Michael C. Carbone M’12
Getting Everything He Needs at SJC
“Coming from
a huge university … this is like a dream. The professors know your name,” said
Michael C. Carbone, who is working towards his teacher certification and
master’s degree in the Graduate School of Education.
As an undergraduate at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Michael remembers jostling for an instructor’s attention in a class of 65-70 students. In the School of Education at SJC, Michael is part of lively conversations in small graduate classes of five to 15 students.
And he’s able to engage his professors after class or visit during office hours. He said they have helped him find public schools for his field studies and guided him through his coursework. “The classes don’t begin and end with those 2.5 hours in class,” he said.
For him, graduate school has been an intense experience. By day, he is an intern at McGee Middle School in Berlin, helping the staff and teaching when needed. Then, three or four nights a week, he’s immersed in his graduate courses. He’s a frequent visitor in his professors’ offices and a steady e-mail correspondent.
Michael, 24, comes from a family of educators, who suggested he try Connecticut for his graduate work. He applied to two state universities, but was unhappy that his questions took so long to be answered.
During the application process at Saint Joseph College, Marie Fischetti in the Teacher Certification Office was quick with replies. And helpful. “At my old school,” he said, “no one ever listened to you. Here, you get to plan your whole program.”
In June 2010, Michael started his graduate courses. He will be a certified teacher by fall and hopes to graduate with a master’s degree in July 2012.
“To be a great teacher, you need great resources,” he said. “The professors you interact with here, the field experience you are required to do, the staff, the encouragement … I can’t say enough about Saint Joseph College.”
