tag:blogs.targetx.com,2012:/gmc/steven-rufe/713 2012-03-16T21:32:53Z Movable Type 3.34 tag:blogs.targetx.com,2012:/gmc/steven-rufe//713.15869 2012-03-16T21:29:52Z 2012-03-16T21:32:53Z

Living on a reservation has been an experience in itself. The San Carlos Apache, the inhabitants of this reservation, are in my own terms the "forgotten Native Peoples". Many of them live in extreme poverty and have little or no...

Steven Rufe Check back in a bit for another update! Steven Rufe ]]> tag:blogs.targetx.com,2012:/gmc/steven-rufe//713.15870 2012-03-05T21:33:38Z 2012-03-16T21:37:48Z

Just had to post a very brief bit of news I just received this morning. I got an e-mail from Columbia University telling me I was accepted to their International Educational Development Masters Degree Program for the Fall of 2012....

Steven Rufe Just had to post a very brief bit of news I just received this morning. I got an e-mail from Columbia University telling me I was accepted to their International Educational Development Masters Degree Program for the Fall of 2012. Thanks everyone for your unwavering support! I am so very excited about this opportunity. Dream Big! Steven tag:blogs.targetx.com,2012:/gmc/steven-rufe//713.15868 2012-02-29T21:08:00Z 2012-03-16T21:24:55Z

After departing from Philadelphia International Airport on Sunday, February 26th at 6:00AM, I had a brief layover in Atlanta, Georgia followed by another flight into Phoenix. When I arrived at Phoenix I began my second leg of my student teaching...

Steven Rufe After about a 2 and a half hour drive (which was scary in itself as we winded through endless mountains and thousands of cliffs which were thousands of feet high, we arrived in San Carlos and I settled into my humble abode. Now, when I say humble abode I mean a rather large and spacious (especially compared to NYC) trailer with all the amenities (washer, drier, two bed rooms, etc) that one could ask for. I even have to admit I feel a bit guilty living in all of this space and comfort especially considering some of the "homes" which the kids at the school come from each day, but that's a topic for another blog! During my first week here at San Carlos I jumped right into teaching and helping out as much as possible, and both Sister Georgia and Sister Ann have been terrific in helping me jump right into things. Moreover, they haven't let me rest on weekends as they are sure to show me all of the natural beauty found in Arizona, and yes, even in San Carlos. Sister Georgia drove me to an area where there are hundreds of thousands of beautiful poppies covering the side of a hill; this is surely a sight for desert weary eyes! Who would have thought you'd see a sight like this one in the desert? (See picture below!) Well, I think that's about all for now. Check back in a bit for another blog and feel free to leave any comments you might have! Steven Rufe ]]> tag:blogs.targetx.com,2012:/gmc/steven-rufe//713.15773 2012-02-14T21:49:16Z 2012-02-17T04:08:18Z

My oh my....I'm not really sure where the time has gone. Please excuse me for missing a blog or two, things have been BUSY BUSY BUSY. Student teaching in New York City has been a dream. I've been spending most...

Steven Rufe My oh my....I'm not really sure where the time has gone. Please excuse me for missing a blog or two, things have been BUSY BUSY BUSY. Student teaching in New York City has been a dream. I've been spending most of my time during the week writing lesson plans and working tirelessly. (And I'm sad to admit going to bed by 10pm! Certainly different from my good old college days) Weekends, however, have been fun. I've had visitors, friends and family, virtually every weekend since I arrived. It's sad to think my time here is coming to a close. I've learned so much from the teachers and my supervisor here in NYC, but I have to admit I've learned the most from my students. They have taught me patience, self-confidence in a totally different way, and how to enjoy life. Living in NYC has been an experience in itself; the city that never sleeps REALLY DOES SLEEP! However, the convenience, people, and walks through Central Park will be dearly missed upon my departure. I leave NYC this Saturday and have a week home before flying out to my next placement in San Carols, Arizona on February 26th. I will have much more free time to blog there (the nearest city is 25 miles from my school) so look for more frequent and exciting updates. Although I'm not certain what the future holds for me in the long-term, I know the short-term future, student teaching in Arizona, will be an exhilarating experience which will challenge me to the core as a student in Mercy. Stay tuned for the opportunity to explore these challenges and excitements via this blog! Take care and check back in two weeks for my next post which will be from San Carlos, Arizona and a completely different time zone! Steven Rufe tag:blogs.targetx.com,2012:/gmc/steven-rufe//713.15588 2012-01-07T01:34:40Z 2012-01-07T01:44:37Z

Well, finally, after a week which took me from ringing in the New Year all the way to moving into an apartment on the Upper West Side in NYC, all the way to beginning my first student teaching placement at...

