NORMA JEAN ARENDT'S HOMEPAGE

1978 Cuyahoga Heights High School graduate
1979 Wright State University
1982-84 Cleveland State University
Mother of two daughters, aged 11 and 13
Office Manager of small business for 8 years
Independent contractor/ instructor for 6 years in the Beauty Industry
Currently enrolled Cleveland State University College of Education

     After a fourteen year break from school, during which time I have been raising my two daughters and working, I decided what I wanted to do when I grew up.  TEACH!
     I am currently enrolled in the Education Department at Cleveland State University.  This summer, I enrolled in what I thought would be a content history course on Third world countries.  I received much more than I bargained for.
     Through independent research, I've attempted to learn how to plan a unit of study, draw up lesson plans, and design a web page on the Internet.  (I had never previously signed on to the "web" and I had to ask my children to turn the computer on for me.)   All of this was done while attempting to amass research for a portfolio on third world countries.
     Needless to say, I was in over my head .  However, I have learned a great deal about myself  and my abilities throughout this seven week struggle.  Most importantly I am not a quitter but I need to work on not whiningAlso, as difficult as this course was, I would do it again.
     The unit CELEBRATIONS is my independent research project for History 380/580  World Civilizations Workshop.   This unit is a three week lesson plan written for junior high school students.  I chose celebrations in different cultures as the vehicle to interest the students (we all love to celebrate).  The goal of this unit is to open the students minds in order for them to begin to understand what influences different cultures and how cultures influence each other.