these students, staying with them all three years), sixth grade language arts and social studies, and 7th and 8th grade English/language arts. In addition to teaching for the CARE partnership, she also teaches in The Patton College of Education's Early Childhood Program. Jadey and her family live in Athens. Jadey teaches EDCR 2010, "Childhood in America, Birth Through Elementary School."
Amy Buchman
abuchman@fhlancers.com
Amy graduated from Ohio University in 2004 with her Bachelor's in Arts & Sciences, and again, in 2006, with her Master's in Counselor Education. This is her 11th year working as a school counselor. Currently, she is the Federal Hocking Secondary School Counselor serving grades 7-12. Previously, she lived in Juneau, Alaska where she was an elementary and middle school counselor. In her free time, she enjoys fishing, riding her bike, camping, traveling, and watching the Cleveland Browns lose on Sunday. Amy teaches EDCR 2015, "Childhood in America, Middle School through Adult."
Molly Mason-Hurst
MMason-Hurst@fhlancers.com
Molly is an Early Childhood Specialist at Amesville Elementary School (K-2 reading and intervention) and the CARE Teacher Liaison at Amesville Elementary School. Previously, she worked at the Athens-Meigs ESC as both the Itinerant Teacher and Early Childhood Assistant Coordinator. She has lived the majority of her life in Athens County (with a brief stint in Germany!) and with her husband is raising three lovely children.
*Molly teaches EDSP 2710, "Introduction to Exceptionalities."
Zach Ballew
ZGibbons-Ballew@fhlancers.com
Zach is excitedly moving into his second decade of teaching language arts. Before finding his home at Federal Hocking, he taught for seven years at Belpre High School. He enjoys (and actively cultivates) a culture that is passionate about the whole, Fed Hock child. Zach earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Ohio University. With his wife, he lives on a small farm near Amesville which grows vegetables, chickens and children. Zach teaches EDCR 1010, "Intro to Democracy and Education."
CARE Reflections
CARE seniors were asked this question: How has the CARE program prepared you to become an active and reflective educator?
Their responses:
"The CARE program has given me the opportunity to be placed in the schools and see not only democratic classrooms, but traditional ones also. This has given me the opportunity to see all other aspects of teaching and learning in a school. The field experiences have helped me to realize that I truly want to become a teacher. Through spending so many years in the classroom before I graduate, I feel confident about my first teaching position. The education the CARE program gave me was extremely beneficial and I'm ready to create my democratic classroom!" - Jessica Mahorney
"The CARE program has been able to open my mind to more progressive techniques of teaching, such as cooperative and expeditionary learning. Through the program, I have been better able to see how some students succeed while others fail, and what part the teacher plays in these outcomes for their students."
- Michael Stanley
"The CARE program has prepared me to become an active and reflective educator by teaching in ways that mirror the democratic practices that we are constantly learning. We have created a community within CARE that enables us to feel safe to take risks and really push the boundaries of learning. Along with this comes the many hours that we have been granted inside the schools; if it was not for this we would not be able to practice the methods that we have been learning (such as expeditionary learning via 'The Coal Project'). All of this has taught us the valuable lesson that we have to be both teachers and learners." - Amanda Capalbo
"I think that the CARE program has posed many critical questions in my mind that I would not have been made aware of had I been a part of the traditional education program. My eyes have opened to the injustices within our educational system and the CARE program has given me a desire to work towards creating change and also helping students to rise up and create change for themselves." - Denise Bunsey
"The CARE program has changed my life as a person, a citizen, and most importantly, educator. My mind has been opened and challenged in ways I never expected. My experience in the classrooms over the past three years has given me the opportunity to see my future world before I am even out of college. As I approach student teaching, I feel confident and prepared, yet I continue to learn and question every single day. I have learned the power of knowledge, reflection, questioning, and voice." - Amy Medved
"The CARE program has prepared me to become an active, reflective educator in so many ways. I have learned, researched, and experienced various methods and theories throughout my three years. I have gained valuable knowledge by being an active student in community classrooms, not just a passive student listening to professor's lectures. My eyes have been opened to democratic education and the need for it in schools across America. I believe that when I graduate, I will be more advanced in the education field than the traditional O.U. education student because of the CARE program. I am thankful for the opportunity and privilege to be able to participate in the CARE program." - Mary Suchy
