Q&A With an Alum from the Neag School’s Teacher Certification Program for College Graduates

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Neag alumnus, Zato Kadambaya, teaches a math lesson at New London High School in New London, Conn.
Neag alumnus, Zato Kadambaya, teaches a math lesson at New London High School in New London, Conn.

Zato Kadambaya ’01, ’04 came to the U.S. from Africa, studying with the intention of going into electrical engineering. Returning to Africa, he was inspired to help people receive a better education and decided to become a teacher. The Teacher Certification Program for College Graduates (TCPCG) through UConn’s Neag School of Education helped him fulfill his dream.

Kadambaya became a teacher in one year, and currently serves as the math department chair at New London High School in New London, Conn. Spotlight recently connected with him about his experience with TCPCG.

Q: What are the strengths of the TCPCG program?

A: For me, TCPCG stands for Total and ComPrehensive Curriculum Guaranteed for successful teaching. As a school leader, I have recruited, trained, and worked with many teachers from different teachers’ training programs.

TCPCG makes it easy to transit from one nonteaching career background to a successful teaching career. This is very important as an alternative, nontraditional pathway to teaching.

TCPCG’s graduates are professional teachers, equipped to embrace the teaching profession with strong classroom management and effective content delivery skills.

TCPCG has unmatched resources and experienced faculty to train and mentor future teachers.

More importantly, TCPCG keeps in touch with alumni.

Q: What was the program’s impact on your career path?

A: TCPCG gave me a second chance – with confidence. I was a successful engineer (plant assistant manager), but I was not fulfilled in my career. With TCPCG’s strong preparation, I hit the teaching ground running, needing little or no assistance (which is very common for many TCPCG’s colleagues I know and work with). Effective in classroom management and lesson development, I scored 4/4 on the State BEST program in my second year of teaching. As a result, I was asked by the state to present to second-year teachers. Thank you, TCPCG.

Q: How did the program help you to become a teacher?

A: TCPCG gave me the training I needed to be effective in the classroom. TCPCG showed me how I can bring my engineering skills into the teaching profession. This is the key, since TCPCG uses diverse backgrounds as an asset for success – and not a liability.

Q: Why did you want to go into teaching?

A: I have a strong belief that a successful life is not measured by the job title, but by how one is able to positively impact other people’s lives. With this as my moral compass, I find it natural to embrace the teaching profession where I will have the opportunity to help shape our future minds – our children.

Neag School of Education’s TCPCG program is accepting applications until Dec. 1. Check out this video from other TCPCG alums describing their experiences.

Measurement, Evaluation, Assessment Doctoral Students Test-Drive Their Future Careers

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UConn students across the University, including those from the Neag School of Education, are gaining valuable experiences during summer internships. In the the measurement, evaluation, and assessment (MEA) program at the Neag School, several doctoral students spent the past few months test-driving their future careers, working hand in hand with such prestigious organizations as the College Board, the Law School Admissions Council, and the U.S. Governmental Accountability Office.

DSC_7580 Eva Li headshot webYujia “Eva” Li

This summer, MEA doctoral student Yujia “Eva” Li, received firsthand experience in the social science field through her internship at the College Board Psychometrics Department in Newtown, Pa. Li says she pursued the internship in order to see what it is like to “work outside of academia and meet some professionals in the field.”

Li was part of a research team studying whether participation in advanced placement science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs predicts STEM success in college. She focused on reviewing literature, analyzing data, writing about the results, and putting together a presentation, along with submitting an journal proposal to the American Educational Research Association to share the findings.

“They made an effort to ensure that it was a positive experience,” Li says. “They invited me to team meetings, so I was able to see a little bit about other people’s projects.”

She says she also appreciated that the internship “gave her some freedom to choose which part of the project to work on – and how to do it.”

Learning that “it is important to communicate effectively with people, and remain flexible through changes,” Li found the internship an invaluable opportunity to see how people work in the industry and to make professional connections.

tbevTanesia Beverly

Tanesia Beverly first became interested in the field of educational measurement and psychometrics after taking the Law School Admissions Test a few years back. She was intrigued by the security measures implemented to maintain the integrity of the test. “Similar to airport security, examinees were only permitted into the testing site with a plastic Ziploc bag with certain items: identification, one bottled water, a few pencils, and a snack,” she recalls.

Beverly, who is considering a future career as a psychometrician at a testing company, subsequently decided to pursue an internship at the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) in Newtown, Pa. She wanted an opportunity to work with experts in the field of statistical methods to detect cheating on standardized assessments.

“LSAC is conducting cutting-edge research in this area,” she says. “LSAC’s internship is project-based; however, they allow their interns to carve out a project that is of interest to both parties – the intern and the organization.”

Beverly submitted a proposal for the National Council on Measurement in Education about minimizing errors when using different answer-copying statistics. “We were looking to control the Type I error rate so that the cheating statistics are able to detect cheaters, but not accuse a noncheater of cheating,” she says.

Her colleagues at LSAC, she says, proved supportive and “ensured that I had everything necessary – including the latest cheating detection books – to be successful.” In addition, she received

one-on-one assistance with most of LSAC’s psychometric research team and had the opportunity to network and bounce ideas off of different people. For instance, she says, “We ran our ideas by two prominent researchers in educational measurements, which provided helpful feedback on our research.”

