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Research
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Questions about newsletter?Please contact David Stoloff,
email: stoloffd@easternct.edu |
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT NEWS American Education Week of Fall 2002 Edition - best viewed at http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/news/021122.html |
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Please see the University
Disclaimer. |
*****
Words of Inspiration
the
collection appears at http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/news/words.html
“American Education Week 2002 -
Join us November 17-23 and reach out to your neighborhood
schools.
This year's theme "Making
Public Schools Great for Every Child!" reflects the cooperation and hard
work of all education staff, parents, community members, and businesses who
help students achieve. These collaborative relationships are important.
American Education Week
(AEW) aims to deepen the involvement of all adults in a community —
particularly at local levels.”
Posted
on November 22, 2002
*****
FOR ALL OF
THOSE TEACHERS AND PARENTS OUT THERE:
Her name was Mrs. Thompson and his was 'Teddy'. As she stood in front of her 5th grade class on
the very first day of school, she told the children a lie. Like most teachers,
she looked at her students and said that she loved them all the same.
But that was impossible, because there in the front row, slumped in his seat,
was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard.
Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he didn't play
well with the other children, that his clothes were messy and that he
constantly needed a bath. And Teddy could be unpleasant.
It got to the point where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight in marking
his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X's and then putting a big
"F" at the top of his papers.
At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review each
child's past records and she put Teddy's off until last. However, when she
reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise.
Teddy's first grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is a bright child with a ready
laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners ... he is a joy to be
around."
His second grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is an excellent student, well liked
by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness
and life at home must be a struggle."
His third grade teacher wrote, "His mother's death had been hard on him.
He tries to do his best, but his father doesn't show much interest and his home
life will soon affect him if some steps aren't taken."
Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't show
much interest in school. He doesn't have many friends and he sometimes sleeps
in class".
By now, Mrs Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of herself. She
felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas presents, wrapped in
beautiful ribbons and bright paper, except for Teddy's. His present was
clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paper that he got from a grocery bag. Mrs Thompson
took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents.
Some of the children started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with
some of the stones missing, and a bottle that was one quarter full of perfume.
But she stifled the children's laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the
bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume on her wrist.
Teddy Stoddard stayed after school that day just long enough to say, "Mrs.
Thompson, today you smelled just like my Mom used to." After the children
left she cried for at least an hour.
On that very day, she quit teaching reading, and writing, and arithmetic.
Instead, she began to teach children.
Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. As she worked with him, his
mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he
responded. By the end of the year, Teddy had become one of the smartest
children in the class and, despite her lie that she would love all the children
the same, Teddy became one of her "teacher's pets."
A year later, she found a note under her door, from Teddy, telling her that she
was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life. Six years went by
before she got another note from Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished high
school, third in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in
his whole life.
Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that while things had
been tough at times, he'd stayed in school, had stuck with it, and would soon
graduate from college with the highest of honors. He assured Mrs.Thompson that
she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had in his whole life.
Then four more years passed and yet another letter came. This time he explained
that after he got his bachelor's degree, he decided to go a little further. The
letter explained that she was still the best and favourite teacher he ever had.
But now his name was a little longer - The letter was signed, Theodore F.
Stoddard, MD.
The story doesn't end there. You see,
there was yet another letter that spring. Teddy said he'd met this girl and was
going to be married. He explained that his father had died a couple of years
ago and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit in the place at
the wedding that was usually reserved for the mother of the groom. Of course,
Mrs Thompson did.
And guess what? She wore that bracelet, the one with several rhinestones
missing. And she made sure she was wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered
his mother wearing on their last Christmas together. They hugged each other,
and Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs.Thompson's ear, "Thank you, Mrs.
Thompson, for believing in me. Thank you so much for making me feel important
and showing me that I could make a difference."
Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back. She said, "Teddy,
you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a
difference. I didn't know how to teach until I met you."
Warm someone's heart today ... pass this along. Please remember that wherever you
go, and whatever you do, you will have the opportunity to touch and/or change a
person's outlook. And please try to do it in a positive way.
