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Jessica Castleberry ‘05 and some of her Union County Middle School science students that raised money to help support an AIDS hospital in Tanzania. As an undergraduate biology major, Castleberry spent the fall semester of her senior year as a participant in Earlham’s Tanzania Program and did “quite a lot of research” on the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa. Earlham Alumna’s Africa Experience For Immediate Release: RICHMOND, Ind. — Jessica Castleberry ’05 knew she would incorporate stories from her undergraduate study abroad experiences in Africa into her eventual lessons as a student teacher. But, she never anticipated the enthusiasm with which they’d be received. Castleberry will graduate in May from Earlham’s Master of Arts in Teaching program, having just completed her teacher training practicum at Union County Middle School in Liberty, Ind. Responding to her classroom accounts of the human suffering being caused by the unchecked spread of HIV/AIDS in underdeveloped countries like Tanzania — where Castleberry spent a semester abroad as an Earlham senior in the fall of 2004 — youngsters at Union County have raised more than $500 to support an AIDS hospital in that East African nation. Earlham students participating in the College’s next Tanzania Program, later this year, will deliver the check. “Miss Castleberry inspired us to raise money for medicine for Tanzania hospitals,” reports Johnny Ross, a pupil in one of Castleberry’s sixth grade science classes. All told, roughly three dozen students in two classes taught by the Earlham biology grad planned and coordinated a two-and-a-half week bake sale, held during each day’s lunch period at the school, to raise the $500. Some also contributed portions of their allowances to the fundraising effort. The AAA or Action Against AIDS project, Castleberry asserts, was carried out entirely by the students. “This was completely their brainchild,” says Castleberry, adding that the idea to help with the AIDS epidemic in Tanzania (where nearly 10 percent of the population is HIV-positive) came about following a class unit on disease, during which she described how viruses attack the human immune system. “I focused on three diseases: avian bird flu, cancer and AIDS,” Castleberry says. “I had done quite a lot of research on HIV during my Tanzania program, so I was able to share information about the shortage of clinics there and the struggles people face in a developing country with such a high rate of HIV.” The students took the information to heart. “Miss Castleberry told us some pretty touching stories from when she was there,” relates Chance Minges, another of Castleberry’s young charges. “One story that really touched me was that Miss Castleberry had a host brother who died of AIDS. So, we knew that this was not just an ordinary fundraiser. We knew we were actually helping people.” For fellow sixth grader Kaitlin Fulmer, the bake sale and the cause behind it also had a personal appeal. “I’ve had a lot of family members with cancer, and I thought this would be a good way to help people,” says Fulmer. An “awesome” way to engage students “They wouldn’t let me drop the ball on this,” recounts Castleberry, explaining that her freshly energized students were ready to put their money-making plan into action even as she was still working to secure permission from school administrators. “They pushed me every day, and rightfully so. I was touched by their enthusiasm. It meant a lot to me, and it was exciting for me to experience their dedication.” Meanwhile, her students agree that Castleberry’s teaching skills also inspired them to want to learn more about science. “I don’t really think I liked science in the other grades,” confesses Jenn Kratzer. “But, the way Miss Castleberry teaches makes it real. She doesn’t just teach from a book. You see her emotions and expressions, and you can really see how people are affected.” Kratzer says Castleberry also made learning fun by using interesting games and activities — like building cell pizzas and leading short Swahili lessons — throughout the course. “Through her activities, we also got to know our fellow students a lot better,” says Kratzer. Even youngsters not directly involved with Castleberry in class are feeling the effects of her dynamic teaching. “Every day I go home and tell my little sister about my day at school,” Kaitlin Fulmer says, elaborating that while at first her younger sibling would inquire simply, “What did you do in school today?” it wasn’t very long before she was asking specifically, “What did you do in science?” “Science was the first class she wanted to know about,” Fulmer says. Castleberry repays these compliments in kind, remarking that her students’ enthusiasm “blew my socks off.” “I couldn’t be more proud of them,” she says. In addition to her Tanzania experience, Castleberry participated in three off-campus May Terms while an undergraduate at Earlham: one studying iguanas in the Bahamas, another studying the geology of the American Southwest, and another doing marine biology work in the U.S. Virgin Islands. “I shared stories about all of these places,” says Castleberry, who took her students on various “virtual field trips” to the Virgin Islands and down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. “To me, story telling is an awesome way to engage students in meaningful learning. It always has been, and will continue to be, an important part of my approach as a teacher. “Especially in these rural schools, I feel it’s important for me to share the travels that I’ve been fortunate enough to have through my Earlham education. I want to instill in my students some curiosity about what is gong on elsewhere.” Castleberry plans to take a year off before trying to locate a permanent teaching job. During that year, she plans to travel to Israel and Palestine on an Earlham faculty trip, attend a language school in Mexico, and intern in environmental education with the Student Conservation Association. Preferably, she would like to intern near the Canyonlands National Park in Utah or the redwood forests in northern California. Wherever she goes, her students at Union County Middle School say Castleberry leaves a lasting impression. “It makes you feel good to help someone,” says Keith Burkhead, another student involved in the AAA project who believes the desire to want to help people, as inspired by Castleberry, will stay with him a long time. “I think this has gotten the ball started for when we get older, in high school and beyond,” Burkhead says. “Miss Castleberry is a great teacher.” — EC — Contact:
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Earlham
College · 801 National Road West · Richmond,
Indiana 47374-4095 |