Jermaine R. Howell ’19MED: I Saw Education as an Avenue to Foster a Sense of Identity in the Lives of Students and to Fulfill my Ultimate Goal in Helping to Shape the World of Tomorrow

The NC State College of Education will graduate 157 students Dec. 19, 2019. This is part of a series of profiles with some members of the Class of 2019 who will walk cross the stage this December. 

Name: Jermaine R. Howell ’19MED

Hometown: Kingston, Jamaica

Area of Study: Curriculum and Developmental Supervision

Activities (Research or Extracurricular): I am a 3rd grade teacher in the Wake County Public School System, I volunteer with various local organizations and conduct professional development sessions in Jamaica on best practices for teaching and learning. I also work with a global teacher education program that assists new teachers in the United States. 

Why did you choose your area of study? One of my goals is to write curricula and to train as well as to develop teachers in becoming effective classroom practitioners.

What’s your next step after graduation? After graduation, I plan on completing a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree in curriculum studies and/or instructional leadership.

How has the NC State College of Education prepared you for that next step? The NC State College of Education has holistically prepared me to integrate 21st century teaching and learning skills, which have improved my daily instruction and offered best practices for the coaching and mentoring of teachers. The different courses that I have taken were nicely aligned to promote teacher development which then transferred over to coaching skills and my students’ academic growth.

Why did you choose education? As postulated by Jess Liar, “Children are not things to be molded; instead, they are people to be unfolded.” I saw education as an avenue to foster a sense of identity in the lives of students and to fulfill my ultimate goal in helping to shape the world of tomorrow. Kumaravadivelu (2012) highlighted, teachers can fulfill their students’ subjective needs by taking into consideration their cultural, sociocultural, physical and psychological background for them to become effective and creative 21st century thinkers.