A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff
UMW grads Amelia Carr (left) and Shelby Press met during their first college class and became best friends. Press was named Fairfax County Public Schools’ Outstanding Elementary New Teacher this year. Carr received the honor in 2021. Photo courtesy of Fairfax County Public Schools.[/caption]
When Shelby Press and Amelia Carr walked into their first ever college class at 9 a.m. Monday morning of their freshman fall semester, little did they know they were about to embark on a lasting friendship.
As they began talking, they realized they had a lot in common. They had both played field hockey, they both wanted to be teachers and they graduated from rival schools in Fairfax County: Edison High School and Hayfield Secondary School. The two became so close over the next few months, they decided to become roommates their sophomore year. The pair pursued the same path at the University of Mary Washington, both earning a master’s degree through UMW’s College of Education.
Seven years later, Press and Carr, who are still roommates, now have something else in common. They’ve both been recognized at Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) Honors as the Outstanding Elementary New Teacher. Press, a second-grade teacher at Riverside Elementary School in Alexandria, received the honor this year. Carr, a kindergarten teacher at Bucknell Elementary School in Alexandria, received the award in 2021. Read more.Dr. Venitta McCall, professor of the College of Education, Dr. Debra Hydorn, professor of mathematics and Dr. Courtney Clayton, assistant professor of the College of Education have received a $35,600 grant from the Virginia Department of Education. The purpose of the grant is to train 30 teachers from critical teacher shortage areas in Spotsylvania County, Stafford County and Fredericskburg City to become Clinical Faculty members for the College of Education.
Selected teachers will be trained in effective mentoring practices, in best practices for instructing English Language Learners and in using learning analytics – the appropriate collection, use and analysis of data to facilitate instructional improvement. Research has shown that having highly skilled Clinical Faculty is a key component in enhancing teacher retention.
Left to Right: UMW Professor of Education George Meadows, Interim Dean of the UMW College of Education Nina Mikhalevsky, Dominion External Affairs Manager James Beazley, and UMW Vice President for Advancement and University Relations Torre Meringolo
The University of Mary Washington received a $15,000 gift to support its “E3 Makerspace Network.” Awarded by the Dominion Foundation, the funds will help create a collaborative network with two UMW colleges, the Friends of the Rappahannock, and the England Run Branch of the Central Rappahannock Regional Library system.
UMW Professor of Education George Meadows says the new network will sustain and expand makerspace technology and the engineering/design process to provide creative approaches to teaching about energy and the environment as well as researching and developing technological solutions to environmental problems.
“UMW students from the College of Education and students enrolled in science disciplines within the College of Arts and Sciences can now do some exciting things with real world technology and applications,” says Meadows. “The fact that we will be collaborating with area organizations to solve problems and share solutions makes for a great teaching environment.”
Out of nearly 400 applications for the 2015-16 academic year, the Dominion Foundation awarded grants totaling $1.5 million to more than 140 schools and educational institutions in 11 states and the District of Columbia. Dominion Foundation grants are funded by shareholder dollars and support nonprofit causes that meet basic human needs, protect the environment, promote education and encourage community vitality.
Gifts count toward the $50-million Mary Washington First Campaign, which began July 1, 2011. As of Sept. 15, 2015, Mary Washington alumni, parents, friends, faculty, staff, and businesses have committed $41 million in gifts and pledges. The Campaign is scheduled to conclude June 30, 2016. Visit http://umw.edu/marywashingtonfirst or call 540-654-2059 for more information.
The University of Mary Washington College of Education, Smart Beginnings Rappahannock Area and Germanna Community College came together Saturday, Nov. 8 to host the inaugural Smart Beginnings Rappahannock Area Kindergarten Transition Conference.
Early childhood educators, caregivers, kindergarten teachers and school administrators participated in the event with the theme “Peek-A-Who,” which focused on cultural diversity, self-reflection and enhancing school-family-community partnerships.
The event featured a keynote presentation by Ken Smythe-Leistico from the University of Pittsburgh Office of Child Development. He is a nationally recognized early childhood education expert on transition best practices and developed the “Ready Freddy” program, which is being used by Smart Beginnings Rappahannock Area.
Roberta Gardner, assistant professor in the College of Education Department of Curriculum and Instruction, presented a paper, “Moving from Essence to Tentative Manifestations in Post-Intentional Phenomenology,” at the International Congress of Qualitative Research held at the University of Illinois May 21-24.
