The Curriculum Materials Center provides resources and community for education majors

By Megan Deets

The Curriculum Materials Center (CMC) section of Cedarville University’s Centennial Library is the only place on campus where college students can choose from over ninety puppets to play with. The CMC has one of the most fun atmospheres at Cedarville with its colorful paint, whimsical decorations and plush, orange chairs. 

“It’s very cutesy, very comfortable,” Viv Wheeler, a senior Primary Education major, said. 

The CMC doesn’t just exist for its playful vibes, however. It plays an important part in equipping education majors to teach in their future classrooms. 

The CMC began over 50 years ago, back when Cedarville University was Cedarville College. It was part of the original library building in 1987. Providing resources including curriculums, teaching aids, books and math manipulatives, the CMC is still essential for education majors. 

Sharon Kerestes, the CMC librarian of 14 years, ensures that the library runs smoothly. She frequently updates the books and resources the CMC offers. This includes reading new book reviews and talking to education professors about what they need for their assignments. She  also removes books that are damaged or not used. 

Wheeler applauds Kerestes’s organization skills in arranging the library. 

“It’s spread out so you can view everything more clearly,” Wheeler said. 

Kerestes finds that the CMC’s picture book selection is its most popular section. Most education majors take a children’s literature class during their sophomore year. They are required to read several books from a different picture book genre almost every week, and they find plenty to choose from in the CMC. 

Education majors also use the CMC’s collection of textbooks. Students use these to help when they create and write lesson plans. Kerestes looks at the textbooks that local school districts use and compares them to what the CMC offers. There are also textbooks for education majors’ direct use that provide study help for tests. 

But perhaps the most unique thing about the CMC is its hands-on teaching aids. 

Meredith Avery, a sophomore Primary Education major, appreciates the convenience of checking these aids out from the CMC. 

“It gives us resources that, as educators, we might have in an actual classroom, but it’s just not  something that we own yet,” Avery said. 

These resources include things from snakeskin to play money to a solar system model. While student teaching, Wheeler used counting blocks and other games to help teach math concepts to first graders. Many of these teaching aids are unique and work well in the classroom. 

“I [had] a student who [came] back and said, ‘My cooperating teacher loved this and asked where I got it!’” Kerestes said. 

Not only is the CMC a place where education majors can find resources, but it also provides them with a place to find community. 

Many education majors gather in the CMC as early as freshman year to do homework or meet for group projects. The CMC is important to these students even before they begin student teaching. 

“It’s a really good place, especially in early education, to work on group projects and if you’re trying to find certain things,” Wheeler said. 

“A lot of education majors do hang out there,” Avery said. “So I can ask around and get to know people and be like, ‘Hey, does anyone know what I’m actually supposed to do on this assignment? Has anyone taken this class before?’”

Both the resources and the community that the CMC supplies to Cedarville’s education majors are formative as they learn and grow in their teaching skills. 

Megan Deets is a freshman Professional Writing and Information Design student. Some of the things that she loves are new notebooks, fresh fruit and musicals.