Parent Teacher Magazine Union County Public Schools Sept/Oct 2018 | Page 21

Atrium Health externship helps Monroe Middle
teacher bring lesson plans to life
Health Sciences Academy at Monroe
Middle teacher Heather Teff is passionate
about finding new ways to connect
her students to meaningful, real-life
experiences. She’s also interested
in incorporating science, technology,
engineering and math (STEM) into her
language arts classroom.
So when Heather learned that
externship summer experiences with
the Atrium Health Union’s Women and
Children’s Center were available during
her summer break, the sixth grade
language arts teacher immediately
signed up.
“I thought it would be really neat and a pretty cool experience
that I could share with my students. I’ve learned and experienced
things that I definitely believe can be incorporated into my
classroom,” she said. “I’ve gotten exposure to so much in this
field, and I’m looking forward to also giving that exposure to my
students as well.”
Offered through a partnership between Monroe Middle and
Atrium Health, the two-day externships provided several of the
middle school’s teachers with the opportunity to gain first-hand
insight of clinical, non-clinical and administrative perspectives of
healthcare.
Throughout the summer, Monroe Middle instructors who teach
everything from band to language arts spent at least 12 hours
shadowing Atrium Health Union staff members in a variety of
departments that include imaging, emergency, physical therapy,
Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and more. The ultimate goal
of the externships is to help teachers find ways to connect their
students to STEM and real-life applications.
Heather said in only two days she’d had the opportunity to
observe a C-section, learn more about how nurses and doctors
care for children in the pediatric center, shadow lactation nurses
as they work with new mothers and more.
Connecting Heather to a variety of experiences and
professions in the Women and Children’s Center was especially
important, said Atrium Health Union Pediatric Nurse Manager Kim
Underwood, because now Heather will be able to share those
experiences with young students who haven’t had any previous
exposure to this field.
“Nursing in the healthcare profession is a calling, and
incorporating what we do into the classroom gives students the
opportunity to explore so many areas of healthcare,” Kim said.
“Now, while they’re still in middle school, is when students need
to be engaged because it could give them a goal for what they
may want to do in high school and afterwards.”
At the end of her second day, Heather was already thinking
of ways she could incorporate what she’s learned into classroom
discussions and projects next school year.
“Letting the students know about all of the opportunities in the
healthcare field and exposing it to them at such a young age is so
important,” she said. “I feel like this will give them a step forward
in life.”
FHHS student gets a head start on the new school
year and college in Upward Bound summer program
Some students may look at
summer break as an opportunity
to take a vacation from the
classroom. But for Forest Hills
High junior Isaias Rivera,
summer break was the prime
time to not only prepare for the
upcoming school year but also
life after high school.
During the past few weeks,
Isaias has participated in
New Covenant Community
Development Center’s Upward
Bound Math and Science
Program, a federally funded
educational program that
prepares high school students for
college and careers in math and
science. Isaias, along with 37 of
his peers from Forest Hills and
Monroe high schools, spent their
time in the program participating
in tutoring and mentoring programs, taking intensive math and
science classes, visiting colleges, learning more about post-
secondary education opportunities, preparing for college entrance
exams and more.
Check out why Isaias said his time in the program had already
had a profound impact on his future:
On his experience in the program: Upward Bound is
basically a six-week program. Right now, we’re studying next
year’s material so we’ll have a head start on the school year and
be academically prepared for our classes.
During the first few weeks, we attended classes and went
home at the end of the day. But then we stayed on campus at
Wingate University to get the full college experience. Living in
dorm rooms and going to classes was really interesting because
it’s a different routine than what we have in high school.
On how this program is preparing him for life after
high school: I used to think that I would go into culinary arts
one day, but this program has really opened my eyes to different
opportunities out there. Also, this is a math and science program
so a lot of these classes have really drawn me in. I really like cars,
so now I’m considering going to college to study engineering and
then designing engines one day. I’ve gotten a chance to create a
really solid career plan for the future.
On why other students should take advantage of
summer learning opportunities: This is a great opportunity
to meet new people and have new experiences. For example, we
went to a play and not many people here have had the chance to
experience that. We’ve done a lot of community service projects
and we’re going to visit colleges in New Orleans. All of the
experiences here have opened our eyes and shown us that there
is a whole world out there for us to see.
Parent Teacher Magazine • Sept/Oct 2018 • 19