Steven Rufe So far school has been wonderful. The Cooke Center for Learning and Development is a private special education school in NYC. The school rents space in another private school and the only downside I find is the walk up 5 flights of stairs to get to the classroom. (Man, between all the walking to and from school and those stairs I better lose weight!) I really enjoy the students the most at this first placement. They really like interacting with me and they are ready and willing to learn which is quite refreshing. They are not without their challenges and I'm learning, mainly form the other teachers, to think on my feet, let go of the small things, and build on successes and positives. Week one has certainly been a success. I started off my week with a bit of excitement as I walked through Columbia University's Campus in order to go the the Cooke Center's main office building and get photographed. I was also set up with my own personal Cooke Center e-mail address! I feel like a part of the Cooke family the teachers so often speak about already. As we continue into January I wish you nothing but the best. I hope this new beginning bodes well with you and I hope it's everything you want and need. Best of luck in this fresh start and check back in the near future for some more posts from the Big Apple! Take care, Steven Rufe]]> tag:blogs.targetx.com,2011:/gmc/steven-rufe//713.15432 2011-12-09T00:25:40Z 2011-12-09T04:47:06Z

After applying to Gwynedd-Mercy College, getting in, and spending the past three plus years here I would never have imagined applying to Grad School would be for me. However, after experiencing all that I have over my time here I...

Steven Rufe After applying to Gwynedd-Mercy College, getting in, and spending the past three plus years here I would never have imagined applying to Grad School would be for me. However, after experiencing all that I have over my time here I could not see my path leading my anywhere else. Over the past two months I have spent my time and energy, in addition to investing it in classes and pre-student teaching, into editing and developing my resume and personal statement. Furthermore, I've been filling out online applications and gathering the money to apply to four graduate school programs in International Education. (If you think undergraduate application fees are insane ((except when you apply online to GMC, because that's free!)), try grad school application fees!) After all of this work, I can finally say I have one application completed and submitted. My official graduate school application to Columbia University's International Educational Development Masters Degree program is complete and submitted. I'm still working on applications to NYU and Lehigh for their International Education programs. It's been a lot of added stress, but knowing that this is where my life is leading me is refreshing. I have finally gotten to the point in my life where I'm ready to chase my dream without reservation. As you apply to schools and make your visits, be open to whatever you're being called to do. It might change over the course of your time in college, and that's ok, but try and remain open. It's hard to do and it's taken me a long time to do so, but look at me now....applying to grad school! In the end, when you visit a school or think about applying to one, I suggest you ask yourself "Is this a place I could call home for the next four years"? If your answer is no, you might want to keep looking; if it's yes, run with it! Best wishes and check back in a bit for another post, Steven Rufe tag:blogs.targetx.com,2011:/gmc/steven-rufe//713.15431 2011-12-01T00:24:21Z 2011-11-30T18:32:59Z

In choosing to come to Gwynedd-Mercy College I could never have imagined having the opportunities I have had over the course of my years here. There's no question that smaller schools, just like larger ones, have their pluses and minuses....

Steven Rufe In choosing to come to Gwynedd-Mercy College I could never have imagined having the opportunities I have had over the course of my years here. There's no question that smaller schools, just like larger ones, have their pluses and minuses. In my experience, I have found the myth that a smaller school has fewer resources and connections to be completely false. After the experiences I have had working as an intern for a non-profit organization for over two years that works at the United Nations, I have broadened my focus and was hoping to do the same for my student teaching. Upon talking with Dr. Batchelor, our Director for Field Placements in the School of Education, and Dr. Mangano, our Dean of the School of Education, I voiced my want to have a different experience student teaching. These two people have helped to make that dream a reality. On January 2nd, 2012 I will start my first student teaching experience in a soon to be determined school in Harlem NYC. After an eight week placement, on February 25th, I will fly to San Carlos, Arizona and complete the remainder of my eight weeks of student teaching at a Native American Reservation at a school called St. Charles Apache Indian School. Having these very contrasting student teaching experiences will be both a professional and personal challenge for me. However, I want this challenge and look forward to learning so very much about the trade of teaching but also about the people I will be working with. The whole point in me writing all of this is for you to see that smaller schools do not have limited opportunities. Through our various Mercy networks we can try and make dreams come true, like student teaching in a very different atmosphere. Having said that, no matter where you end up going to college I hope you pick a place that helps you achieve your wildest dreams; Gwynedd did that for me! Check back for more blogs, especially in the Spring Semester. I will be keeping up the blog while I student teach both in NYC and Arizona. Take care and check back for another post soon, Steven Rufe tag:blogs.targetx.com,2011:/gmc/steven-rufe//713.15430 2011-11-24T00:23:54Z 2011-12-09T04:42:44Z

On Friday, November 4th six of us students from the School of Education traveled to Harrisburg, PA. Last year, for the first time ever, six students, including myself, traveled to Penn State University for PA Council for Exceptional Children's Annual...

