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EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
NEWS First Week of Classes Fall 2003 – September 2 Edition best viewed at http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/news/030902.html |
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Words of Inspiration
the collection appears
at http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/news/words.html
Only the brave. Only the brave should teach.
Only those who love the young should teach.
Teaching is a vocation.
It is as sacred as the priesthood; as innate a desire, as inescapable as the genius which compels a great artist.
If he has not the concern for humanity,
the love of living creatures,
the vision of the priest and the artist,
he must not teach.
-- Pearl Buck, quoted on http://www.sps.springfield.ma.us/mentors/inspire.htm
Posted September 2, 2003
1) Second Education Dept. faculty meeting
- Thursday, September 4, 12:30 - 2, Webb Hall 115 -
HAS BECOME AN EDUCATION UNIT MEETING TO DISCUSS NCATE PREPARATIONS
2) Please welcome two full-time temporary
faculty members for Fall 2003 - Ms. Mary-Grace Shifrin, who will be teaching
Learning and Teaching courses, and Dr. Dan Thompson, who will be serving
as the Director of Educational Experiences and teaching Foundations of
US Education courses.
Ms. Mary-Grace Shifrin has a Sixth Year
Diploma in Educational Leadership, a MS in Special Education from the University
of Connecticut, and Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and Special
Education from Saint Joseph College. She has been a school administrator
since 1994 and was a special education teacher from 1987 – 1994. Ms.
Shifrin would bring to our program a wide-range of experiences in PK-12
teaching and a network of contacts in schools throughout Connecticut.
Dr. Dan Thompson has a Ph.D. in Educational
Administration from UCONN, a M.Ed. in Guidance and Psychological Services
from Springfield College, and a AB in History from the College of Holy
Cross. He served as a school administrator since 1985 to 2001 – as superintendent
in East Haddam and Assistant Superintendent in Killingly, and as a teacher,
counselor, assistant principal, principal, and Chapter I internal evaluator
in the Holyoke (MA) schools from 1969 – 1985. Dr. Thompson has also served
as a University Assistant for the CARE Admission process here at Eastern
and taught our Foundations of Education seminar since October 2001. Dr.
Thompson would bring to our program a wide-range of experiences in PK-12
teaching, a network of contacts in schools throughout Connecticut, and a
strong understanding of our admission process.
3) A message from Ruth Ettenberg Freeman,
MSW, Director of Family Services,
THE COVE Center for Grieving Children, Coordinating Office, 134 State Street,
Meriden, CT 06450, Phone: (203) 634-0500, Fax: (203) 634-6934, Email: TheCove@earthlink.net
Web site: www.covect.org David – Thank you for the “Circle of Life” website.
I want to add a resource that I hope you will share with your faculty and
students. The Cove Center for Grieving Children serves children and their
families who have experienced the death of an immediate family member. Children
participate in developmentally appropriate groups with other children who
have had similar experiences and parents receive support and education about
the unique nature of children’s grief. Our founders, James and Mary Ann Emswiler
have written a seminal text for adults who are in relationship with grieving
children and it is called “Guiding Your Child through Grief.” Feel free to
contact me for more information at TheCove@earthlink.net or visit our website
at www.covect.org. My husband, Joe Freeman,
is organizing the development of a Cove in the Windham area and anyone who
would like to help with this effort can reach him at 860 429-4477. Thanks,
Ruth
4) A message from Judy Kilburn, IT Staff
member:
New color printer in Ed Dept Office
- networking information -
The new Education Department HP5500dn
color laser printer has been installed in the back of the Education
Department office. Because of the capabilities of this new printer,
no network print queue has been set up for the printer.
All those that would like to print to
this machine will need to print directly to the IP address of the printer.
Each individual will need to have the printer setup under their profile.
(They will need to be logged on.) This is a very quick install, usually
no more than ten minutes.
This means that each person will need
to make an appointment with ITS staff though the Helpdesk. They should
mention in this request that the printer needs to be installed to send
jobs directly to the printer. If you have any questions, please do not
hesitate to contact me or Emmanuel Ogungbe.
5) An announcement from Constance Belton
Green, Director, Equity and Diversity,
8th Annual Conference on Multicultural
Education
Eighth Annual Connecticut NAME Conference on Multicultural
Education
Lies My Teacher Told Me
Stories from Multicultural America
October 16, 2003
Hartford Marriott * Farmington, Connecticut
6) Items to discuss for our Fall 2003
Education Department meetings -
Time certain - Anne Patti, Counseling Service, September
4, 1:15 - 1:45 - POSTPONED
Ongoing preparations for NCATE visit,
scheduled for September 20- 22, 2003 - Sept. 4, 2003 session
We may need part of the unit meetings'
time for these items:
Departmental committees
Departmental goal revisions
Departmental leadership for 2004-2005
Standards - revision or maintenance?
