Think College Vermont

Can you tell me what interested you about this class you are taking?
I chose to take elementary school math because it was important for me to know how to teach math at the elementary level. I chose to take children with disabilities class because I am interested in studying the human development behind those who may have disabilities. I chose to take language and policies to understand how some non-english learners learn english depending on culture. 

What are you learning in class?
In my elementary school math class, I am learning base-ten in terms of decimals and toothpicks but I am also learning rounding. This is the type of math I would be teaching K-3 with. In my children with disabilities class, I am learning how society can include those with disabilities leading to acceptance. It’s important to accept those with disabilities because they are born with something that they can’t change. In my language and policies class, I am learning terms such as intersectionality, the diversity wheel and racism. These are all terms that come into play when it comes to learning a new language. 

Welcome to the University of Vermont, as we start the Fall semester on August 30, 2021.  We are excited to have new students and new mentors joining Think College. Welcome to Think College Vermont.  Let’s have a great fall semester! 😀 

This semester at Think College Vermont some students were taking their courses remotely from the UVM campus. All the students and their mentors still had to be six feet apart from each other. It was still mandatory to wear face masks. The students and mentors were still required to take a COVID-19 test on the UVM campus. 

Think College Vermont provided two remote classes for our students this spring semester. Here are the two fun remote classes that were offered to students this semester, The Basics of Cooking and Baking. The second class was on Friendship and Dating.

During this COVID-19 time. Think College Vermont was not able to hold in-person graduation this year. However, the program recently held a virtual celebration for Thomas Caswell and Bennett Townley on graduating from the program. Madeline Honigman completed the program in 2017, and she stayed to pursue her education with Think College Vermont. During the celebration, we had Katharine Shepherd the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs from (CESS) to wish the students good luck. 

Thanks for your patience. We are hoping to be back on campus in person this fall semester. Have a great summer!!

This semester, I took an art class. I really liked the project where we made sports logos. Mine was on hockey because it is a sport I enjoy watching. I also worked in the Patrick gym this semester where I cleaned the bikes and treadmills. Next year, I am looking forward to my hip hop class.

According to Bennett, these are his thoughts about self-advocacy and advocating for himself at Think College.

What does self-advocacy mean to you?
Self-Advocacy means to respectfully ask someone to change something for you to make you more successful.

What self-advocacy skills do you want to learn at Think College? 
Being realistic on what kind of help I can get on the internet.  I don’t need to ask if the mentor can come to my house for example. 

What self-advocacy skills did you learn in the self-advocacy classes. How can you use them at Think College Vermont?
I can use the skills by talking to a professor about problems I am having in the class or on the Blackboard page.  

This semester, which is also my last, I have an internship once again with the Peace and Justice Center. This was also where I had my internship in Spring 2020 but covid shutdowns postponed half of the internship to this year. Unlike last year, I am doing it all remote on campus with mentors. Things I have done this time around include making phone calls to members for the annual phonathon, doing zoom meeting tech including unpacking whiteness, a social media campaign, and reading a novel which involves reflecting what I have learned from the reading for the enews. The Social Media Campaign involves the School-to-prison pipeline and how it disproportionately affects the BIPOC community and people with disabilities. If you go onto Peace & Justice Center’s Facebook Page, there are a few infographics already posted from a software named Canva. It definitely isn’t the same as being at the PJ&C center itself but at least it’s still a great way to be a part of being with them during this time of a global pandemic. 

My Favorite class was American Political System I have had amazing support from my mentors to help me with the work. What I like about this class is knowing about the History behind it all, the way that my mentors help me by motivating me and asking me questions. I have made lots of friends and have relationships with my Think College Friends. A game that I love to play during my semester here at UVM is HeadsUp. The reason why I like to play HeadsUp is because it gives me extra time to be with my friends as we stay 6 feet apart during this global pandemic.

 According to Bryan Dague, the Program Director of Think College Vermont, “The State of Vermont’s Post-Secondary Education Initiative received an Innovative Policy Award from the Zero Project. Zero Project is an international organization whose mission is supporting the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities of the United Nations and to work for a world without barriers. Vermont’s Post-Secondary Education Initiative is a collaboration of the state Developmental Disabilities Services Division, the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, the Agency on Education and transition and post-secondary education programs including Think College at the University of Vermont, Project Search, Howard Center’s Succeed program, College Steps at Northern Vermont and Castleton Universities, and Global Campuses Foundation.” https://streaming.zeroproject.org/video/YC36H4WINhE

What interested me in ASL 3: I just wanted to have more experience in ASL. We are learning about mouth movement and we are learning about more grammar and more facial expressions. I like the professor. I like that I can do it in my room and I have good wifi in my room. 

How the mentors are helping me in my remote class: Kristin helps me with understanding fingerspelling in class.

The mentors are helping me study by practicing and practicing and practicing. 

When I am doing recreational activities on Zoom, I like to look up songs translated into ASL, I watch tv, I play Bingo, and I play Pictionary.

Self advocacy means taking care of yourself. Standing up for your wants and needs. And asking for help when you need it.

Welcome to the Spring Semester of 2021! We hope everyone had a great break. Let’s have a great semester!