"CARE has enabled me to challenge the existing education system and think in a much broader sense. I have learned how I want to teach, how I want to be treated, and how I want to treat my students. I have learned to incorporate many different methods for different learning styles. I learned that one of the most important things I can do is help create a community in my classroom/school where everyone feels valued and safe. The existing system is lacking and I feel that good teachers can change so much. CARE has enabled me to see democratic education in action. I have internalized and prioritized such terms of democratic education, student-centered, project-based, hands-on, reflective, etc." - Robyn Moser
"The CARE program, through experience, philosophy, and multiple perspectives, has helped me to become a successful educator. Through the program I have spent countless hours in the classroom, practicing and observing democratic techniques that I have learned through the program. The CARE program has nurtured my desire to give back to the community and be an active member of the community. Furthermore, the CARE program has given me the power to want to change traditional ways, and help create a better, more significant atmosphere for our children." - Adam Wilson
"For the past three years, the CARE program has been positively preparing me to be an active and reflective educator. I have had three years of hands-on democratic education. I have been in the schools weekly watching different students interact with different teachers. I have observed six different classrooms, all of which were at different levels. I have become close with my cooperating teacher; thus, I feel prepared to enter into my winter quarter of student teaching. The C.A.R.E program has given me the opportunity to be a part of the teaching world. As I enter into my student teaching, I am excited and determined that I will be an active and reflective educator." - Heidi Holick
"The CARE program has provided me with the tools to be an active and reflective educator in that it has taught me the importance of active learning in a student-centered classroom, as well as the value of exploration and engagement by the students. I have learned the meaning of group work and challenging students - and the harmful effects of passive learning. I think it is important for students to be involved and in charge of their own learning, and presenting their ideas to the class is important for them to gain an understanding of the concepts being studied, as in mathematics. Group work and discussion enhances students' knowledge and allows the students to learn from each other." - Eva Conrad
"Talking with other education majors I have realized how much more CARE has prepared me to actually teach students. I've written more lesson plans and thematic units, which gives me more practice with trial and error. I've dealt with more students and actual teachers to experience what it's really like beyond college. This program has taught me so much more than just being a teacher, it has taught me who I am as that teacher." -Carly Bartemes
"CARE has given me more than any other normal education class could have. I have been in the classroom for over 1,000 hours. I have gained more experience and knowledge than I could ever imagine. The CARE program has taught me how to put the children first and other alternatives to traditional teaching. Throughout the last two years, I have gained so much from my colleagues and my teachers. We have formed a cohort that I encourage others to join." - Kelly Castro
"The CARE program has helped me to become an active and reflective educator by countless hours of experience, learning alternate types of assessment, and discussions regarding bias in education. Equipped with the knowledge of many facets of education, I feel more able to create a community in my classroom, teach democratically, and exert fairness to my students in regards to assessment and treatment." - Lori McGinnis
"When I entered the CARE program, I had no idea what I was getting into. I could already tell from winter quarter of my sophomore ear what a valuable experience I had already gained. To be put in a placement classroom so early in college prepared me to teach under any circumstance. CARE rid me of public speaking fright and any shyness. It taught me how to civilly fight with friends and not walk away mad. CARE has taught me to accept all people, including all people and never look away to the racial and gender indifferences that is all around. I now think before I speak thanks to CARE It has opened my eyes to many educational problems and made me never want to be the teacher that hates her job." - Kristen Mantuffel
"The experience I have been able to have with children in the schools for the past two years has been the most important thing I have gotten out of CARE I feel that working with children and gaining a comfort level in a classroom before having my own classroom is the key. CARE has been meaningful to me because I have been able to learn how to be not only a reflective educator but a reflective person as well. CARE has prepared me to understand what teaching is really about and that is the children and how to prepare our future citizens for the world. I could not see my life through college without being a part of this program. I admit times were shaky when it came to scheduling, and the amount of work we were expected to do from quarter to quarter, but trust me, it was worth every second." - Kristen Hawke