ESU Graduate Student Finds her Passion in Teaching, Earns Nomination as a Keystones STAR

Michele Hermann was surprised when the results of a career placement test listed teaching as the job most suitable for her. “At 18 and just getting out of school,” said Herrmann, “I did not want to be a teacher.”

College wasn’t in her plans either– not until she saw what East Stroudsburg University had to offer. While she attended Scranton Technical High School, she joined the Media Club, which conducted field trips to ESU and used the TV and production studio to make local presentations. A few years later, Herrmann decided to pursue her bachelor’s degree in media communication and technology at ESU.

After completing her degree, Herrmann worked for various media organizations and ran her own photography business. She became a stay-at-home mom raising her four children. When her youngest child attended kindergarten, she decided to volunteer teaching phonics at Pleasant Valley Elementary School.

“That is when I decided I wanted to go back to school to be a teacher,” she said.

She began her course study for her early childhood certification with one class: Educational Communications.

“It was the first time I realized that my degree in media communication and technology was a perfect match with teaching,” she said. “I began designing PowerPoint games that were used in the classroom for remediation.”

The epiphany led Herrmann to want to learn more. Currently, she is a graduate student pursuing her Master of Education in instructional technology at East Stroudsburg University. She is also a first grade remedial math teacher and a technology coordinator at Pleasant Valley Elementary School.

She was recently nominated as a Keystones STAR by Erica Greer, principal of Pleasant Valley Elementary School. One hundred Keystones are chosen by PAECT regional teams to attend a week-long summit at Shippensburg University in July 2015. STARS stands for State Technology Advocates Redefining Schools.

The Keystones Technology Innovators is a state-wide program that celebrates model practice teachers throughout Pennsylvania. These teachers bring to the classroom new ideas, best practices and innovative ways of integrating technology to capture the imaginations of students, according to The Keystones’ website.

The selection process was based on examples of work sent in by the nominee. In addition to two essays on how her work makes her a technology innovator, Herrmann submitted a digital comic created by her second grade summer reading and math camp students. The comic explained math concepts such as odd and even, the retelling of a story, and the digital comic process was used to create an autobiography.

“As I began teaching, I realized the importance of technology in education and returned to ESU for my graduate degree in instructional technology,” she said. “The classes I have taken have helped me implement technology in my every day teaching.”

The knowledge gained from her classes helped her use technology to introduce math concepts, practice math fact fluency and accuracy, and review for assessments. She credits the university with helping her gain confidence. “In my role as a technology coordinator, I help staff with their technology needs,” she said.

“With each class, I am able to bring back innovative ideas to be used by our elementary school for math remediation. As technology coordinator, I am able to show other teachers what equipment is available,” she said.

A person who swore she would never teach, Hermann found her passion in the classroom.

“I really have my dream job,” she said.

Hermann attended the Keystones STARS summit at Shippensburg University July 27-31. More information about Keystones Technology Innovators can be found at www.keystonespa.org. For more information about East Stroudsburg University’s instructional technology graduate degree program, visit esu.edu/gradit or contact Beth Sockman, Ph.D., at bsockman@esu.edu or 570-422-3621.

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