College of Education Blog

Wisconsin’s First Lady, Jessica Doyle, wife of Governor Jim Doyle, visited Dr. Katy Casey’s assessment class on Tuesday, November 10th. A former teacher herself, Mrs. Doyle wanted to discuss education issues with students and ask questions about their preparation program at UW-Whitewater.  Students had an opportunity to explain why they wanted to enter the teaching profession and Mrs. Doyle took notes on their ideas and concerns.  At one point Mrs. Doyle remarked “I am neither elected nor employed by the State of Wisconsin, but I can go home and talk to the Governor.”  The visit was quick one but she left saying that she sincerely enjoyed her time and encouraged students to contact her if they had questions in the future.

First Lady Jessica Doyle visiting with students

Student SWEA is getting even more involved! A CLASS grant is being held at Washington Elementary School in Whitewater in kindergarten through second grade.  Student WEA members are working with the teachers and purchasing supplies to help out with their character education curriculum. Each month students focus on a different character education trait and use a journal to reflect and facilitate on their learning.  Student WEA members are assisting students as they complete these activities and projects.  A fantastic win-win partnership!

The United States Institute of Museum and Library Services Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program will award $989,495 to the University of Wisconsin System School Library Education Consortium to train 50 new school library specialists for Wisconsin’s rural and high-need urban public schools.  This was the only grant awarded in Wisconsin.

College of Education professors Dr. Anne Zarinnia and Dr. Eileen Schroeder, will use the grant to expand a UW-System cooperative program to train teachers from rural communities in the latest technologies.  Participants in the consortium are teachers who want to be certified as library specialists and will receive full tuition and a laptop as part of the grant.

“Drs. Zarinnia and Schroeder worked tirelessly for more than two years to develop this project that involves multiple institutions,” said Denise Ehlen, director of research and sponsored programs at UW-Whitewater.  “Their talent, leadership and energy are truly awe-inspiring.  They are exemplars of the teacher-scholar model.  I cannot emphasize enough the potential impact of this project on our students, schools and the state.”

It’s good news for UWW and good news for Wisconsin!

Dr. Simone DeVore has just returned from a three-week trip to Cuenca, Ecuador where she did work to help prepare the way for students. While in the Andean city, she lived with a host family that consists of four generations in one house including a 93 year old grandmother, a couple, four adult children, and three infants. She learned about child care, cooking, and shopping Ecuador style while also taking Spanish tutorials at the Center for Interamerican Studies (CEDEI).

Later during her stay, she worked alongside teachers at CEDEI Elementary School, which is where seven students from the Early Childhood Education program will student teach from October 12 through November 20th. The students will teach children ages 2 years through fourth grade and provide English instruction and inclusive education.

Another highlight of Simone DeVore’s trip was to teach a university course to over fifty students on early childhood special education inclusion. Many of the university students shared experiences as teachers in Cuenca, who testified that they need to rely on inexpensive strategies to promote the inclusion of children with disabilities in schools and community settings. Therefore, one of the challenges of teaching the course was to identify inexpensive strategies that could work anywhere regardless of monetary resources. The student teachers will be asked to implement an inclusion project while teaching at CEDEI School and they will share their experiences with us at a future event.

Welcome  back Dr. DeVore – and thanks for your hard work  in planning new adventures for our students!

The College of Education welcomes Ms. Gaohua Zhang, doctoral student of recreation and sport economy from the Graduate School of Beijing Sport University. Ms. Zhang is sponsored by the China Scholarship Council for a one year research study in the College of Education at UW-Whitewater.  Drs. Karen Barak and Steve Albrectsen will be her mentors as she learns more about recreation and leisure curricula and management in the United States.  Please welcome her as she learns her way around campus!

Congratulations to Denise Eccleston, 2003 Counselor Education graduate – who was just named Georgia School Counselors Association Elementary School Counselor of the Year!  Way to go!!!  In an email to Dr. O’Bierne, Denise said:

“I don’t know if you remember me but I am a 2003 graduate of the Whitewater counseling program.  I was informed yesterday that I have been selected by the Georgia School Counselors Association as the Elementary School Counselor of the Year for the State of Georgia.  While I am very honored by this award, it is not solely an individual achievement.  I strongly believe that the preparation that I received while at Whitewater positioned me for success in this field.  When I moved to Georgia after graduation, I tried to implement a comprehensive school counseling program based on the ASCA model.  This approach to school counseling was imparted to me by yourself and the other faculty members and I’ve seen the effectiveness of this approach in the lives of children. Denise Eccleston”

Welcome Back Students!

I think this quote is a good one for today:
“Education’s purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one.” – Malcom Forbes (1919-1990), in Forbes magazine.

Here’s to a great semester!

For those wanting to see the video that we will be discussing at the retreat on Wednesday, here it is again:

Did You Know?

What does it all mean for us?

Don’t forget: The College of Education and all associated department offices and programs will be CLOSED this Friday, August 21st as part of a state-mandated furlough day. We’ll be back to business as usual on Monday!

In an effort to increase communication on all levels, the College of Education now has a Facebook site and a Twitter site. You can follow us on Twitter at “UWWCOE” or by clicking on: twitter link and on Facebook by clicking on: Facebook link

If we get 100 “fans” on our Facebook site we’ll get a free vanity site. We’ve already got 43 people and counting. Become a fan today!