MEA doctoral student Laura Yahn on Aug. 11, 2015.

Laura Yahn

As an MEA doctoral student, Laura Yahn identifies most strongly with the “E” in MEA. “I’m particularly interested in accountability and the intersection between policy and evaluation,” she says. Her summer internship with the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) in Boston was a natural fit for her interest.

With a background in higher education administration, having previously served as a director of online and hybrid programs at Nichols College in Dudley, Mass., Yahn was assigned to the GAO’s education, workforce, and income security team.

“I assisted a team of analysts and methodologists in conducting an in-depth study of a gender diversity issue in response to a Congressional request,” she says. She assisted in collecting, coding, and analyzing data, and in developing data-based findings and conclusions. She also drafted a portion of the final report, which will be publicly released in December by the GAO.

Yahn commends the “incredibly smart, dedicated people at GAO, who are committed to improving the performance, and ensuring the accountability, of the federal government.”

She had the opportunity not only to learn about the GAO’s efforts to promote good government, but also to contribute as a fully integrated team member. Her responsibilities, and the expectations placed on her, were exactly the same as those of a professional analyst. “Because GAO treats interns like regular staff, it didn’t feel like an internship. It was more like I was test-driving a professional position,” she says. “They made me a better researcher.”

She also learned about effective techniques for construction and supporting arguments, for working with data, and for indexing source material. “These skills are going to make writing my dissertation an infinitely smoother process,” she says. “I’ve also been inspired with several ideas for future research.”

 

 

 

Accolades: Read About the News and Accomplishments from our Students, Alumni, and Faculty/Staff

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AccoladesBelow are news and notes from our alumni, faculty, staff, and students. We are proud of all the amazing accomplishments by our Neag family. If you have an accolade to share, we want to hear from you! Please send any news items (and story ideas) to neag-communications@uconn.edu

Alumni

Kathy Andrade `13 MA received the William R. Butler Administrator of the Year Award from the University of Miami. Each year, members of the University of Miami Student Government recognizes a staff member for excellence as an administrator and for their support of student success. Andrade formerly served as assistant director of student activities and student organizations at the University of Miami.

Javier Barragan `15 (ED) is working in video and scouting for the Staten Island Yankees.

Danny Buzzell `14 MA, Ashley Combs `09 (BA), `14 MA and Emmanuel Omokaro `11 (BA), `12 MA joined the incoming class of sport management master’s students for a panel discussion designed to share experiences and advice from the field. This panel was part of the master’s program orientation in August.

Robert Cole `15 (ED) completed a 10-month internship in the Harvard University athletic department.

John J. Connolly `63 MA was recognized as a “Top 50 Leader in Healthcare & Life Sciences” by Irish America Magazine. Connolly, the nation’s foremost expert on identifying top physicians, is the president and CEO of Castle Connolly Medical Ltd., publisher of America’s Top Doctors and other consumer guides to help people find the best healthcare. He is also vice chairman of Castle Connolly Graduate Medical Ltd., which publishes review manuals to assist resident physicians and fellows in preparing for their board exams. In 2015, he received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Neag School of Education Alumni Society.

Kevin Corn `12 MA received the On Campus Service Award from Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA)’s Men and Masculinities Knowledge Community. The award recognizes the honoree’s efforts in making positive impacts for college men on campus and increasing college men’s involvement and engagement.

Scott Dempsey `14 (ED) `15 MA is an elementary teacher at Wilton Public Schools in Wilton, Conn. He previously worked for New Canaan Public Schools.

Thomas “TJ” Faeth `13 (ED) youth programs director for the Cheshire YMCA in Chesire, Conn., brought 50 students to UConn for a tour and a sport and nutrition clinic as a collaboration with Husky Sport staff and students.

Steven R. Frazier `00 Ph.D. was appointed interim president for Northwestern Connecticut Community College in Winchester, Conn. He was most recently the college’s dean of administration. Frazier brings 26 years of community college experience, and he served in his most recent position since 1995. He was also NCCC’s acting dean of students and an adjunct professor. At NCCC, Frazier supervises more than 50 budget, finance, and administrative personnel, while overseeing financial aid, purchases, budgets, and contracts. He has developed and implemented NCCC’s facilities master plan; established college policies on budget development; and successfully managed student affairs.

Robyn Kaplan Ginese `08 MA presented with Genius Labs in March at the 2015 American College Personnel Association (ACPA) National Conference in Tampa, Fla. Genius Labs selects experts to share their insight and knowledge about new technology in the field, and Ginese was selected due to her expertise with social media. She serves as director of leadership and experiential learning at Rutgers University.

Juliane Givoni `11 6th Year is assistant principal at Weston High School in Weston, Conn. She previously served as the instructional leader for humanities, fine, and performing arts at Joel Barlow High School in Redding, Conn., where she also oversaw the curriculum. The 2015 Region 9 Teacher of the Year, she also was a finalist for the Connecticut Teacher of the Year.

Sutha Kanagasingam `13 MA recently finalized her first research poster in relation to her doctoral studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Kanagasingam presented this body of research at the Great Lakes Counseling Psychology Conference at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind., in March.

Michael Mudrick `15 Ph.D. started his first year as an assistant professor at York College of Pennsylvania in York, Neb.

