Northern Today Spring 2020

NORTHERN TODAY 12 SPRING 2020 News | NORTHERN STATE UNIVERSITY WALTER is a math education major from Monticello, Minnesota, who works with the tutoring center on Northern’s campus. She recently began working with her community to start an online tutoring program for her local school district. “When I came back to Monticello, I began talking with some of the people I went to high school with,” said Walter. “We saw all of these students in our school district who were struggling with distance learning, and came up with the idea to start an online tutoring center to help relieve some of the pressure from teachers and parents.” Students can access the center’s website and apply for tutoring in a variety of subjects in all grade levels, completely free of charge. The center also offers tutoring in both English and Spanish, as Monticello has a large Spanish- speaking population. The group is now working with 70+ qualified volunteers who have had complete background checks through the district. Recently, the group has officially been licensed as a nonprofit organization in the state of Minnesota. NSU students’ Wolves Academy provides online lessons for area children “ I S T I L L REMEMBER my own elementary teachers that made me feel important, safe, and cared for,” said Henke, a senior from Center, N.D. “I truly believe I learned best from these caring professionals.” Now, Henke and her classmates are getting a chance to make area elementary students feel important, safe and cared for during a time of uncertainty. Teacher candidates from the NSU Millicent Atkins School of Education have created Wolves Academy, a YouTube channel containing video lessons for children learning at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The project was the brainstorm of Dr. Andria Moon, teacher education department chair and associate professor of elementary education; Erin Fosher, interim director of field experiences; and Dr. Erin Fouberg, associate vice president of academic affairs. Moon said Wolves Academy is a resource for area families as well as an avenue for NSU teacher candidates to share their passion for teaching and acquire more hours toward their final student teaching experience. Rachelle Gabriel was more than halfway through her final student teaching experience when her life changed abruptly on March 13, when the COVID-related school closure was announced. “Creating these videos was a way for me to virtually connect with the students I was working with since I couldn’t connect with them in person like I had been doing for weeks,” explained Gabriel, from Milbank. Henke, who graduated in May, said she had numerous hands- on experiences at Northern that allowed her to make connections with students. “This semester of student teaching may look different than any other as both teaching and learning transition to online,” Henke said. “However, I think I can speak for all of us student teachers when I say that I have never been prouder to be a Wolf!” Gabriel, who also graduated in May, said during this time of uncertainty, it’s important to be kind to educators. “Whether it be elementary, middle school, high school, or even college educators, they are all going through tough times of change,” Gabriel said. “These are times most educators have never gone through. Be patient as they are learning to cope as much as you are. Our worlds were rocked and we can only get through this if we all support each other.” NSU student offers free online tutoring for K-12 students during pandemic Northern State University education student Tristen Henke believes every child needs a support system – and as an educator, she can be just that. In this time of uncertainty, many individuals are making a point to help those around them in whatever ways they can. One such individual is Northern State University student Molly Walter.