What Students Really Say About Farmington


Why Farmington?
I love staying in Maine and I love that it’s so nice and small.

How did you decide on your Education major?
I started out as an Early Childhood Education major when I started looking at colleges. I really love English and even being in an English class. So I decided I'd much rather be a high school English teacher and so I switched to an English Secondary Education major.

How did you decide on your major?
Well, I’ve always been around kids and I’ve worked with kids. I really wanted to be able to teach them so they could go on and be interested in their education. I don’t want them to lose interest early on. The programs here are really good. I'm taking an intro to Early Education class right now and we do classroom observations once a week at a local pre-school. We watch how kids interact and try to figure that out. I'm also taking a child psychology class, which helps a lot.

So it is your first semester of your freshman year and you are already working with children?
Yeah, well not directly, we are observing -- actually working hands-on with children in a real setting, not just watching a video or something. We definitely went right into it and it's really good.

What will you be doing next semester?
I talked to my advisor, and I'm starting classes for Secondary Education and more English classes and things like that.

Was it difficult to transfer from one education program to another?
No. It hasn’t been difficult at all. My professors were really supportive. My advisor brought me over to talk with the Secondary Education faculty and they were all completely supportive. Everyone was really helpful.

What’s your favorite class or a favorite experience in class?
I think that my Child and Adolescent Development Psychology class was my favorite. I like learning about how people think and the ways people act and why and such. I also really like my Intro to Early Education class. We went to the library one day, and spent the whole time reviewing children's books. And later, we went to the Kalikow Library in the Education Center and while we were there my professor asked us to think about how we would set up our own classroom — it was pretty cool.

How are the classes at Farmington?
A lot of the classes are really interesting once you get into them. And they're small so that is really nice.

What are some of the classes you’re taking outside your major?
I took a First-Year Seminar class that looked at the Black Panther movement in the 60's and oppression and revolution. It was an intense class, but a good class. It is really helpful. It is good to have an introduction to what classes are like here, and to have an interesting subject your freshman year.

What are the strengths of Farmington’s education program? What sets it apart from other schools?
I think all of the classes teach you to look at things a different way. It’s so different from high school where everything is kind of black and white, where you have to look at it this way and this way only. Like my math class, for example, we're looking at logic and things and how to teach it to a seven- year-old, who will not understand division, so you have to show it to them in a different manner. It's especially helpful for an Education major to learn to think more creatively.

Do you think that Farmington is preparing you well?
Yes, definitely. I'm in my first semester and I'm already in classes that are helping me to decide exactly what I want to do.

Have you done any outside of the classroom projects?
My Early Education class does. We observe for half an hour every week in the on-campus childcare center, and we take running records and anecdotal records to understand how children work and play. It kind of gives a better concept of what we are working toward. You start thinking about what you’ve learned in the class. And then I start thinking about my summer camp job and the things I observed kids doing there and it all clicked.

How’s the workload? Is it a lot harder than high school?
I don’t think my professors are too hard. There is more work, but we also have more time, since classes aren’t every day. The work is also more your choice. If you want to do well, you do it. Our math homework is never required, it's just practice. It is all personal choice. If you want to do well, then you’ll try.

Is there anything that you would have liked to have known before you came here?
I am still figuring things out everyday on campus. There are things that you can’t find out until you experience it first-hand. So, no "big picture" stuff, just the little things that I'm finding out now.

Do you know when you will do practicum?
I take my Praxis exam next month so if I pass I go on and do my practicum. I can take a class next year, I think, that is part of my practicum.

Are you preparing for your Praxis?
I’m trying to prepare. The advisors are really helpful in telling you what to do to prepare but I haven’t gone too far into it. There are different Web sites you can go that will help you prepare and groups of us study together to prep for it.

Student teaching comes later then, after practicum?
Yeah, usually during your junior or senior year. They try to get you try to get you into student teaching as soon as possible, so you know exactly what you're getting into, and you can decide for yourself whether or not it’s what you want to do.

