Back to School

Well the semester seems to be heading off to a good start! The weather is great, students are excited, and the courses are all fresh of the roaster! I've been told my many Philadelphians that it usually gets to be much colder than it is already at now, so much for global warming I guess. As I mentioned in previous posts the start of the semester usually includes numerous activities for students, many of which are for free. Well Friday night was a little special for many in of our psych majors as HBO debut its new show in-Treatment at Houston Hall two weeks before it’s broadcasted nationally. The show is 30 minutes long, takes place at a psychiatrists office, and is very interesting is all that I would say. It was a wonderful event with plenty of free food, drinks, and most importantly an edge over many non Penn students that have wait two more weeks before watching it! Yes I have to admit it feels good to be able to brag about events like this to friends of mine back home. As for GSE, we are having plenty of events this semester for our prospective students that will take place starting end of January and all the way until end of April. We do look forward to seeing all of you and wish you a wonderful year. All the best from Philadelphia. Your GSE newscaster/entertainment/ and fellow students, Signing off.

My Thanksgiving was amazing! I flew to Memphis to visit my two closest friends, whom I haven’t seen since August. The three of us decided a week before Thanksgiving that we were going to cook Thanksgiving dinner. I have never cooked anything more complicated than microwave popcorn, and I think the same can be said for my 2 buddies. Hence, after a couple of days of planning the menu, we gave up and decided to order our turkey from a barbecue restaurant near my friend’s apartment. I think that decision saved us from food poisoning. Looking back, I really have no idea how we could have pulled off a full Thanksgiving dinner…
So, after we stuffed ourselves, we spent the rest of the day (and the week) watching football. It was so good to be with my friends over break. I’m trying to persuade them to come visit me in Philadelphia soon. Neither of them have visited the famous Philadelphia sights like Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell (both of which are free). I also can’t wait to take them to see Ben Franklin’s grave and the Constitution Center. Philadelphia is rich in history, which is great for history buffs (and teachers) like me.

Happy Thanks Giving!

Happy Thanks Giving!

It has been a long semester full of work, responsibility and hard work...Its this time of year were all that good stuff pays off and you get to just sit, relax and enjoy a few days of time off in anticipation of the end of the semester. For todays entry I would like to introduce a very good friend of mine from GSE Tia Larese who wil be our guest blogger from Teacher Education and my good neighbour as well! So Tia welcome to our blog! (I hope to find a Steven Colber for my John Steward wanna be blog) :

Being a native Pennsylvanian has its advantages when the holidays come around, but this year I was so grateful to share an early Thanksgiving with some close friends from Sansom Place West. The dorm hosted its annual Thanksgiving Dinner this afternoon; turkey and all the fix-ins, smiling faces, and of course my new friends from the 12th floor, like Maher. Honestly, after taking time off after getting my bachelor’s degree, working and living on my own, I was skeptical about moving into a graduate dorm and sharing an apartment with a roommate. Now that I’m here, I don’t think I would have it any other way. Not only is Sansom Place a block away from GSE, the subway, the gym, numerous restaurants and businesses, and a 24-hour convenience store (great for coffee addicts like myself), but it is full of so many amazing people from all different pockets of the world. Late night movies, talks, dinners, and outings (how could I forget that duck tour!) have offered a great way to balance my social life and school work. The Teacher Education Program at Penn is a one-year program that offers a M.S. Ed. and Elementary (or Secondary) Education Certification. While the program is intense, it is definitely possible to enjoy what Penn and Philadelphia has to offer. In fact, the best advice I received when I arrived on campus was “make the most out of your experience here” and I feel like I am doing it well!

It’s official. I’m ready for winter in Philadelphia. I’ve unpacked my sweaters, scarves, gloves, and most importantly, my heavy down-filled jacket. I know what you’re thinking: “Give me a break! Philadelphia winters are not THAT cold!” Well, for someone that has spent their last two winters in Jordan, temperatures below 40 degrees are unbearable! That being said, I’m confronting the winter months head on! A little snow is not going to get me down! I laugh in the face of ice-covered sidewalks …Ok, so truthfully, my strategy for staying warm this winter is to stay inside as much as possible. Thankfully, Penn offers numerous speakers and lectures that are open to the public. Sometimes, these events feature free food! In case you don’t already know, graduate students love free food and will hunt it down like lions after a wildebeest! The Annenberg School for Communication is known for hosting a number of events each month that attract students from all over campus. On November 27, for instance, I am going to a lecture entitled, “Making News in the Era of Digital Information.” This lecture will be given by Dominic Boyer, a visiting scholar from Cornell University. Because I will be out of town for the Thanksgiving holiday, I’m going to unfortunately miss a talk entitled, “Off the Record, The Press, the Government, and the War over Anonymous Sources.” The speaker, Norman Pearlstine, is talking about his book on the leak of CIA officer Valerie Plame’s identity. His work is considered controversial, so it should be a very interesting talk! I’m disappointed that I can’t make it. This talk is sponsored by the law school. Fortunately, events like these will keep me indoors, and hence, will enable me to stay warm. But I have to venture outside, I’m ready

