Education grad Thiele grateful for faculty relationships
Every year Cornell College celebrates its graduating seniors at Commencement with their closest friends and families. We also like to highlight a number of seniors online as they transition from college student to college grad and join Cornell’s growing community of alumni.
Maria Thiele
B.A. in Elementary Education and Spanish
Hometown: Roselle, Illinois
“I love the intensity of the block plan and the ability to focus on solely one concept. The block plan allows me to fully understand the concept before moving on.”
What do you think you’ve learned since being at Cornell that you did not know before you arrived?
I think I have learned that I am way more adaptable than I thought I was. I went from trying to transition from high school to college, then going through a global pandemic and adapting to online classes. I now am transitioning from college to full-blown adulthood. Although each transition had been difficult, I have adapted and learned so much from each transition. I have learned the benefit of flexibility and adaptability, especially during trying times.
Who helped you along your college journey?
The professor that really pushed me was [Professor of Education] Kerry Bostwick. Professor Bostwick has taught me so many valuable lessons, from how to teach to how to present myself confidently. Professor Bostwick has pushed me to not only be the best possible teacher I can be, but the best classmate, and person. Her unwavering support has meant the world to me. No matter how unfamiliar the technology I incorporated or how energetic I was, she would match my enthusiasm and push me to hone my skills to better help my students and peers. I will be forever grateful for her belief in me.
Describe the block plan.
The block plan takes a class usually done in a semester and pushes it into 18 days. During those 18 days, you only have to focus on that class; you and your peers have around four hours every day together. There you have the ability to discuss the reading and homework that has been assigned. After 18 days you receive a break before the next block begins. I love the intensity of the block plan and the ability to focus on solely one concept. The block plan allows me to fully understand the concept before moving on.
What is your advice to the classes behind you?
My advice to the classes behind me is to find your people. I would have never made it as far as I did without finding my friend group. The people I have met have become my second support system and have become my family. They have supported me through amazing highs and lows throughout my four years. We have been there for each other and I genuinely wouldn’t have been as successful without them. To find these people is vital for the block plan. They will be the people who help you through the tough blocks and make sure that you are the best possible version of yourself.
