Student: Stephen Rogers

Instructor: Pam King

End of the semester

My journey with Creative Inquiry this semester has been incredible. Initially I was intimidated by the project but, the help and support I received from my mentor Pam King,  the faculty, and the library staff was overwhelming. They were there to help every step of the way. The showcase topped it all off. The number of people who showed up to see our work and all of their kind comments was humbling. To anyone who is considering getting involved with Creative Inquiry I encourage you to do it. Is it hard work? Yes. Is it pushing you out of your comfort zone? Yes. Is it worth it? Absolutely. I promise you it will be one of the best experiences of your school career.
Beginning of the semester

My name is Stephen Rogers and I am in my 2^nd year here at Greenville Tech. My field of interest is Occupational Therapy but my focus for creative inquiry is slightly different. My focus is personal. You see I was blessed with a learning disability. I’m dyslexic. You may be perplexed by why I consider my dyslexia a blessing. Well, it’s a blessing because it has taught me to be tough, focused, and creative. Through creative inquiry I hope to shed some light on dyslexia and explore what resources are available to children who have dyslexia in Greenville county. Through my research this semester I will look at how Greenville county stacks up against the rest of the state. I will look at what programs are available, what the success rates are and whether there is enough early intervention.

I am looking forward to this semester with Creative Enquiry and am humbled to have been asked to take part. I want to thank the Creative Inquiry team and Dr. King for this opportunity and am ready for the challenge.

 

Student: Jessica Koenemann

Instructor: Brooke Hindman

End of semester

This semester taught me many lessons, most of which, came out of the Creative Inquiry Program. Working on a project by myself was intimidating at first, but self rewarding in the end. Interviewing  faculty members from two different Title I schools gave me multiple perspectives on how the education system is trying to help at risk children. Even though the end goal for Title I funding is to improve test scores, I learned that that should not be the main focus. The test scores are low for many Title I schools, however I saw firsthand that pumping money into schools is not going to change a child’s situation at home. Children are more than test scores and I also learned that building a love for learning in these kids is more important than building up their test scores. I also learned many lessons through organizing and presenting a project. I was able to create a poster board presentation over the course of this semester and then present it at the Student Scholar Showcase which was an incredible experience. I had to set personal goals and manage my time in order to have everything ready in time for the showcase. Although it was not easy, the feeling after I accomplished my goal made it all worth it. I would recommend taking a creative inquiry course if you are able to. This course was fun and rewarding!

Beginning of semester

My name is Jessica Koenemann. I have been attending Greenville Technical College since 2016 and I will be graduating this spring. After graduation, I am planning on transferring to USC of Columbia and working towards obtaining my Masters in psychology, more specifically, Child Trauma Therapy. I have always had an interest in childhood development and I am excited to pursue my career.

When I learned about the Creative Inquiry Program and saw that there was a psychology course, I was immediately intrigued. I knew right away that this course was for me. Going into this program, I did not have a specific idea on what I wanted to research. Through different meetings with Mrs. Hindman and conversations with the board, we agreed that researching Title 1 elementary schools in Greenville County would be fitting. I am curious about what I will learn when I begin going to these schools and interviewing different teachers and administrators. Ideally, I would like to find out what is working, what is not and what can be done to help the children at these schools. I am also nervous because I love kids and I do not want to find out that these children are still suffering even with the extra assistance. Not only am I nervous about what I will discover, I am also a little worried about being overwhelmed with the load I am taking on this semester. However, I know I can do it. With a bunch of coffee anything is possible, right?

I am eager to begin my research. I think this is going to be challenging semester, but I am ready for the work. Nothing worth it is easy!