For my project, I interviewed two very different woman engaged in education of middle school aged children. Their thoughts and influences provided the insight and background for the two personas I have been developing.

Carol

The Homeschool Parent

“I realized that my son was spending more time than I would like with computer based learning in the public schools and I felt he would be best suited to at home learning. It is not a permanent choice, but has been beneficial for his learning.”

Carol is a 45 year old, white married woman who has chosen to homeschool her youngest child, a son in the seventh grade. She has degrees in psychology and education and works from home as an educational consultant. Carol specializes in working with children with ADHD.

She is confident in her ability to homeschool her son, a decision that the family made due to concerns about the amount of computer assisted learning being done in the public schools.  He is the only one of her three children to be homeschooled. One of the older children is a high school graduate, the other a junior in high school.

Carol’s day is divided between supervising her 7th grade son’s schoolwork in all subjects except history, which is covered by her husband.  During the school day, her time is divided between educating her son and her professional work as an educational consultant who works with children with ADHD.

Carol admits how well it goes on any given day is at least partially dependent on the mood of the 7th grader. She did note his skills had been slightly below grade standards at the beginning of homeschooling and he was benefitting from the individualized attention.  Her husband’s history lessons also help by adding hands on activities, such as designing and making mock ups of different swords throughout the ages.

Fridays are “fun days” for field trips, games and other enriching activities.

For Carol’s family, an educational game would include finding answers and illustrating different ways of living.

Anne

Intermediate School Teacher

“I come from a long line of teachers and did not plan to be one, but found I enjoyed it. I went to graduate school when I started seeing students struggling with reading at the expected level, and realized I wasn’t completely sure how to teach it.”

Anne is a white, 40 year old woman who teaches middle school in the District of Columbia. She has degrees in English and Education, and jokes she went from a fairly liberal women’s college for undergraduate work to a very conservative university for graduate work, with a dress code that included not having bare shoulders.

Anne started teaching as a job, not a profession, until she realized she enjoyed it and wanted to learn to become a better educator. She has worked in a variety of school systems, in her current position she is working with predominantly minority students.

Anne’s day includes lesson preparation and teaching English as a Second Language in a diverse school system. She uses computer based learning, but it concerned that it is more rote learning and seeks materials that will encourage her students to learn more and improve reading skills and comprehension.