Desi Nesmith`01 (ED), `02 MA, `09 6th Year, a nationally recognized principal from Bloomfield, Conn., is now the chief school-turnaround officer for the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE).

Lora Parisi `14 6th Year is assistant principal at Eastern Middle School in Danbury, Conn., after serving in the role in an interim capacity since the start of the 2014-15 school year.

Thomas B. Roberts `67 MA is the co-editor and author of two chapters in The Psychedelic Policy Quagmire (ABC-CLIO, August 2015).

Christopher J. Silver `93 (ED) is the new director of leisure, families, and recreation for the Town of Manchester in Manchester, Conn. Silver had been the director of the office of neighborhoods and families since 2010. A major part of Silver’s new role will be collaborating with the school system on activities and programs.

Elizabeth Stagis ’06 (ED),’07 MA, an English teacher at East Hartford (Conn.) High School, received the Ann Garland West Excellence in Teaching Award from the National Association of Teachers of English (NEATE) in October. The award recognizes an educator with at least seven years of English/language arts teaching experience who exhibits extensive knowledge of his or her discipline, involvement in professional organizations, and an interest in challenging students.

Michael L. Vose `15 Ph.D. is the new director of instructional technology at Bethel Public Schools, in Bethel, Conn. Vose has extensive experience and expertise in the integration of technology into teaching and learning. A seasoned administrator from the Killingly Public Schools, Vose has served as an assistant principal and data team leader focusing on instructional design. Prior to his administrative position, he was a teacher for students requiring an alternative education, teaching English and social students at the secondary level.

Alicaa Waring `11 MA is an alternative education teacher, leading an in-school suspension program at a Wisconsin middle school.

Faculty

Five CBER researchers – Michael Coyne, Jennifer Freeman, Devin Kearns, Natalie Olinghouse, and Brandi Simonsen – are participating faculty members with the National Center for Leadership in Intensive Intervention (NCLII). The NCLII, a new consortium funded by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), will prepare special education leaders to become experts in research on intensive intervention for students with disabilities who have persistent and severe academic (e.g., reading and math) and behavioral difficulties. Participating institutions include Vanderbilt University, Southern Methodist University, University of Connecticut, University of Illinois at Chicago, University of Minnesota, University of Texas at Austin, and Virginia Commonwealth University. NCLII scholars will participate in a core curriculum focused on intensive intervention and will contribute to the Intensive Intervention Network, a website designed to advance research on and implementation of intensive intervention.

CommPACT Schools received continued state funding for two more years.

The Neag School co-hosted a lecture with the Center for Health Intervention and Prevention (CHIP) on “Interconnecting School Mental Health and Positive Behavior Support” at the Storrs Campus in October.

The Neag School hosted a wrap-up celebration in September at Manchester Community College on Main for Bridging Practices among Connecticut Mathematics Educators (BPCME), a math-science partnership grant funded by the Connecticut State Department of Education. The partnership brought together educators from Hartford, Manchester, and Mansfield school districts with UConn faculty, doctoral students, and master’s interns to create a regional learning community to build teachers’ and teacher educators’ capacities to meet the Common Core State Standards.

Husky Sport hosted a panel of practitioners about trauma-sensitive practices across disciplines at Parker Memorial Center in Hartford, Conn., in August. The event included more than 50 representatives from Husky Sport and other community partners, gathering to discuss and better understand trauma in their work.

Alexandra “Sandy” Bell presented “Adult Learning: Considerations for Certification Exams and Applicator Training” at the 2015 Pesticide Safety and Applicator Training (PACT) conference in Philadelphia in August. She also co-presented “It’s What’s Inside That Counts: Brain-based Best Practices for Extension Education” at the 22nd European Seminar on Extension and Education, at Wageningen University in the Netherlands in May.

Eric Bernstein served as guest moderator for a Twitter chat in October, in which he and Marijke Kehrhahn engaged preservice teachers enrolled in the Neag School’s educational leadership graduate course “Teacher Leadership and Organization” (EDLR 5015). The educational Twitter chat, #edtherapy, focuses on educators supporting one another through the challenges of the profession in a safe, positive space. Chat co-founder Matt Mingle, an assistant superintendent in New Jersey, credited the Neag School’s student participants with helping to make it one of the most successful #edtherapy chats since its launch last year.

Laura Burton presented “Women in Leadership: Stereotypes and Gender Roles” at the University of Connecticut Women’s Advancement Conference in May. She also co-presented “Intersectorial Partnership in Disability Sport: A Case Study Examination” and “Only in Crisis? Leadership Selection in Intercollegiate Athletics After an Ethical Scandal” – both at the North American Society for Sport Management, in Ottawa, Canada, in June.

The Neag School welcomed colleagues from across the country who have been invited to serve on the NSF-funded Task Force on Conceptualizing Elementary Mathematical Writing: Implications for Mathematics Education Stakeholders. Tutita Casa is leading the task force – composed of school- and university-based educators whose expertise includes mathematics education, mathematics, writing education, science education, gifted education, special education, English language learners, and assessment and curriculum development – in discussions centered on identifying the types of and purposes for mathematical writing at the elementary level. The task force ultimately will prioritize the forms of writing they identify to guide those involved in this work and provide recommendations for future directions in this area.