Contributed by Ellen Wiess, also
found at http://www.silverliningnews.com/story.asp?pid=4
****
Announcements
Education Dept.
community members:
The Institute is willing
to sponsor the conference fee for 30 ECSU faculty, staff or student
participants' attendance. To take advantage of this offer, please email your
request to Laurel Kohl at kohll@easternct.edu by Friday November 15, 2002. Include
your name, address, phone number and email address.
Please
share this information with your students.
Connect Day 2002
Cosponsored by CONNECTicut Energy Council for Teachers and
The
Institute for Sustainable Energy at Eastern Connecticut State University
Saturday November 23, 2002 at Eastern Connecticut State University
The Conference runs from 8:30-3:45 and includes lunch.
Come and learn about all areas of sustainable energy!
Explore the ways
that energy education energizes us.
CONNECT Day includes speakers, workshops, presentations and exhibits
which provide a wealth of information, ideas and hands-on activities for
teaching and learning about energy across the curriculum from kindergarten to
college.
Presenter include:
· Harvesting
Sunlight: Cultivating Bright Minds by Moneer Azzam, Solar Dynamics
· Fuel Cells by
Jim Fenton, UCONN
· Hydrogen
Outreach Program for Education by Mary-Rose Vallladares, DCH Technologies
· CT Energy
Education Development (CEED) by Nancy Johnson
· eeSmarts by
Keri Snowden and Tera Dunn, UI and CL&P
· Exciting Things
Happening in CT Energy Education by Joel Rinebold, Institute for Sustainable
Energy
· Solar Science,
How To Integrate for Education, by Ed Witkin, Solar Works
· Clean Power by
Charlie Moret, CT Clean Energy Fund
· PossAbilities
in Energy Education by Marilyn Szymaszek, Wilson Educational Services
· Waterwheels,
Windmills & Sunlight by Linda Malkin, Discovery Museum
· Cars of
Tomorrow by Chris Mason, NESEA
· Motivate,
Integrate, Educate by Carol Wilson, Wilson Educational Services
· Internal
Combustion, Products from Your Town by Harris Towne, Towne Enterprises
· Wind-generated
Electricity by Walton G. Congdon, Proton Energy
· Fossil Fuels,
How much is left? by Dr. Charles Dimmick, CCSU
· The Promise of
Regenerative Fuel Cells by Proton Energy
Education Department Faculty Meetings
usually on Thursdays, 12:30 - 1:45 in Webb Hall 115.
No meetings
due to Thanksgiving – happy Thanksgiving.
*****
Alyssa Gwinnell
[mailto:agwinnell@attglobal.net],
a most excellent graduate now teaching in South Windsor, writes:
*****
Save the Date!
Saturday,
April 12, 2003 at 8:30 A.M.
17th Annual CSU Academic
Computing Conference
http://so-mako.sysoff.ctstateu.edu/acc/acc2003.nsf
|
|
|
The 17th
Annual CSU Academic Computing Conference will be held on Saturday, April
12, 2003 at 8:30 A.M. at Southern Connecticut State University. |
****
Photos
from the Diversity Seminar – September 4, 2002 - http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/news/photosf02/photosfall2002.html
*****
*****
A message from Hope Cook, Curriculum Center Librarian -
“Hi David and Education Faculty,
Just wanted to let you know that the
Curriculum Center Computer Lab, Room 145 of the Eugene Smith Library is now
open for your use!
Here are some of the
highlights added to the Computer Lab:
·6 new PC's with Internet Access and equipped with educational
and presentational software titles
·1 of the 6 PC's is setup as an instructor station. This
station includes a projector that will allow the instructor the
opportunity to project information to a screen, or if one prefers to the white
board.
·We have also retained 1 Macintosh machine that is loaded
with software and has Internet access.
·The computer lab also includes a VCR, Slide Projector, and
Overhead Projector
·Additionally, students can use this room to work on
classroom projects as we now have 2 Ellison Machines and several dies to cut
letters, borders, etc.The lab is also equipped with a sink.
·The lab can seat up to 20 people and would be ideal for
those teaching courses that contain some component of children's literature or
the use of educational software.
Thank you!
Hope”
Dr. Jeanelle Bland has
been appointed Curriculum Center Computer Lab liaison from the Education
Department.