Do you know where you’ll do your practicum or student teaching?
Not yet. Anywhere in the area would be great tough — I really like this area a lot.

What makes a good professor?
Somebody that definitely talks to students, not just talks at them. They have to understand of students’ needs. I had a lot of good teachers in high school that were really passionate about the subject and I guess that’s what I would look for. Somebody who actually cares about the subject. They need a definite passion for it.

When you need advice, or if you need academic help, who do you go to?
My advisor, Joe Tutlis [Teaching Supervisor]. He was especially helpful when I switched majors, showing me exactly what I needed to do to switch. He looked over all my records and helped me to decide if I'd be capable and helped me make a new schedule. He was just really awesome about it.

How did you decide to come to Farmington?
My cousin went here. She started at a different school and then transferred to Farmington and just loved it. She's a teacher now, and so she just suggested I look at the school. So I came here the summer after my sophomore year — Farmington was the first school I looked at and I really liked it, right off the bat. It’s just such a homey place. It’s not one of those campuses where you feel like you're going to get lost in the crowd.

What were some of those first impressions of Farmington?
Initially when I came up here from Portland the town of Farmington seemed really small. But everyone I met was so welcoming — everyone was really nice. Orientation was awesome. We had a four-day orientation to get comfortable and meet people before starting classes. I really liked it. I liked the downtown and just being able to walk down there. Everything just seems really laid back here and I like it a lot.

So what do you think of Farmington now that you’re here?
I like it. I really love the small town aspect a lot. I like that there are only like 2,000 students. The classes are close together and the dorms are close together. You don’t have to walk 20 minutes to get to one place. They talked a lot about security and how safe it is at night, which is definitely helpful. I'm sure that helped my parents a lot, too [laughs].

Do you hike or ski?
I hike a bit. In fact, when my father came up to visit last weekend we went to Mount Blue State Park and went hiking. I haven’t skied before but I’m looking forward to trying this winter.

Is there anything you find unique about Farmington?
Definitely.  My boyfriend came up one weekend and we had the option to either go camping at Mount Blue State Park or to go on a white water rafting trip with the school. Now, if we had been in Portland, we probably would have just gone downtown and to see a movie or gone to the mall. Here there are so many outdoorsy options.

Are you interested in studying abroad?
Definitely! I'm looking at taking a semester to study in England. I’d like to do it second semester of my sophomore year hopefully. Farmington offers a lot of good programs. The first time we came to look at Farmington, advisors were encouraging us  to study abroad right from the start, which is awesome because I have always wanted to travel. Right from the beginning they were like, "You should definitely try this and we will help you every step of the way."

Do you think Farmington has been an overall positive experience overall?
Definitely.

Do you live on campus?
Yes, in Purington Hall and I love it. Everyone on my floor is amazing. It's a great dorm.

Have you participated in any on-campus activities?
I went to a comedy night last night actually, right over in The Landing. We saw an amazing comedian from Boston. And I’ve gone to a couple of the movie nights in The Landing, too. They're pretty laid back — not like a huge event, which is kind of nice, you know. After getting out of class you just to go over in sweatpants and catch a movie on campus with some friends.

Do you have a part-time job?
I have a job on campus at the Snack Bar in the Student Center. I just started there a couple of weeks ago and I really like it. And the hours fit my class schedule and study time really well.

What do you think about the community at Farmington?
I really like it — it’s so different from high school and from my hometown in Portland. Everybody says "hi." And I don’t have to know somebody to start talking to them. That never would have happened at home. 

Do you have a favorite memory about Farmington?
I went white water rafting for my orientation. That's probably my favorite memory so far. It was amazing. I’d never gone rafting before.

Do you have any sage advice for an incoming student ?
I would say, if you’re thinking of Farmington, come and take a look around and check your options. Then, if you end up here, you know it’s what you wanted. I wasn’t sure until I got to Farmington, and then I knew.

Would you recommend Farmington to your brother or sister?
Yes, I like it here a lot.