Program helps students get ahead

Jacob Bowling, a 2023 graduate of UNG with a History degree and teaching certification was a first-time S2C teacher. He taught American Government.

"It was a great experience because this was a group of students all of whom came to the classroom wanting to learn and ready to learn. They were engaged the whole time," Bowling said. "A lot of time as a schoolteacher, or a good portion of it is, to some extent, trying to teach behavior and how to act right and all that. I didn't have to do that with these students. Teaching them was just an absolute pleasure because they were ready every day. They were wanting to learn. They were asking questions, getting involved. I didn't have to get on them about anything, so it was a very, very pleasant experience as a teacher."

Bowling said he had two key focuses for his class: exposing his students to English and helping them understand today's political climate.

"A lot, if not all, of my students come from a background in which English is a second language, so one of the big focuses was trying to get them exposure to English and to utilize the language in an everyday and practical sense so that they would just be more familiar, more comfortable with it as they're trying to assimilate here in the United States," he said. "The other thing-with my class specifically-was kind of an eye opener for me. When we were talking about the amendments and the Bill of Rights, they were very interested, especially given today's political climate."

The questions posed to him, Bowling said, had him double-checking what rights students and their families have.

"That was a learning experience from not just the students, but for me as well, because I kind of had to do my own research a little bit outside of the standards we use," Bowling said. "A lot of the Bill of Rights discussion and amendments and having the students know in a practical manner what rights they have living in the United States was very illuminating and very gratifying to be able to watch them and kind of see that light bulb click a little bit. It was a cool thing to witness and experience."

Bowling is teaching at Gainesville Middle School East Campus after three years at Gainesville High School. He was invited to participate by Diana Mancilla, program director, and a 2021 UNG alumna with a degree in history education who currently teaches history at Gainesville High School.