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Opening his first grade classroom at Cary Reynolds Elementary School
to a parade of Oglethorpe visitors, Lance Ozier '01 has welcomed
Introduction to Education students to Student Teachers and future
teachers at every stage in between. Teaching in a culturally diverse
Dekalb County (Ga) school, Lance provides insight on a variety of
subjects such as guided reading, brain-based learning, early
intervention and encouraging positive parent relationships.
Lance is a natural-born and Oglethorpe-trained
educator with energy and enthusiasm to keep up with six and seven
year olds, many of whom do not speak English when they are delivered
to Lance at the beginning of the term. Lance has been busily
learning Spanish and Vietnamese, and his students are learning
English - what a deal! Lance is always willing to welcome
interviewers, observers and students who can benefit from his
experiences, and that makes him a special asset to our institution.
 Deferring his
acceptance to Columbia University to teach another year at Cary
Reynolds, Lance is not quite yet ready to give up working with all
those precious, inquisitive children. At Columbia, he will pursue an
MAT with an emphasis on interpretation and development of public
educational policy.
During spring break last year, Lance traveled to
Tokyo to visit Jeremy Greenup '99 (see Jeremy's article in the
Summer/Fall 2002 issue of The Flying Petrel.) Jeremy is teaching in
a Japanese school that conducts classes on Saturdays. Cary Reynolds
has considered adopting this approach and Lance would like to teach
on Saturdays so he would have the opportunity to including many
activities he lacks the time to include during the traditional
school week, like gardening.
 This summer
Lance returned to his summer counselor work at Morry's Camp in New
York. This camp is for children who need a "chance." They are
selected for camp scholarships because the odds for their success
are not in their favor. The camp experience is designed to provide
opportunities for recreation, education, values and personal
development.
Alumni make many contributions to Oglethorpe to
help continue the success of our institution. Lance Ozier certainly
is one of those who make a positive impact. The mission of the
Teacher Education program at Oglethorpe is to prepare students to
effectively teach all children, and Lance is a wonderful reflection
of that mission.
profiled by Ginger Williams, Division of
Education, Director of Field Experiences
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