Industry Prompts
1. A CAPStone Internship is more than just doing some job for the 2nd semester of your senior year, it is an investigation of the industry of which you are a part. So to get the ball rolling for you, write about what your initial/preconceived idea of the industry is/was before you started working for your particular company/organization. If you have a point of delineation for where this perspective started, include it. (For example, maybe your initial understanding of this industry stems back to the fact that your aunt or grandfather was involved in it and he spoke about it at the dinner table or at family gatherings.)
My mom is one of the reasons why I want to become a teacher. She teaches in Cambridge, and is a middle school Chinese teacher. She is a Chinese teacher. Everyday she comes home, sometimes late at night, after different meetings and teaching all day. Sometimes on phone calls, I hear her exhausted and tired. But she loves teaching and love her students and works hard everyday.. My mom is even a teacher to my brother and I. She brought us to Taiwan for two years to live because she wanted our first language to be strong. She believes having a strong first language will help you learn a second language, and she wanted our English to be strong as our Mandarin .
4. What is the general employee attitude at your internship? Are the people driven by their work? Do they seem more interested in socializing/gossiping? Is there an air of respect for the job and the people who do it? Do people see this as “just a job,” and if so, how does this attitude influence their daily tasks within the job? Is this a job whose employees make you want to be a part of it? Reflect!
The general employee attitude at Cabot school is good. The teachers, aides, and students have good communication. Sometimes different teachers come in to talk about behavior plans, or activities that they want to do with the students. There is really no time gossiping about other teachers because so many teachers are busy working with kids and have no time to rest. The teachers are very direct to students and teachers when they have something in mind and want to come to a solution.
5. Interview at least three different people at your industry. If there are not enough people on site, then find people who are elated or work in union with the job. (For instance, maybe the site you’re at only has two or three other people, but you can find someone with whom they deal/associate regularly. Interview that person.) Get them to narrate the industry for you. These will be some of the most revealing, and genuine, responses to your project, so prepare your interviews and listen well.
Interview questions:
A
Name: Heidi Lucas
Subject teacher: 2nd grade, English, Science, Math, and Social Development.
How long have you been teacher at the school ? 15 years at Cabot and 20 years in Newton.
Why did you become a teacher ? To help people and have the summer off with family.
What is the best thing about your job ? Working with students and seeing them grow.
What is the worst thing about your job ? Too much to teach and not having enough time.
How do you meet the needs of a student with an IEP ?
Aids, Sped Team, Support staff to find the best of each need.
B
Name: Matt Tirrell
Subject teacher: 5th grade and teaches science.
How long have you been teacher at the school ? 13 years.
Why did you become a teacher ? Working with kids.
What is the best thing about your job ? Watching kids come together as a community.
What is the worst thing about your job ? Having enough time to get everything done.
How do you meet the needs of a student with an IEP ?
Starts with the team and seeing what each works in the past. Also making connections with the kids.
C
Name: Tia Marola
Subject teacher: Special Ed teacher K-5 with behavior, social, and academic needs.
How long have you been teacher at the school ? 3 years.
Why did you become a teacher ? It was like a family business, started with a sibling with special needs, and mom worked with adults with special needs.
What is the best thing about your job ? The kids.
What is the worst thing about your job ? Amount of hours work outside of school.
How do you meet the needs of a student with an IEP ?
As a teacher facilitator makes sure that teachers and staff have the material and resources they need to accomplish the kids IEP goals in general ed class.
3. How does this industry sustain itself economically? Is it a per-client industry? A commission business? A non-profit (and if a non-profit, what do you know/understand about how it is able to operate/generate revenue)? A sales industry? A grant or government-funded business? How does knowing how a business generates revenue affect your perspective of that industry? (If you don’t know, find out.)
The Newton Public School system is a non-profit industry. The Newton Public schools is a non profit because teachers get paid through the City of Newton. The City of Newton gets the money from the residents taxes. The school system is given a budget every year, but the budget changes every year. The City of Newton uses money from taxes to pay the police, fire department, snow removers, teachers, libraries, and highways. All of these expenses have to be paid by the revenue coming in. It sustains itself from the budget given by the mayor to the Superintendent of Newton. Understanding that teachers won't be getting paid the same amount each years make me think about if I want to become a teacher.
7. What is the goal of your industry? Customer satisfaction? Expansion? Profit? Research? How do you know? Is it static, or does it change?
The goal of Education is to help students reach their academic potential. Students need to learn basic academic, social and behavior skills in order to interact with people. The school community needs to focus on the kids individual needs and parents satisfaction. Special education helps students with disabilities, such as a mental health disability, physical disability, learning disability, and communication disability, etc. Another goal of Education is research and trying to learn new methods and ideas.
16. What food and beverage symbolize your company/industry? Now get profound: turn it into a short story or a personal essay.
I would say coffee symbolizes my industry. The reason why I would choose coffee, is because every morning I see teachers and staff at least see one cup have a cup of coffee on the table. Teachers having coffee in the morning keeps them awake.
17. How would the world be different if your industry didn’t exist, or if it were to somehow disappear? Speculate and ponder.
The world would be different
18.
Who were you the night before you started your internship? Who are you as you walk off site at the end of your last day? What’s changed? If you could go back in time to talk to the you you were the night before it all started, what would you say to your past self? Would your past self be impressed with / proud of your future self? How come/why not?
The before I started my internship I was extremley nervous