Admission to graduate program - 2.70 - waiver options?
General education, program requirements, state requirements
GPA waiver
policy for certification programs
Pre-requisite courses - sophomore standing,
GPA requirement??
Transfer credit for graduate programs
Curriculum initiatives for 2003-2004
Education Department's comments on GER
Grade appeal process
Unit-counseling services support
Syllabi revisions
Time Certain:
7) A message relayed by Dean Kleine:
Educational Testing Service (ETS) is committed to every aspect of teacher development and has added two new services to recognize individual performance on Praxis exams and to provide customized diagnostic support for test takers who require it.
ETS Recognition of Excellence
The ETS Recognition of Excellence program was established to commend and encourage outstanding individual performance on select Praxis II tests that measure specific subject matter and/or pedagogical knowledge.
Beginning in September 2003, examinees can qualify for the Recognition of Excellence when they take any of 11 Praxis II tests that assess knowledge of fundamental subjects or pedagogy skills for beginning teachers. Examinees must earn the scaled score achieved by the top 15 percent of individuals who took the test between March 1998 and March 2003. ETS will issue a certificate and congratulatory letter to recipients, and the award will be noted on all Praxis score reports.
The Recognition of Excellence is not a criterion for making decisions about state licensure, hiring, or promotions. Rather, it is intended as a professional honor recognizing exceptional performance on the Praxis exam.
In the coming weeks, an informational poster will be sent to the contact(s) on your administrative staff who are responsible for distributing Praxis Registration Bulletins to students. Please encourage them to display the poster and to help build awareness for this new recognition program.
Diagnostic Preparation Program (DPP)
ETS also is introducing the Diagnostic Preparation Program in response to requests by examinees, licensing agencies, and Institutes of Higher Education for more diagnostic information to assist examinees who need to retake a Praxis test.
Beginning with the September 13, 2003, test administration, individuals who do not achieve a passing score on any of 18 Praxis exams can order the Diagnostic Preparation Program and receive detailed, customized feedback about their test performance. This service will help test takers to better understand their strengths and weakness and plan their study efforts accordingly.
ETS is excited about these new offerings, and we hope that you find these programs valuable for your students. Feel free to share this information with your professors, administrators, staff, and students. For more information, please contact us at
1-609-771-7395 or visit www.ets.org/praxis.
Sincerely,
Mari Pearlman
Senior Vice President
Higher Education Division
Faculty photo at
http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/faculty.html
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The
2002-2006 CSU AAUP-BOT Collective Bargaining
Agreement is on-line at the usual URL:
http://www.easternct.edu/aaup/cba.html
****
Graduate News
News from Rachel Timoteo:
I graduated from Eastern with an English degree and a Secondary Education
Certification in December of 2002. I worked as a long term substitute at
E.O. Smith High School in Mansfield from January to June of 2003, and was
offered a permanent position for this year. The faculty and staff here are
wonderful to work with!
News from
Timothy Bowen:
This is my 4th year at E.O.Smith High School. I am tenured now. Yippie!
I am
currently teaching 9th graders in Politics and Geography and 11th graders
in
World Civilizations. I am an active member of the Connecticut Council for
Social Studies and just finished a 2 year term on the Executive Board.
As
you know, I am in the Master's program at ECSU for secondary education and
it is going well. I am so glad that you have the program now. Eastern has
been and surely will continue to be a great experience.
If you ever need my assistance in speaking to ECSU students in the education
program I will be
more than happy to share my experiences with them. It is always nice to
hear 1st hand from an alumni what it is like in the profession and the
transition from graduation to finding a job to BEST program and so on.
****
Mitch Sakofs relays a message from Maggie Tarbox that there is a 7th grade
language arts position vacant in Bloomfield, CT at Carmen Arace Middle School.
Theresa
Picard and Sudha Swaminathan reports that Vicki Rondeau was hired on Friday
as the head pre-school teacher at The Putnam School of Early Learning.
Steve Babyak is teaching in a 3rd grade at Cos Cob School in Greenwich,
Ct.
Catherine Tannahill reports that Elizabeth
Chartier has accepted a position teaching Integrated Kindergarten at the
Early Learning Center in Chelsea, Massachusetts.