Milagros Castillo-Montoya, Erica Fernández, Xaé Alicia Reyes, and Blanca Rincón received an El Instituto Grant of $1,500 from the University of Connecticut, to provide funding for Latinos in Education Foco – a community of scholars dedicated to the advancement of Latinos in education.

Milagros Castillo-Montoya has served as a reviewer for the Review of Higher Education and College Student Affairs Journal. She also served as a proposal reviewer for the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) 2015 conference as well as proposal reviewer for the American Educational Research Association (AERA) 2016 annual meeting. In addition, she started serving this summer as a co-chair of the UConn Intergroup Dialogue Taskforce – a group comprising EDLR faculty, a HESA student, and Division of Student Affairs staff charged with attending the Michigan National Institute on Intergroup Dialogue and considering how this model can be applied to EDLR and Division of Student Affairs.

Casey Cobb, Jennie Weiner, and Richard Gonzales collaborated on an invited chapter for the Handbook of Research on the Education of School Leaders. Casey Cobb and Richard Gonzales also served as peer reviewers for other chapters in the handbook.

Joseph Cooper and Shaun Dougherty published “Does race still matter?: A post bowl championship series (BCS) era examination of student athletes’ experiences at a Division I historically Black colleges/university (HBCU) and predominantly White institution (PWI)” in the Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics.

Joseph Cooper published “Strategies for student athlete success at historically Black colleges and universities” in Making the Connection: Data-Informed Practices in Academic Support Centers for College Athletes, edited by Eddie Comeaux (Information Age Publishing, 2015). Cooper also co-wrote the chapter “Athletic Migration Experiences of Black Athletes” in The Athletic Experience at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs): Past, Present, and Persistence (Rowan & Littlefield, 2015), for which he served as co-editor.

Michele Femc-Bagwell was an invited panel participant at the 2015 Institute for Educational Leadership’s Family and Community Engagement Conference in Chicago in June. She also was the co-strand facilitator for the Leaders’ Forum at Confratute and a workshop presenter at the Windsor Public Schools Teacher Leadership Corps training for teacher leaders. She completed the Executive Leadership Program in July and is currently collaborating with Erica Fernández on a photo ethnography study, “Do You See What I See: Parents’ Perceptions of Engagement in Schools.”

Jennifer Freeman, Brandi Simonsen, D. Betsy McCoach, George Sugai and Allison Lombardi, as well as Rob Horner from the University of Oregon, co-wrote “An Analysis of the Relationship Between Implementation of School-wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports and High School” in The High School Journal.

Rachael Gabriel, along with a colleague, edited Evaluating Literacy Instruction: Principles and Promising Practices (Routledge Publishing, 2016).

Wendy Glenn was a featured speaker at Eastern Connecticut State University’s presentation on “7 Days and Nights to Investigate, Navigate, Debate and Celebrate Banned Literature” at the Willimantic campus, in October.

Robin Grenier, along with adult learning program alum Kevin Thompson and current ALP doctoral candidate Brian Hentz, gave an invited presentation to the Connecticut Training and Development Network in Hartford, Conn. Grenier has taken over courses in the Graduate Certificate in College Teaching. She also co-published “Facilitating Workplace Learning and Change: Lessons Learned From the Lectores in Pre-war Cigar Factories” in the Journal of Workplace Learning, as well as co-published “A Conceptual Model for Eliciting Mental Models Using a Composite Methodology” in the Human Resource Development Review.

Mark Kohan and Susan Payne have been selected as 2015 Office of Public Engagement’s Service Learning Fellows. They have a new service learning course that starts in the Spring of 2016.

Patricia Jepson, director of the Academic Advisory Center in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, received the Outstanding Service Citation from the National Association of Agricultural Educators. The award recognizes current and retired NAAE members who have made significant contributions to agricultural education at the state, regional, and national levels with the Outstanding Service Citation. Jepson has been a partner with the Teacher Certification Program for College Graduates, by overseeing the animal science curriculum in the Program.

Marijke Kehrhahn and Alexandra “Sandy” Bell presented “Measuring Transfer of Training: Employing the Levels of Use Inventory” at the 16th International Conference on Human Resource Development Research and Practice across Europe, at University College Cork, Ireland, in June.

Allison Lombardi gave the keynote speech at the Connecticut Secondary Transition Summer Symposium in West Hartford, Conn., in July. Her presentation, entitled “An Organizing Framework of College and Career Readiness for Secondary Students with Disabilities,” focused on the notion of evolving vocational education and summarized recent transition research, including the development of six constructs of college and career readiness: critical thinking, engagement, mindsets, learning processes, social skills, and transition competencies; as well as multi-tiered approaches to service delivery. In addition, her latest article, “Correlates of Critical Thinking and College and Career Readiness for Students With and Without Disabilities,” is included in the Dec. 2015 issue of the journal Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals.

Jennifer McGarry co-published “A Multilevel Analysis of a Campus-Community Partnership” in the Journal of Service Learning in Higher Education. She also co-presented “Positive Results Still Call for Critical Evaluation: A Post-Event Assessment of a Sport-for-Development Initiative” at the North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM) Ottawa, Ontario, in June.