Steven Rufe Take care and check back in a bit for another post, Steven]]> tag:blogs.targetx.com,2011:/gmc/steven-rufe//713.15429 2011-11-07T00:12:36Z 2011-11-07T00:23:42Z

Having been a student here at Gwynedd-Mercy College for nearly four years in the School of Education I have learned so very much. In our classes we learn the academics. In extracurricular activities we learn about service, leadership, and interpersonal...

Steven Rufe Take care and thanks for reading, Steven ]]> tag:blogs.targetx.com,2011:/gmc/steven-rufe//713.15301 2011-09-19T07:28:18Z 2011-09-19T07:36:19Z

September at Gwynedd-Mercy College marks the beginning of another academic year. Although classes officially started before the first of the month, September still brings the endless supply of syllabi, nervousness, and a very large sense of being overwhelmed. Unlike high...

Steven Rufe September at Gwynedd-Mercy College marks the beginning of another academic year. Although classes officially started before the first of the month, September still brings the endless supply of syllabi, nervousness, and a very large sense of being overwhelmed. Unlike high school, or at the least my high school experience, once you hit college you are given a wonderful group of papers we call a syllabus. Sometimes these stacks of paper are a terrific two or three pages with a brief outline of the course. Other times a syllabus can stretch on and on, for over 35 pages even. (Yes, I have a 36 paged syllabus this semester) With the influx of syllabi, the beginning of the madness, and the beginning of meetings, one might ask: Steven, why do you still like September? For one, it's when my birthday is! But my real answer is that I finally get back into the swing of things in September. Anyone who tells you they are not happy to be back would be lying. Of course it would be terrific to be sitting on a beach somewhere far away, but in reality another beginning means one step closer to our goal and one more box checked. This, my last semester of classes at GMC, is truly bittersweet. With student teaching approaching faster then I could have ever anticipated, I am looking to the future with wide eyes and a pit in my stomach. My dream of applying to grad school is also starting in this terrific month of September. My point of rambling on about September is to leave you with this: September is a beginning. Although you might think it signals the end of something, ie summer, it is actually the start of something new. Go into this month with an open mind and my advice is to join something new and in turn meet some new people who might become you best friends. It happened to me...three Septembers ago! Thanks for reading and check back in a bit for my next update! Steven Rufe tag:blogs.targetx.com,2011:/gmc/steven-rufe//713.15217 2011-08-13T09:29:14Z 2011-08-13T09:37:22Z

Friday was our final day at the Mercy International Center. Even though it is sad to have to leave the place where it all began, I see this point as a new beginning. As a newly energized and motivated person...

Steven Rufe Friday was our final day at the Mercy International Center. Even though it is sad to have to leave the place where it all began, I see this point as a new beginning. As a newly energized and motivated person in Mercy I look forward to seeing what comes next. Although it is quite scary to think of the future, I now realize no matter what happens I can handle it. As our final day began we sat through a presentation about being Mercy Leaders by learning through Catherine McAuley's leadership. (Catherine McAuley is the foundress of the Sisters of Mercy) After this, we showed some of our friends from across the pond how to do some American Dances such as the Cha-Cha Slide and Jump On It! (I played the music...I don't dance!) After a lovely tour of the Mercy International Centre, including a tour of what is considered to be the first Mercy hospital and next the first Mercy school, I had lunch and bought a few too many things in the small shop downstairs. Next I traveled to the room where Catherine slept and died and gave life some thought. The truth is I'm not closer to deciding what exactly is next, but I have realized to trust a bit more and realize that I will end up where ever I am supposed to be! That's all the inspiration for today. Check back in a few days for another post. Remember: :"Be the change you want to see in the world" ~Gandhi Take care, Steven Rufe tag:blogs.targetx.com,2011:/gmc/steven-rufe//713.15213 2011-08-10T22:06:08Z 2011-08-10T22:29:05Z

We started off our first full day in Dublin with a rather long walk to the Mercy International Center on Baggot Street. (Long because we had some troubles finding our way; it was grand!) Walking up to the place where...