****
An interesting resource shared by Dean
Kleine –
A message from
Professor Ross E. Koning, PhD
Chapter President ECSU-AAUP
Biology Department - Goddard Hall
email: Koning@EasternCT.edu
http://Koning.EasternCT.edu/
Greetings ECSU-AAUP Faculty,
I am pleased to announce that our
on-line (html) version
of the 2002-2006 CSU AAUP-BOT Collective Bargaining
Agreement is on-line at the usual URL:
http://www.easternct.edu/aaup/cba.html
This version is, of course,
unofficial...but we have worked
hard to make it identical with the printed version in content,
and have hopefully corrected most of the printed version's
flaws.
We encourage you to try it
out. All internal and some external
references are linked so navigation is better than in the print
version. You can also use the find and find-again feature of
your browser to search for words in the contract...so finding
items is perhaps easier. On the down-side, the contract is now
in a single file that is sometimes slow to open if you are on a
modem connection...but we think your patience will be rewarded.
I also encourage you to
right-click (PC USERS) or click-hold-drag
(Mac USERS) on the CBA link on the home page to DOWNLOAD
the contract to your hard-drive for improved loading times. Our
home-page is:
Best wishes for the fall semester.
ross
Professor Ross E. Koning, PhD
Chapter President ECSU-AAUP
Biology Department - Goddard Hall
****
Call for Graduating Senior Information
A request from Institutional
Research -
Please share news about the plans
of graduating seniors.
If they are going on to graduate
school, please provide the graduate's name, undergraduate major,
graduate university, location (city, state), field of study and degree program
sought, and any information
on scholarships and/or fellowships.
If they have been accepted for
employment positions, please provide the graduate's name,
undergraduate major, company, location (city, state), position, salary.
Please email the information to
David, who will compile it for the department. Thanks.
*****
Other Events
****
ECSU - ThinkQuest for Tomorrow's Teachers Projects
Faculty members and students from
Eastern Connecticut State University are participating in a US Department of
Education grant to Prepare Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology with
ThinkQuest
[ http://www.thinkquest.org] and 13
other universities throughout the US. This project's homepage may be at http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/dept/pt3.html
.
****
Long Term Announcements
Alumni news may be found at http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/news/alumninews.html.
Planning
back to top
Past surveys of our graduates are
available on the WWW -
an analysis of the survey of
teacher education program graduates 1996-98
http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/assessment/survey9698.htm
results of the survey of teacher
education program graduates - 1996-1998 -
http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/assessment/surveyresults9698.htm,
and
results of the survey of teacher
education program graduates - 1998-2000 -
http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/assessment/gradsurvey2001.htm
survey of interests in graduate
programs -1999,
http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/assessment/gradinterestsurvey1999.htm
survey of interests in graduate
programs - 2001
http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/assessment/gradinterestsurvey2001.htm
Planning forms for field
experiences and student teaching for Spring 2003 are now posted at
http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/dept/stinfo.doc
and
http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/dept/stpreferencefall2003.doc
*****
Research and Creativity Activities -
chronicling the ongoing progress of the Education Department at Eastern
Connecticut State University
also found at http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/news/rca.html
Seventh
Report – November 15, 2002
During Career Day at Putnam High
School, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2002, David Stoloff met with 41 students to discuss
their interests in teacher education.
Of this group, 12 were interested in Secondary Education, 8 in
Elementary Education, 7 in Early Childhood Education, 1 Elem/ECE, 6 in Special
Education, 2 in HPE, 1 in Music, 1 in Art, and 3 were undecided.
Sixth
Report
October 20, 2002
Results of the Open House – Sunday, October
20, 2002
Searches
back to top
searches pending approval -
we had request an additional faculty member in Elementary Education.
Coordinator for the website
of Children's Literature Assembly of the
National Council of Teachers of English (now at (http://venus.twu.edu/~f_vardell/index.html)
sought.
Dr. Shirley Ernst
plans to propose at the CLA’s board meeting on November 22nd that, under her
leadership, a revised organizational website would be developed.Dr. Ernst seeks
individuals in the Eastern community who might be interested in assuming the
web development and maintenance tasks for this proposed website.Benefits –
national recognition in the field of Children’s Literature and a stipend that
will be negotiated.Please contact Dr. Ernst (email: ernsts@easternct.edu) before November 20
if you might be interested in assuming this position.
