Hello everyone! My name is Kate Boyer, and my preferred pronouns are she/her. I am from Wooster, Ohio which is a small city about an hour south of John Carroll. I am really into Improv Comedy and am actually the president of the club here! (A little self-promo if any of you undergrad are interested let me know we are always looking for new members). I also love reading, playing sims on the computer, hanging out with friends, and shopping. As for my plans this semester I am focusing on my classes, field experience, clubs, and I just got a job at the mail center. Other than that I am just taking things one day at a time.

My preferred learning style is group discussion. I love the size of this class as I prefer small classes and think this will foster the discussion in an organic way. In order to feel comfortable taking risks I would just want to feel comfortable in sharing my opinions. I of course don’t mind if someone disagrees with my take on a topic and would love to hear their point of view! However, with any common courtesy a welcoming environment to share these views and opinions is the best in my opinion.

I read about 15 books this summer as I was apart of the SURF (summer undergraduate research fellowship) this summer and was paid to do research in the education department. Me and my research partner (Maddie Polcyn who is also in this class) did research on mental health portrayal in YA literature. Most recently for pleasure reading however I read “Everybody in This Room Will Someday Be Dead” by Emily Austin. It was a deep read that followed the anxious protagonist as she dealt with a balance of existential dread and trying to live her seemingly pointless life. The book did have a more lighthearted ending however and I was captivated by the book the whole time.

What matters to me most about education is truly caring for my students. What inspired me personally to pursue the research on mental health that Maddie and I did was knowing that someday I will probably have a student come up to me and share their struggles with mental health. I wanted to know how best to support the student in a teacher role and how mental health support can be incorporated into the classroom. The article that relates this eloquently is cited as follows, Fisher, Douglas (2005). The literacy educator’s role in suicide prevention. Journal of 

Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 48(5), 364-373. 

In regards to a question about the class I do not have any at the moment but will ask if any come up. I am looking forward to playing video games and seeing how they and other technology can be incorporated into the classroom.

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