October 31, 2011 Dear Prospective Education Students, As an adult entering college, I unsure about what was going

on at Alverno. I was really surprised by just how different Alverno was from my first university that I attended. At new student orientation, we were introduced to the Alverno way: eight abilities, zero grades and an impromptu speech. My first semester at Alverno, I participated in Convocation. I almost felt out of place. I was surrounded by girls that had just finished high school; there was singing and an induction into the learning community that is Alverno. Before we left, we were all presented with an Alverno lapel pin and a bookmark made an Alumna. Being pretty skeptical, I wasnt sure that it was going to work out for me. My bookmark read You WILL do this, and youll be great! I turned it over and it was from Molly who had just graduated in the Spring of 2008, a mere months before I made the decision to return to school. That was the moment when it hit me. I am capable of being successful at anything Alverno had coming my way. Are you wondering why I would share all that? It has a lot to do with the kind of person that I discovered I am through Alverno. I entered ED 201 just one year after my experience with Convocation. I was starting to get the hang of the 8 Alverno Abilities, and was slowly getting acclimated to the pass/fail system. In 201, you are introduced to the 10 Wisconsin Teacher Development and Licensure Standards and the 5 Alverno Education Department Outcomes of the Major. Initially, I didnt get what they meant or how they were connected. It took me a while to see that the standards and abilities were designed to help me focus my personal growth. One of the activities we worked on was a small group challenge. Can you use resources from the Alverno Student

Handbook to define the ability and present it to your classmates? What an eye opening experience! We had an image and a list of performances that would demonstrate proficiency of our ability and we were to develop a definition. It is interesting to look at a list of performances and think that all those things are demonstrations of something we know, like communication, or something that is unfamiliar, like integrative interaction. From that one presentation project and the preparation work for the ED 220 Interview assessment, I was starting to see how the standards and abilities were woven into every aspect of my teaching. For the ED 220 assessment, we were given a rationale guide. A key component to the rational guide is to state the standards and abilities in your own words. As you will learn, if a students can rephrase a key concept, it shows a conceptual level of understanding. That was a key for me, to know that I could out these 15 essential items into my own words and find examples of my work that demonstrate my growth. As I mentioned earlier, I was not completely on board, still feeling like I was out of my league. This process reaffirmed my belief that I was on the right track. I can do the work that will allow me to pursue my lifes calling. As a part of the portfolio process, I am writing this letter to show that if you have the desire and stick-with-it-ness, you will see the supports that Alverno has in place to help you achieve the success you came here for. I started portfolio this past summer, with the same process that I started the ED 220 assessment. I got out a notebook ready to reinterpret the standards and abilities, and realized that I didnt really lean on the handbook for descriptions of the abilities or the DPI for descriptions of the standards. I have come to know them well enough that I am able to identify when I am using them in all aspects of my school work, not just my field experiences.

Let me be frank that this growth process has not been smooth sailing. Turbulent waves of homework and fieldwork brought out some frustration, but the end result is so worth it. The education process has pushed me to excel in ways I never would have thought possible. So, if you are a skeptic like me, hang in there! In the words of myself and the alumna who has been my inspiration, You WILL do this, and youll be great! Best of luck,

Molly Rozga Student Teacher Candidate