College Interests

For this week's assignment, I took a survey on collegeboard.com about the type of college I want to attend. It asked questions such as whether I would prefer a 4-year or 2-year school, or a private or public school. Next, I had to find 3 colleges that I would apply to from the list and look at their degree program. Then I had to make my own criteria for the type of college I wish to attend. Finally I had to find scholarships that I could apply to. The purpose of this assignment is to continue the college search process.

List of Colleges and Doctoral Degree Programs

• Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, GA): www.gatech.edu 
• Washington University in St. Louis (Saint Louis, MO): www.wustl.edu
• Northwestern University (Evanston, IL): www.northwestern.edu

My Criteria for a Quality Program

• Doctoral Program offered
• Emphasis on Mathematics and Sciences
• Small classes where student and teachers get to know each other
• Offers students many different opportunities to follow what they are passionate about
• Many scholarships offered
• Low acceptance rate
• Accepts AP scores
• Beautiful, safe, and well-kept campus

Universities that Follow My Criteria

• The 3 colleges that I listed above
• Most Top Schools in the Nation

Additional Entrance Requirements for Mathematics

• Previous study in mathematics
• Taken high-level mathematics courses (such as Calculus)
• Supervised student teaching experience
• Licensure in the state that you planning on teaching in

My Criteria for a Quality Ranking and Educational Program

• Medium to large size
• Should be in location that is not too rural or too city
• Should offer athletic opportunities and other extracurricular activities to students
• Student body should represent different cultures from around the world
• Most funding should go to research projects

Ranking for Program

• Georgia Institute of Technology: 7th Overall in Academic Excellence Among Public                                                                        Universities
• Washington University in St. Louis: 14th Overall Best University in the Nation, Top 10% in                                                                  Best Universities in the World
• Northwestern University: 12th Overall Best University in the Nation, 12th in Research                                                        Universities

Associations Related to Field of Study

• National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
• American Mathematical Society
• Mathematical Association of America

Potential Scholarships

• Coca-Cola Scholars Program
• Tommy Aaron/ Charlie Aaron Foundation Scholarship
• Gail Ingram Scholarship
• Northeast Georgia School Superintendent's Scholarship

Annotated Bibliography Graphic Organizer 1

Annotated Bibliography Graphic Organizer

Name: Austin Passmore

Source #____ Bibliography (APA) 10 pts	Rao, A. (2014). REASONING IN GEOMETRY THROUGH      SMULLYAN. Mathematics Teaching, (238), 27.
Annotation: (Describe ALL info. that might be important for your paper. Explain to the reader and/or summarize what might be found in this source) 35 pts	This article discusses a technique for teaching logic to students. The author, Rao, learned this technique at an ATM conference from the book The Islands of Professor Smullyan by logician Raymond Smullyan. The technique was to look at the most important sentence in a logic puzzle and to simplify it and any contradictions. Rao tested it by giving two logic puzzles to her Year 7 students and told them to focus on being able to convince the other students of their answer. This technique helped teach the 11-year-old students how to solve logic puzzles. Rao states that this technique can be used when teaching geometry.
Potential Quotes: (Are there any significant quotes you can use or paraphrase from this source?) 15 pts	“The skill was in finding the one crucial statement that was a contradiction or that had the key, usually hidden beneath layers of other statements.” p.27 “This was a skill, it dawned on me, that students needed to use in a variety of topics, not least geometrical reasoning.” p.27 “That weekend my inbox was packed with questions from excited 11-year-olds, asking for hints, expressing exultation at having solved a puzzle and frustration at not having solved another. At school, the class was abuzz.” p.27
Assessment: (Analyze and explain why this source is credible) 15 pts	This article is from the scholarly magazine Mathematics Teaching. The article is written by a mathematics teacher that received the information in her article from an ATM conference, and cites credible logician Raymond Smullyan. This article was also found in Galileo’s database.
Reflection: (How will you potentially use it?) 25 pts	My research this year will be focused on how logic puzzles and brain teasers affect students. This article shows how logic puzzles create excitement within students and make learning fun while being challenging. This article also revealed a technique in teaching logic to students that I will use in class.

An Internship: A Twelve-Week Long Interview

The following link is a blog by Tim Elmore: http://growingleaders.com/blog/

Tim Elmore blogs about how unprepared college students are for the workforce. After a friend of his gave six college students a twelve-week interview, the friend admitted that he wanted to dismiss them after a month. Elmore then gives suggestions about how a student should handle a mentorship/internship. He advises that an internship should be treated as a twelve-week interview. An intern is constantly being observed, and because an internship can lead to great career opportunities, it should be treated like an actual job. He also writes that the qualities that make an intern stand out are a great work ethic, a great attitude, responsibility, and a hunger to learn.

As this is my second year with Mrs. Brooksher, I am looking at this mentorship year in two different ways: the second half of a two-year long interview and the first year of a new job. I am continuing to take on this interview with great passion as I did last year, but I am also taking it on knowing that I already have prior experience and treating it as if my "interview" from last year was a success. My attitude last year stood out to my mentor, I am continuing to show all the qualities that Tim Elmore wrote about in his blog. I am beginning to give brain teasers to the class again like last year. Besides the same things that I did last year, I feel like Mrs. Brooksher has confidence in me to give me more freedom in the classroom. Although I am, in a way, already past my interview, I need to continue to grow and enhance my qualities every week to continue to stand out.

First Impressions

First impressions are a key to starting off a job or internship successfully. Both the "Getting to Know Your Mentor" worksheet and the "Making Positive First Impressions" podcast stress the importance of appearance, attitude, willingness to learn, and determination. Dressing professionally tells your mentor that you are taking your opportunity seriously and that you are treating it as an actual job. However, your professional attire should not draw attention to yourself, be distracting, or be inappropriate. Having a positive and friendly attitude reflects a good character. A positive attitude should be shown by looking your mentor in the eyes and saying hello to him/her with a smile every day and by being very respectful to them and their coworkers. The most important way to make a great first impression is to show how much you want to learn from your mentor. You should prove to your mentor as early as possible that they are someone that you look up to and that you share a similar passion with them.
By this point, my mentor has already been confirmed, and this is my second year with her as my mentor. Luckily, I have known my mentor for 5 years now, and we are far past first impressions. She already knows how hard working and passionate I am about what she does. Although we are done with her impressions, it does not mean that I should stop acting like I did when we first met. I continue to show a positive attitude, and show that I am always willing to learn something new from her. Along with first impression with my mentor, I also need to have a good first impression with her class as I'll be spending the entire year with them. I have gotten to be with them a few times, and I think that they are starting to like me and get used to me. Continuing the way you act towards your mentor goes a long way and should make a greater mentoring experience.