Gardner also presented research at the International Reading Association Conference May 11 in New Orleans, La. Her research presentation at IRA highlighted the socio-cultural dimensions of race, place, class, and gender as lived experience variables that inform and animate the literate lives of children. Gardner’s literacy research employing lived experience methodology is highlighted in the recently released book Crafting Phenomenological Research (Vagle, 2014).
Abbott earned her B.A. in Spanish with a minor in Latin from the University of Mary Washington and spent 32 years in education before joining the nonprofit sector. She also holds a master’s degree in Spanish linguistics from Georgetown University and was honored as a Distinguished Alumnus in 2004 by UMW.
She gave graduates advice on impacting student’s lives and how to find success in a teaching career.
“You need to have the fundamental attitude that all kids can learn,” said Abbott. “They have to feel that you think that they can learn.”
She also urged graduates to be open to new and innovative ways to teach in the classroom and to stay out of the teacher’s lounge.
“Teacher impact: it’s what we do,” said Abbott. “When someone asks, ‘what do you do?’ You can say, ‘I make a difference: I teach.’”
The daylong event at the Stafford campus also featured graduate presentations that included such topics as using virtual zoo webcams to teach science, employing cameras to teach English language learners and utilizing visual arts to bolster story recall and comprehension.
The day ended with a number of College of Education awards. Students Anne Roberts and Merilee Grubb received the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International Virginia Scholars Awards; Laura Gomez received the Barbara Bishop Mann Award; and Olivia Costello received the Outstanding Master of Education Student Award.Janine Davis, Courtney Clayton, and John Broome, all assistant professors in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, presented their research at the annual conference of the American Educational Research Association on “The Power of Educational Research for Innovation in Practice and Policy” in Philadelphia on April 6, 2014. Their study investigates the ways that action research impacts professional identity among preservice teachers.
AERA is concerned with improving the educational process by encouraging scholarly inquiry related to education and evaluation and by promoting the dissemination and practical application of research results. AERA is the most prominent international professional organization for educational researchers, with the primary goal of advancing educational research and its practical application. Its more than 25,000 members are educators; administrators; directors of research; persons working with testing or evaluation in federal, state and local agencies; counselors; evaluators; graduate students; and behavioral scientists.
Pictured from left to right are Nicole Myers, Ciara Norquist, Kathleen Wallace, Karissa Herrick, Mariela DeMaio and Gabrielle Kuhn.
This weekend, Dr. Nicole Myers and five UMW students from the College of Education: Gabrielle Kuhn, Ciara Norquist, Kathleen Wallace, Karissa Herrick, and Mariela DeMaio attended the Teachers of Promise (TOP) Institute in Richmond. These students were chosen by the COE faculty as exemplary teacher candidates. The TOP Institute celebrates the decision to teach, elevates the teaching profession to the status we believe it deserves, and activates all of us to make a difference in public school education. UMW students participated in a variety of activities, including an evening Gala where they participated in a pinning ceremony, attending workshops and presentations, and connecting with mentor teachers. Three UMW students won prizes at the events which included gift cards and teaching resources. At the Gala, each Teacher of Promise connected with their mentor and received a card from a public school student providing them with advice and encouragement as they begin their upcoming first year of teaching.
Sponsored by the College of Education, the day began with a keynote presentation by Director of Teaching and Learning at UMW Jim Groom who spoke about publishing and archiving student work, UMW blogs, digital storytelling and why K-12 educators should incorporate those tools in the classroom.
“What we do as educators – what we do in higher ed and K-12 – is share a hope. It’s a hope that what we’re doing is framing a whole world of possibility and connections. And the Web is the single greatest tool ever invented to help us build on what we do,” said Groom. “It’s a remarkable world that we live in.”
The conference also included a variety of sessions from “Animoto Movies in Your Class!” to “Expanding Your Web 2.0 Toolkit.” One session, “Frames and Share, You Can Do It!,” featured presentations from J.W. Alvey Elementary School students who created short movies and presentations.
In the afternoon, Margaret Stout, a teacher at Antietam Elementary, introduced participants to Google Glass and demonstrated how she’s using the new technology in her classroom to teach students with autism. The conference ended with a panel discussion about current issues and challenges.
Teresa Coffman, associate professor in the College of Education, and Tami Pratt-Fartro, assistant professor in the College of Education, helped to create the annual conference four years ago with the goal of forming a regional network of educators who come together to share great teaching practices. That goal has remained intact.
“I want people to build connections and community. I want them to think about their pedagogy in new and different ways and to use technology to foster learning in the classroom to engage their students to think critically and creatively,” said Coffman. “I want people to explore professional development in new and exciting ways.”