Jonathan Plucker, Ronald Beghetto, and James Kaufman, along with graduate students Anna Dilley, Joshua Fishlock, and Clint Kennedy, wrote and released a series of research briefs on “4Cs: Creativity, Critical Thinking, Communication, and Collaboration” through the P21 Partnership for 21st Century Learning.

Jonathan Plucker co-wrote “An Introduction to Replication Research in Gifted Education: Shiny and New Is Not the Same as Useful” in Gifted Education Quarterly.

Blanca Rincón has been selected to join the Review Board for the Research in Brief and On the Campus sections of the Journal of College Student Development.

Students

The Student Association of School Psychologists (SASP) and Neag School faculty member George Sugai co-hosted an afternoon coffee hour with guests featuring Mark Weist, who was a speaker for Center for Health, Intervention, and Prevention (CHIP), in October at the Storrs campus.

Theus McBee, sport management major, completed a summer internship with the NBA.

In Memoriam

Joseph G. Bielawski `55
Bonnie V. Cook `79
Robert A. Fischer Jr. `51
Lois Y. Galbraith `47
Martin D. Godgart `64
Donna C. Hetzel `78
Mary V. Joly `57
Joseph F. Levanto `73
Joe Morrone (faculty emeriti)
Marilyn S. Nesmith `01
Nils G. Peterson `61
Marie A. Ponzillo `74
Eleanor V. Sullivan `59

 

Neag School Math LEAD Initiative Supplies iPads to Local Middle School

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Pupils In class using digital tablets. Source: Thinkstock
Pupils in class using digital tablets. Source: Thinkstock

There’s no better satisfaction for Eliana Rojas than the moment a student suddenly understands something in the classroom. Over the coming school year, the Neag School associate professor-in-residence suspects that many more of those “got-it” moments will be happening in one local school.

Last month, Rojas presented 30 iPads and a charging cart to Windham Middle School in Windham, Conn., as part of Mathematics Literacy in English Across Disciplines (Math LEAD) – an initiative that seeks to improve math instruction for the school’s large population of English language learners (ELLs).

Nearly 80 percent of Windham’s population are non-native English speakers, a dynamic that poses a challenge for teachers trying to ensure that students understand not only English, but also the language of mathematics.

“The classroom environment [at Windham Middle School] is very diverse. They come from many different countries and communities and speak several different languages,” says Rojas, Math LEAD project director. In fact, she says, nearly 80 percent of Windham’s population are non-native English speakers, a dynamic that poses a challenge for teachers who are trying to ensure that students understand not only English, but also the language of mathematics.

For the middle schoolers, Rojas says, completing math lessons and playing math games on the iPads empowers them to learn.

“There is no challenge for the kids to use the technology,” she says. “The kids are miracles. They will try anything.”

Math LEAD is part of a five-year, $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The donated iPads, which will ultimately help to enhance the learning of more than 450 students, are just one of the program initiatives intended to prepare ELLs for college-level mathematics and STEM-related fields.

Since 2005, Rojas has helped secure roughly $6 million in grant funding that has supported professional enhancement and bilingual education on a number of fronts. For instance, Windham Middle School benefited from this funding last year, too, as 30 graphing calculators were purchased for the school. In addition, the LEAD program trains elementary, middle, and high school teachers in three major competency areas: cultural, social, and linguistic. It also trains teachers in culturally relevant pedagogy, including how to understand diverse social conditions and how to tailor lessons to students’ individual needs. The most qualified instructors are encouraged to complete a master’s degree or sixth-year diploma in bilingual/TESOL education through the Neag School of Education.

As much as Rojas hopes bilingual instructors master teaching mathematics to ELLs, the true measure of success, she says, is when students understand the material well enough to teach it to their peers.

“The best thing is when a student can teach [mathematics] to the other kids,” Rojas says. “That’s the reproduction of knowledge.”

Q&A: Get to Know the First Neag School Dean’s Doctoral Scholars

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Now in the midst of recruiting its second cohort, the Dean’s Doctoral Scholar Program at UConn’s Neag School of Education provides full tuition for four years plus a stipend to promising Ph.D. candidates. Dean’s Doctoral Scholars have the opportunity to conduct interdisciplinary research with leading experts in the field of education while earning a doctoral degree from UConn in curriculum and instruction, educational leadership, or educational psychology.

This fall, the Neag School is joined by the first group of Dean’s Doctoral Scholars selected from across the country – from Puerto Rico to New Orleans to New York – with such diverse interests as neuropsychology research and multicultural education.

Here, Spotlight offers a brief introduction to each member of the inaugural class:

For more information about the Dean’s Doctoral Scholars Program and the application process, visit s.uconn.edu/neagdds.

Nneka Arinze

Name: Nneka Arinze

Hometown: Atlanta

Your Career Previous to Arriving at UConn: Youth worker

Your Ph.D. Area of Study: Educational Leadership – Sport Management

Proudest Career Moment: Hearing children echo to others what they’ve learned with me

Ultimate Career Goal: To directly or indirectly make a difference in someone’s life using sports

 

DDS Finalist Visit LaTanya BrandonName: Latanya Brandon

Hometown: Bridgeport, Conn.