The new Title II, Part A of ESEA creates
Improving Teacher Quality State Grants to strengthen teacher quality and
increase the number of highly qualified teachers and principals. In
Connecticut, the higher education component of this initiative is known as the Teacher
Quality Partnership Grant Program. It replaces the Eisenhower Professional
Development Grant Program and the Connecticut Collaborations for Teaching the
Arts and Humanities.
For 2003, the Connecticut Department of
Higher Education is authorized to award $663,199 in competitive Teacher Quality
Partnership Grants for professional development projects for teachers,
paraprofessionals and principals across 10 core academic subjects (English,
reading or language arts, mathematics, science, foreign languages, civics and
government, economics, the arts, history and geography). Preference will
be given to proposals which address at least one of several priorities, among
them projects that seek to:
·increase teacher mastery of subject matter,
especially in mathematics, science and the essential themes which define the
American experience
·recruit and prepare minority teachers, and
·improve the
leadership skills of principals.
1)the division of a Connecticut public or
independent institution of higher education that prepares teachers and
principals,
2)one or more schools or departments of
arts and sciences at that institution, and
3)one or more high-need schools or school
districts in Connecticut.
Other schools, colleges, education groups
and non-profit organizations may serve as additional partners. Please note that
no single participant in an eligible partnership may use more than 50 percent
of the partnership grant award.
Project periods may vary over a period of
17 months. Multi-year activities are allowed based on available funds and
progress in meeting goals. Requested project amounts depend on the scope of the
activities proposed; there are no minimum or maximum award limits. Proposals
are due January 10, 2003 and grant awards will be announced February 7, 2003.
For more
information about this grant program, please see
http://www.ctdhe.org/RFP/default.htm
Jamie Hendricks shared this link
to the Mansfield Schools employment website -
http://www.mansfieldct.org/MBOE/Employ/docs/Web%20Posting%206.02B.doc
*****
back to top
Recently acquired media - in the Chair's Office or on the Web
back to top
Rothermel, Dan
(1996). Starting points: How to set up and run a writing
workshop - and much more!
Columbus, Ohio:
National Middle School Association.
ISBN 1-56090-109-8
Wynn, Charles M.
& Wiggins, Arthur W. (1997).
The five biggest ideas in science.
New York: John Wiley &
Sons. ISBN 0-471-13812-6.
Jacobik, Gray
(2002). Brave disguises.
Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press. ISBN 0-8229-5788-4
Mama, Raouf
& Romney, Mary (2001). Pearls
of wisdom. Brattleboro, VT: Pro
Lingua Associates. ISBN 0-86647-134-0
Folios from the NCATE Professional
Development Workshops, sponsored by CT State Dept of Ed. – Fall 2003
Graduate Elementary Education
Program Self-Study for NCATE visit.
Teaching Our Youngest: A
Guide for Preschool Teachers and Child-Care and Family Providers. (2002)
Early Childhood-Head Start Task Force, US Dept. of Education and US Dept. of
Health and Human Services.
America's Children: Key
National Indicators of Well-Being 2002. Federal Interagency Forum on
Child and Family Statistics.
Notes from the 2002 Creative
Advance - "Creativity Through Diversity" - Thursday, August 22, 2002,
Eastern Connecticut State University.
Evaluator's Report on the May
State On-Site Review of ECSU's Teacher Education Programs. Received May
31, 2002.
Institutional Overview and
Response to Standards, Self-examination report on Teacher Preparation
Programs at ECSU, March 2002.
Portfolio Responses for BEST
program, 2001-2002.
Precondition Report for the
Education Unit - April 2002, NCATE document
General Education Committee's
General Education Program Proposal
Wednesdays - A Compilation of
Short Stories written by Eastern Connecticut State University
Graduate Students
Faculty Handbook.
Our Reading/Language Arts room, Webb
Hall 113, has been enriched with past issues of Phi Delta Kappan, Academe,
Syllabus, Converge, Governmental Technology, Journal of Teacher Education, and
other resources. Please feel free to use and encourage your students to
use these materials.
*********
Please contact David Stoloff at (860) 465-5501, email: stoloffd@easternct.edu if you have any
questions or comments on this newsletter. Please invite others to
receive this newsletter and be added
to the Education Department e-mailing list by contacting David Stoloff.