Leah Barbuto reports that Jen Toft just got a job teaching 4th grade
in Lebanon.
Sudha Swaminathan and Theresa Picard report:
Sherena
Campbell writes - This month I was offered a 1st grade teacher position
at Second Hill Lane in Stratford, CT. I start new teachers orientation
the last week in August.
Relayed
by Sudha Swaminathan:
"From Angela Puccia:
Hi Sudha,
I just wanted to let you know that I had just accepted a first
grade teaching position at the Coventry Grammar School. I am going to
sign the contract this morning. There were a total of 171 applicants for
the one position! I also wanted to tell you about the wonderful things that
Mr. Grasso had to say about ECSU. He said that he really enjoyed the student
teachers from Eastern and feels that we are all taught very well. So,
thank you so much for all of your help. "
Jenn Pohlman graduated from Eastern in the spring of 2002 from
the last middle level group. She is currently working at Ellington
Middle School in Ellington CT as an 8th grade LA teacher.
She writes, "I just wanted to let you know that there is a part
time position opening for LA at our school. We also have another Eastern
grad currently working here: Alison Padegemis.
I am definitely partial, but I think this would be a great position
for someone who wants to get a little more experience before getting
their own classroom. Also you would be working with a great LA teacher,
who will be in the building in a part time administration job.
If you can let recent grads or anyone else you feel may be interested
know about this position, I would appreciate that. They should contact
the middle school at 896-2339 or the central office at 896-2300.
Thank you
Jenn Pohlman"
Sudha Swaminathan
reports that Jason Ladegard (Mr. Ladegard) is now a Second Grade Teacher
at Lebanon Elementary School. Classroom sizes are excellent, 15-17
children per room.
Mike
Gadoury reports that he is substitute teaching and working as a UA
in the Curriculum Center in the Library at night.
Mitch Sakofs reports that Sarah Ververis will be teaching
second grade at Ashford School starting the end of August.
Hari Koirala reports that Sarah Jones and Laura
Quarticelli have been "hired to teach 5th grades at Windham Middle
School. It is interesting to know that they will be teaming as well."
Leah Barbuto and Mitch Sakofs shared this news from
Dana Ballou -
"Hi everyone! Just wanted to let you all know that
I got a job! I'll be working at Eli Terry Elementary in South Windsor
and will be teaching preschool special ed. I had my final interview
today and they offered me the job! I am very very excited and can't
wait to start!"
Dan Rothermel reports that Christina Cody, from our penultimate
class of middle school teacher candidates, will be teaching 8th grade
Reading / Language Arts at Saint Marys Middle School in Saint Marys,
Camden County school system, Georgia.
Dan and Mitch Sakofs also report that Heather Scorca, who just completed her student teaching in core III secondary, has a position at Bolton Middle School.
Mitch Sakofs
and Dan Rothermel report that Christine Kendall (secondary English)
will be teaching 8th grade language arts at Carmen Arace Middle
School in Bloomfield, CT.
Mitch Sakofs reports that Caragh O'Brien was offered
a position in Sec English in Tolland.
Mitch Sakofs reports that Kathy Rosen has been asked
to teach summer school at Mohegan Elementary School.
Dan Rothermel, Jeanelle Bland, and Mitch Sakofs
report that Vicenza Benoit that she has just been hired in South
Carolina as a 4th gr classroom teacher in the Varennes Elementary
School, Anderson District 5 Schools, Anderson, South Carolina, Dr.
Mary Paul, Principal.
Dan Rothermel
reports that "one of our core III secondary student, Maggie Tarbox, has just accepted a position to teach 7th
grade language arts at
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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.
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Other Events
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ECSU - ThinkQuest for Tomorrow's Teachers Projects
Faculty members and students from
Eastern Connecticut State University participated in a US Department
of Education grant to Prepare Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology
with ThinkQuest
[ http://www.preservice.org/] and 13 other
universities throughout the US. This project's homepage may be
found at http://www.preservice.org/ecsu/ .
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Long Term Announcements
Alumni
news may be found at http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/news/alumninews.html.
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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
also found at http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/news/rca.html
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searches
pending approval -
we had requested temporary full-time one-year appointments
in Learning and Teaching,
Reading/Language Arts, and for a Director of Educational
Experience
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Recently acquired media - in the Chair's Office
or on the Web
America's
Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being 2003. Federal Interagency
Forum on Child and Family Statistics.
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*********
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.