Your Career Previous to Arriving at UConn: New York City public school teacher

Your Ph.D. Area of Study: Curriculum and Instruction in Science Education

Proudest Career Moment: Becoming a Dean’s Doctoral Scholar

Ultimate Career Goal: To investigate and report on research that directly impacts the science classroom

Favorite Dairy Bar Ice Cream Flavor: I haven’t tried it yet!

 

DDS Finalist Visit Sian Charles-HarrisName: Sian Charles-Harris

Hometown: San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago/Bronx, N.Y.

Your Career Previous to Arriving at UConn: High school English teacher in New York City

Your Ph.D. Area of Study: Curriculum and Instruction

Proudest Career Moment: I still have a special place in my heart for my very first class of sixth-graders as a first-year teacher. They are now juniors in college. I received a message recently from one student, Nathalie, who had the misfortune of struggling through the angst and awkwardness of her sixth-grade year in my first-year classroom. She declared in that message that my class was her absolute favorite class throughout middle and high school and she still remembers some of the great discussions we had based on our readings. I thought, “That’s great! (Because I had no idea what I was doing!)” It’s just good to know that the kids really are all right.

Ultimate Career Goal: To be recognized as having made a relevant and significant contribution to the field of multicultural education through scholarship and practice.

Favorite Dairy Bar Ice Cream Flavor: Coffee

 

DDS William Estepar-GarciaName: William Estepar-Garcia

Hometown: Guaynabo, Puerto Rico

Your Career Previous to Arriving at UConn: Measurement and research specialist at College Board, Puerto Rico and Latin America Office

Your Ph.D. Area of Study: Measurement, Evaluation and Assessment, Department of Educational Psychology

Proudest Career Moment: Being asked to present at a conference in Mexico about a joint research project regarding how to improve the retention of students in a top-tier university in Panamá.

Ultimate Career Goal: To work alongside great colleagues in an organization (nonprofit, academia) that strives to provide research based-information for the improvement of quality of education.

Favorite Dairy Bar Ice Cream Flavor: I haven’t tried them all (yet), but right now the coconut flavor is my favorite!

 

DDS Britney JonesName: Britney Jones

Hometown: Elmont, N.Y.

Your Career Previous to Arriving at UConn: Fourth-grade teacher, curriculum fellow (developer)

Your Ph.D. Area of Study: Learning, Leadership and Education Policy Program

Proudest Career Moment: Learning to work with, and differentiate for, students with a variety of needs. I celebrated when 100 percent of my students were proficient on the NYS fourth-grade science state test for the first time in my school’s history (2014). Many celebrations of success with individual students and families also come to mind when I think of proud moments.

Ultimate Career Goal: Holding a position in which I can continue to think critically about education and effect change in systems that affect all students, families, teachers, and administrators (particularly students of color).

Favorite Dairy Bar Ice Cream Flavor: I have not been yet! On my to-do list. Do they have cookies and cream?

 

DDS Taylor KoriakinName: Taylor Koriakin

Hometown: Sparta, N.J.

Your Career Previous to Arriving at UConn: After graduating from UConn with a BA in psychology in 2011, I accepted a job at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore. There, I worked as a research assistant in the department of neuropsychology and coordinated several research studies related to autism, dyslexia, ADHD, and other developmental disabilities.

Your Ph.D. Area of Study: School Psychology

Proudest Career Moment: Getting my first manuscript published in a peer-reviewed journal and also being accepted into the Dean’s Doctoral Scholars Program.

Ultimate Career Goal: To become a licensed psychologist

Favorite Dairy Bar Ice Cream Flavor: Chocolate peanut butter

 

DDS Jeremy LandaName: Jeremy Landa

Hometown: Huntington Woods, Mich.

Your Career Previous to Arriving at UConn: High school social studies teacher at Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School in New Haven, Conn.

Your Ph.D. Area of Study: Measurement, Evaluation, and Assessment, Department of Educational Psychology

Proudest Career Moment: Co-teaching a Facing History and Ourselves class with a theater teacher that had a class performance including plays, spoken word pieces, songs, dances, and visual art. All the art related to and was consistent with learning about sociology, psychology, and the history of civil rights in the United States. It was really hard, but satisfying to pull off with my colleague.

Ultimate Career Goal: Complete work somewhere that is applied within K-12 public schools to help make teachers’ lives easier to manage and improve their abilities on the job.

Favorite Dairy Bar Ice Cream Flavor: I am embarrassed to say I have not been there yet. Favorite flavor in general is chocolate-chocolate chip.

 

DDS Tiffany PolkName: Tiffany Polk

Hometown: New Orleans

Your Career Previous to Arriving at UConn: Test preparation and college readiness specialist

Your Ph.D. Area of Study: School Psychology

Proudest Career Moment: When I found out that the very first student I worked with on test prep and college applications was accepted into college.

Ultimate Career Goal: Not yet decided. I am passionate about research and systems-level change, but I also love working with students in schools. Thus, I am open to seeing where my passions take me!

Favorite Dairy Bar Ice Cream Flavor: Oreo

 

Take the first step toward becoming a Dean’s Doctoral Scholar: Apply by Dec, 1, 2015. For more information, visit s.uconn.edu/neagdds.

Seeking Outstanding Ph.D. Candidates for the Dean’s Doctoral Scholars Program

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DDS Sian Charles-Harris
Sian Charles-Harris is part of the first-ever Dean’s Doctoral Scholars, joining the Neag School this fall with a research focus in the area of equity and social justice.

