College of Education Senators

Shalene Summers

So many of you probably already know me from the numerous emails that I seem to send out frequently...well...it is about time you put a face with the name! I am Shalene Summers, I am a Junior here at ISU's main campus in Poky. Since I loved high school so much I decided that I had to go back! So as a Secondary Education/History major and minoring in Social Sciences; I am hoping to fulfill this dream. As one of your senators, it was my goal to try to unit all campuses within the College of Ed program. I thought a Blog would be the perfect solution...so sit back and enjoy this website. Learn tips from fellow students who survived what you will or are going through and get to know one another a little bit better. I hope you all enjoy!

-Don't hesitate to email me at summshal@isu.edu. I would love to meet all of you! Good Luck with your semester of classes!

Tom Briggs

Tips for Landing that Perfect Job!

"As far as advice for students getting ready to find jobs, I guess there are a couple of things that would have helped me as I began to prepare for applying. First, I wish that I was a little more proactive in obtaining letters of recommendation from teachers that I associated with during my internships. When it comes to letters of recommendation I really don't think you can have too many of those. Second, I found that it's important to begin applying as soon as jobs are posted. Some of the jobs don't stay open long, and if you miss your window, then you're just out of luck. Last, I would recommend that when applicants answer all of those essay questions on applications, I would strongly suggest that they save the answers to those questions somewhere. I was surprised how often the same essay questions came up from school district to school district."

-Steven Andrew

Graduate of ISU's COE

Laureen Kinnaman Coutts

"Get to Know Your Fellow Classmate"

My name is Laureen Kinnaman Coutts, I am 47 years old, I have 4 children ages 24, 21, 19, & 10. I grew up on the northern California coast in the Redwoods near the Oregon border. I was a competitive swimmer through high school, and also ran cross country and track.
I attended Pepperdine University in Malibu, California from 1980 – 1983, and had the opportunity to help with the L.A. Olympics in 1984—specifically the Water Polo events that were held at Pepperdine. That was one of the highlights of my life.
I was married in 1982, and moved to northern California where my husband and I owned and operated a computer store for 10+ years. We also were involved in church activities and raising our children.
My family and I moved to Idaho (Teton Valley) in 2000. While living there we enjoyed skiing Targhee and building our own home. I worked as a customer service representative for a telecommunications company there. My marriage ended in 2007, at which time I decided to move to Pocatello to attend ISU. My original intention was to pursue nursing, however, I found that teaching is what I really want to do. My major is Physical Education/Secondary Education, and my minor is Biology.
For fun, I run about 30-50 miles per week, and compete in 10k races and ½ marathons. My goal is to run a full marathon next summer here in Pocatello. In January of 2010, I will be travelling to Phoenix to run the Arizona Rock n Roll ½ marathon. The Rock n Roll races are a lot of fun—there is a band playing every mile, along with lots of goodies and a concert at the end of the race. It’s also warm in Arizona in January, and I am looking forward to thawing out a little!
I am so pleased to be part of the ISU COE, and I am honored to spend time with the fantastic people in the Sport Science department, and the entire College of Education.
As a side note, I encourage all of you to apply for the Teach Grant. It’s easy to apply for, and the extra $2,000 per semester is wonderful!

"A Little Advice From One Who Knows"

"For my collaborative teaching experience I was placed in a second grade classroom at Tendoy Elementary. Throughout my experience I learned so much from my collaborating teacher (CT) and my students. My CT taught me to not be afraid to take charge of the students, that its okay to give hugs to your younger elementary students, and that every lesson you teach could have an impact on your student's lives. My students also taught me some very valuable lessons such as whenever they sneeze you better have a tissue and some Lysol handy, everyday is a hugging day, and that they actually do listen to ALMOST everything you say. Some advice that I would give to you future elementary education majors is to work closely with your CT and the other teachers within the school. They are all very insightful and you never know who might be on your interview committee in the future. Finally, it's always those students who seem to drive you bonkers that need the most attention." - Aubrey Browen