Steven Rufe We started off our first full day in Dublin with a rather long walk to the Mercy International Center on Baggot Street. (Long because we had some troubles finding our way; it was grand!) Walking up to the place where Catherine McAuley founded the Sisters of Mercy was truly a grand experience. Even more so, entering the same large red front doors where Catherine and her fellow sisters entered the House of Mercy gave me the chills. After an opening ritual which represented many countries across the globe, we proceeded into breaking into group sessions and learned about a variety of Mercy related subjects. It was yet another wonderful day in Dublin. Looking forward to a night out on the town tonight and then another early (and long) day tomorrow. Take care and check back in a few days for another update, Steven tag:blogs.targetx.com,2011:/gmc/steven-rufe//713.15211 2011-08-09T15:41:34Z 2011-08-09T15:51:08Z

On Monday we spent nearly all of our day on the Northern Ireland coast. We began our day with a one hour bus ride to Giants Causeway. This amazing natural rock formation has been the highlight of the Northern Ireland...

Steven Rufe On Monday we spent nearly all of our day on the Northern Ireland coast. We began our day with a one hour bus ride to Giants Causeway. This amazing natural rock formation has been the highlight of the Northern Ireland tourist attractions for years. After a short walk all downhill we walked to the Causeway which is directly on the coast. Surrounded by beautiful cliffs with green covered tops and edges, we walked down toward the ocean and were astounded by its beauty. After a very long and steep walk up the hill, we boarded our bus to get some great photos by Dunluce Castle. After snapping a few shots and buying some things in the "Wee Shop" we boarded our bus for a truly breathtaking drive along the coast towards Corrymeela. At Corrymeela we toured the Peace and Reconciliation Center and learned about how those who volunteer there support those Corrymeela and learned about the reconciliation process between Protestant Loyalists and Catholic Irish. Finally after a very long day we headed back to Belfast where we had a very interesting evening. After a night out on the town we ended up back at our hostel staring in amazement of the four large bonfires built throughout the city by Irish Catholics to celebrate an important anniversary. We learned from the cab drivers that this is a normal occurrence in Belfast although the nearly ten story fires looked quite out of control. In the end, it was yet another wonderful day in Northern Ireland! Tuesday, today, we headed from Belfast to Dublin via bus; no worries, we are all hear safely. Will update again soon and update pictures to this post and my last as soon as I can. Take care and thanks for reading, Steven tag:blogs.targetx.com,2011:/gmc/steven-rufe//713.15207 2011-08-07T21:11:52Z 2011-08-07T21:26:10Z

After sleeping in a bit, we started off our day with a several hour bus tour of Belfast. Our local tour guide, Alan, took us through "the troubles" regions of Belfast, where Irish Catholics have had a terrible history of...

Steven Rufe After sleeping in a bit, we started off our day with a several hour bus tour of Belfast. Our local tour guide, Alan, took us through "the troubles" regions of Belfast, where Irish Catholics have had a terrible history of conflict with loyalist Protestants. After this we went over to see where the Titanic was built and took some grand pictures of where the current Northern Ireland government is headquartered. Finally, at least finally for the bus tour, we were dropped off in the center portion of Belfast where we walked around and did some shopping. Next we returned via Taxi to our hostel and then embarked on a nice walk to dinner and after that trekked on a tour, guided by Liam who is a local ex-political prisoner of seven years. Who knew that Belfast had so many murals? Two hours later we arrived on our hostel and that's where I am currently writing this! Tomorrow should be yet another great day and hopefully I will catch you up on that tomorrow! Take care and have a grand day! (I promise i will upload pictures of this later for you!) Steven tag:blogs.targetx.com,2011:/gmc/steven-rufe//713.15204 2011-08-06T23:13:08Z 2011-08-06T23:46:37Z

After a wonderful sendoff ceremony, a two hour van ride, a six hour plus plane ride, and a two hour bus ride, we have arrived in Belfast, Northern Ireland. As a pilgrim on the Dublin Pilgrimage for Young Mercy Leaders...

Steven Rufe Thus picture is of downtown Belfast from our hostel: Here are two pictures of me with Ms. Pierantozzi and me with Brigid O'Brien at a memorial cite next to a "peace wall": Check back in a little bit for an update! Take care and have a grand day! Steven ]]>