Last year, the Neag School of Education announced the launch of its prestigious Dean’s Doctoral Scholars program, designed to provide fully funded scholarships to outstanding doctoral students.

The Neag School is now actively seeking applications for its second cohort of Dean’s Doctoral Scholars. Individuals accepted into this exclusive program for the 2016-17 academic year will have the opportunity to:

  • Earn a Ph.D. with four years of full funding
  • Work alongside renowned Neag School faculty members on critical education issues
  • Pursue research in at least one of the School’s four strategic areas of focus: STEM education; creativity and innovation; educator quality and effectiveness; or equity and social justice
  • Build the knowledge and experience to become national leaders in education research, policy, and practice

In addition to full tuition remission, Dean’s Doctoral Scholars receive a generous stipend.

Applications are due by Dec. 1, 2015.

The first-ever cohort – comprising eight individuals selected from a pool of nearly 130 applicants from across the country – joined the Neag School this fall. Get to know each of our current Dean’s Doctoral Scholars in this issue’s Q&A.

For more information about the program, visit s.uconn.edu/neagdds. Or, share our video with an outstanding candidate.

Sandy Hook Survivor and Neag School Alum Shares Excerpt of New Book

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Editor’s Note: Former Sandy Hook Elementary School teacher Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis ’05 (ED), ’06 MA, founder of nonprofit Classes 4 Classes and survivor of the tragic 2012 shooting in Newtown, Conn., shares with Spotlight an excerpt of her new book, Choosing Hope: Moving Forward from Life’s Darkest Hours (G.P. Putnam’s Sons), releasing tomorrow, Oct. 6.

Join us on Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. for a reading and book signing by Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis at the UConn Co-op in downtown Storrs Center.

Choosing Hope
Neag School alum and Sandy Hook survivor Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis ’05 (ED), ’06 MA shares a glimpse into her new memoir, releasing this October.

I live every day wishing I could go back to December 13, back to who I was, who my kids were, back to our school with those who were taken on that day and the life I would have never in a million years have changed.

Sometimes I wonder how all of this happened. How, after finding myself in the midst of such abject darkness, in a place where breaking free seemed unlikely, if not impossible, I was finally able to get to the light. Did my strong faith play a role in my passage from that unimaginable tragedy? Yes, it did. Did the love of my family and friends and the support of a caring community bolster me as I attempted to put one foot in front of the other in the days and weeks afterward? Of course. But what saved me, when I dropped to my lowest point and wandered aimlessly between feelings of sadness and fear and maddening frustration over not being able to answer the “Why?” of what happened, was the moment I realized I had a choice. I could allow the actions of a monster to crush my spirit and, for the rest of my life, have that terrible day in Newtown define me. Or I could decide that, even in the wake of such unspeakable malice, I could live a purposeful life by choosing hope.

“I decided that if, by sharing my personal story, I could help even one person through his or her darkest hour, then that was what I needed to do. I quickly realized that helping them was healing me.”

– Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis ’05 (ED), ’06 MA

The Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre was the worst mass murder of school children in the United States since the Bath School bombing in 1927, and a mournful chapter in our country’s narrative. I’ll leave it to others to write the historical account of that day. I’ve agreed to tell my story, but on my terms. I will not be exploitative: anyone who is looking for that should reach for a different book. I will bear witness to the trauma my students and I suffered, and, even more significantly, the acts of heroism that day, and the generosity of others that poured into our broken community afterward. I write about my personal experience for the purpose of clarify and perspective. It is that which led me to the path I walk today.

Six of my colleagues and twenty first-graders – six- and seven-year-olds who were still learning to tell time, and count to 120, and spell 100 words – were murdered that morning. Teachers and administrators and support staff and children who acted with great courage in the face of death. By the grace of God, my students and I survived. When the shooting began and the killer stalked down the hallway toward our classroom, leaving a trail of devastation in his wake, I stuffed my frantic students into a first-grade bathroom that was too tiny for one adult and told them to stay perfectly quiet. I was certain we were going to die.

I won’t say the shooter’s name. I never have. The only names that need to be memorialized are the innocent children and educators whose lives he took. To this day, I believe the killer came into our classroom, which was the first one in the hallway, and, thinking it was empty, moved to the next classroom, and the next, shooting everyone he saw. I’ll never know for sure.

When you hear the whisper of death, life takes on a different meaning. Not a moment passes when I don’t recognize that it could have been us who didn’t make it out of the school that day. That all of my students and I did get out alive is, in my mind, nothing short of a miracle. I honor that miracle by not taking anything for granted. Not a beautiful sunset, or the gentle sensation of a loved one’s hand reaching for mine, or the sweet sound of a child’s voice, or a kind word from a stranger. Not for a second.

Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis
Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis ’05 (ED), ’06 MA (Photo Credit: Peggy Sirota)

Because we survived, I must live up to my responsibility to those who were silenced by using my voice to share what I have learned from standing at the precipice of death and, in doing so, making sure that day is not forgotten. Had it been my kids and me who were taken, I would have wanted someone to use his or her voice for good and to carry on the legacy of love and benevolence that, before evil visited, was the story of Sandy Hook.

