Project SWEETT >> Meet Our Teachers

Brenda Ness Project SWEETT	Hi, my name is Brenda Ness. I am presently participating in the Southeastern Wisconsin Excellence in Education through Teacher Training Project (SWEETT). My educational and professional background is in social studies education. I have undergraduate and graduate degrees in social studies education and curriculum and instruction from UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee. I became very interested, however, in the increasing numbers of linguistically and culturally diverse students entering my social studies classes at Waukesha South High School in the 1990s. Consequently, I returned to school to complete a bilingual program certification at UW-Whitewater. I then joined Waukesha South's team of bilingual program educators to work with these students full time. The SWEETT Program has enabled me to continue to develop my repertoire of professional skills to better serve our school's English language learners. Specifically it is allowing me to complete an English as a Second Language (ESL) certification. The coursework offered by UW-Whitewater as part of the SWEETT Program has been top-notch. I have thus far completed courses in ESL Methods and Assessment. The instructors have been high quality, competent professionals with much experience in the field. The grant has paid for most of my coursework and materials. Without the SWEETT Program I probably would not have chosen to return to school to complete these additional classes, and I am sure that this coursework is making a difference in the educational program that I am in turn able to provide for my students. Another major benefit of the SWEETT Program has been the scholarship support that it has provided for my students who plan to pursue degrees in bilingual education. I have seen this scholarship support make a big difference in the lives of these students. I have had talented bilingual students who would not have been able to go on to college without the SWEETT Scholarship. I am sure that these students will themselves make great teachers and role models some day, and will in turn help us better meet the needs of future, more diverse student populations.
Diego Roman Project SWEETT	My name is Diego Roman. I am a graduate student in Curriculum and Instruction at the Education Department at UW-Whitewater. I have been participating in the SWEETT project since September 2002. The SWEETT project has made it possible for me to be close to achieve one of the most important goals of my life: to become a teacher. I strongly believe in bilingual education. I am persuaded that our society is going to need more teachers that are prepared to work with bilingual students. Teachers should be able to enhance our students' English abilities and at the same time help them in developing their native language skills. I am convinced that bilingual people promote the advancement of our society by providing a broader view of our world. I just want to thank the SWEETT project for their role in helping people to reach this wonderful goal.