Lit Review

There are a number of things student have to do in order to graduate, there are the obvious general ones like take your classes and pass, but there are also some that are more division dependant. As a student at Foundations and Practices division of GSE I am expected to write a 40 page literature review on a topic of my interest in order to be graduate. Penn is a research one university as many of you already know, and training students in the different aspects of research is something our faculty prides itself in. I was a little worried at first during the semester because I had very little background in research, I was mostly concerned with how much guidance we will receive as students starting off a master’s degree. The answer is plenty!
As part of the 10 credit courses one has to take in order to graduate, there is one class specially designed to guide students through the process of doing the research and, formulating their plan to do so. The class is simply numbered 668 and all masters students at FPE planning to graduate by the summer have to take the course this spring. The good thing is however, you don’t really start in the spring! In fact the preparation starts as soon as you start your program. We are assigned 4 classes during the fall semester, a month apart from another. And for each meeting we have a few things assigned in order to get an early start on the literature review. This coming Monday, my first draft of a proposal is due. I’m excited and anxious at the same time. I have my proposal written out, and already consulted some professors as well as literature on the topic which I am working on. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that one of my current professors at Penn is huge in the field in which I am working on! Dr. Ingersoll who is currently giving a class at GSE “School and Society” had his name all over the educational journals when I would be searching for literature to review. I have to admit it felt really good to know that.
I will talk more about the proposal I am working on more in the next blog as I would have had someone look over it, and lets face it, no one likes to mess up in public! But what I will be doing for future blogs also is feature some students from GSE and have them talk about certain experiences or issues concerned with university life. I would also love to hear any feed back you as my reader would have on any particular topics you would like me to cover. Once again this Maher Zamel signing off, Penn GSE, Philadelphia! (I am seriously considering a career with CNN after this blogging business)

Registration Time Again

As a student, it feels like it was yesterday that the semester started. It takes a few weeks for us students to get into the habit of things and to adjust to the semester, and before you know it, its registration time once again. As a masters student of educational Leadership studies I belong to Foundations and Practices, one of the 5 divisions we have at the Graduate School of Education. With Educational Leadership, students have to take 10 courses in order to graduate. Although many students manage to get that accomplished in one calendar year (two semesters and a summer session) some students take a little longer because they work or hold full time positions. To be considered a full time student at GSE you need to take 3 courses a semester at least.
As a student of Educational Leadership Studies, there are certain core courses you have to take or options to choose from. The break down goes like this:
Core courses one:
1- Students must take “School and Society” and a research seminar 668.
2- Leadership of Educational Organizations
3- One research Methodology course (quantitative or qualitative)
4- One distribution course outside of Foundations and Practices division.
5- Five elective courses.
I am currently taking School and Society, as well as ethnography, one of the research methodology courses offered. For next Semester, I registered for Leadership of Educational Organizations which will be taught by my advisor Dr. Lytle (one of the greatest people at GSE!) as well as the research seminar. Most students try to get core courses out of the way before the summer sessions. In addition to these two courses I decided to take some other interesting courses such as Schools as Organizations, as well as Adolescent development. Ed Leadership trains students in the discipline of leadership in an effort to prepare us best for the possible positions many of us will fill in the future. So far the first semester for me has been great because in terms of theory my knowledge expanded many folds, something that is extremely useful if you are interested in research or exploring certain aspects of education currently unexplored.

A day in Philly, and a night of Walloween

Today I took a walk through Center City with a friend to get my Halloween costume. It was raining outside, and although I got a little wet, I couldn’t help but think about how cool Philadelphia is. Rain or shine – this place has so much to do. Tonight, for example, I’m heading to this club called Fusion on Second Street for a GAPSA Halloween event. Even though I spend a large chunk of my time studying and working, I can always count on GAPSA to host a social event that allows me to escape for awhile. I won’t describe my costume here, but I will say that it has a cape. Yes, a cape. And no, I’m not Superman.
There are also so many great places to eat in Philadelphia, whatever your budget. The pumpkin pancakes at Philly Diner on 39th and Walnut St. are the best thing about Fall, and luckily the Philly Diner is open 24 hours. I might just have to stop there after the Halloween Party tonight.
I only hope that I’m home early enough to wake up early to go to work tomorrow… We’re having an open house, where I will get to meet several prospective students. If you’re interested in the Graduate School of Education, please consider attending one of these events if you are in the Philadelphia area. We also host recruiting events at other cities, but nothing can compare to getting the experience of visiting Penn in person.