In the weeks after the shooting, I waded through my sorrow, wondering if I would ever feel joy again. I spent every day asking myself, Why our school? Why innocent children? When the answers wouldn’t come, I became increasingly frustrated and angry. Until, one day, I realized I would never answer those questions and I needed to concentrate on the ones I could answer, for the sake of both my students and me. Only then could we begin healing. Two questions guided me: How do I make sure that the deeds of a madman do not prevent us from moving forward to live good and meaningful lives? And how do we gain back the sense of control that he took from us? Those two questions led me in everything I did. Rather than consuming myself with the horror of what happened, I began focusing on the good that could be done, and how I might take part in our collective healing.

When I changed my thinking, opportunities began to present themselves. I founded a nonprofit called Classes 4 Classes, a concept to teach students everywhere the importance of kindness and caring for others. In my capacity as a survivor, I was asked to speak to a group of educators, which I reluctantly accepted. I started my presentation by sharing my story of hope and saw the impact it had on the audience. One speaking engagement led to dozens. Following every appearance, people came up to me to share their personal struggles – “I was just diagnosed with cancer”; “I lost my husband”; “My son is going through a difficult time” – and to thank me for inspiring them to focus on the possibilities rather than the negativity in their lives. They would often begin by saying things such as “I know this is nothing like what you’ve been through” or “My struggle can’t compare with yours,” and I would stop them each time and say, “Pain is pain and sadness is sadness and loss is loss and we are all connected in this.”

After a few of those encounters, I decided that if, by sharing my personal story, I could help even one person through his or her darkest hour, then that was what I needed to do. I quickly realized that helping them was healing me. Sharing my message of hope became my calling. So when I was approached about writing a book, something that had never crossed my mind, I decided to seize the opportunity to be able to reach even more people.

The Sandy Hook Elementary School I knew closed its doors for good after the shooting. Our beautiful school is dust now, razed to the soil because what it came to represent was too painful for a community to bear. And while teaching is at the core of who I am, my new classroom is wherever life takes me – to elementary schools, and teacher conferences, and college commencements, and anywhere else I am asked to speak.

In my travels and, now, with my book, my purpose is to convey the importance of gratitude and endurance and, most of all, the power of choice. Yes, especially that. I know now that how you deal with life’s challenges, even those that may seem unbearable or hopeless, is your choice to make. Bad things happen to all of us, things that test us and impact us and change us, but it is not those moments that define who we are. It is how we choose to react to them that does. You can give in and give up or you can decide to live your life with intent and love and compassion for others and for yourself. You can choose hope, even in the darkest hour, and in that choice you will find light. We have that power. I do. You do. Everyone does. That is what I believe.

From CHOOSING HOPE by Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis, to be published on October 6, 2015 by G.P. Putnam’s Sons, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Copyright © 2015 by Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis.

 

Programs for Connecticut’s Aspiring School Leaders Continue to Expand at the Neag School

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UCAPP Stamford 2013
All UCAPP programs are based on the cohort model, bringing together students in each cohort for all courses and assignments for the duration of the program. (Photo Credit: Al Ferreira)

For Connecticut educators aspiring to advance their careers and serve in roles as assistant principals, principals, or district-level administrators, the Neag School of Education is offering more preparation options than ever before.

First launched by the Neag School nearly three decades ago, the University of Connecticut Administrator Preparation Program (UCAPP) – which received national recognition as an exemplary program as far back as 2007 – has expanded substantially over the course of the past two years in response to an ongoing demand across the state for competent school leaders.

ATTEND A UCAPP INFO SESSION

The Neag School is currently recruiting for the next UCAPP Traditional cohort. Learn more about the Traditional track at one of our Fall Information Sessions:

 

 

To RSVP, email KIMBERLY.SHIRSHAC@uconn.edu.

“Our mission is simple: We exist to prepare highly qualified, capable principals and school leaders for every school community in the state of Connecticut,” says Richard Gonzales, director of Educational Leadership Preparation Programs and professor-in-residence at the Neag School.

As a former schoolteacher, elementary school principal, and district-level administrator, Gonzales is deeply familiar not only with the skills, hands-on experience, and knowledge one needs in order to succeed in a school leadership position, but also the sorts of fundamental values that can help shape a successful academic program for those pursuing a career move into this area.

What Makes UCAPP Strong

Gonzales emphasizes a number of key strengths that have come to distinguish the UCAPP program as a whole: from its degree of selectivity and its rigorous curriculum and robust internship component to the quality of its instructors and the one-on-one support offered to each student by “dedicated supervisors who are, in essence, on call 24/7 to be there as a coach and mentor,” Gonzales says. On the accreditation front, the program has also consistently demonstrated its alignment with state and national leadership standards.

But even beyond all of that, Gonzales adds, the program owes much of its success to two other important features – one is the cohort model on which all UCAPP programs are based, bringing together students in each cohort for all courses and assignments for the duration of the program. Cohorts typically comprise 12 to 15 students.

“It’s as much a core value as a design element,” he says. “We believe that is one of the best ways, if not the best way, to prepare future school leaders. It should be a shared experience. You benefit from working and learning with others – and growing together among a group of aspiring leaders.”

LEARN MORE ABOUT UCAPP’S TRACKS
Each of UCAPP’s three additional tracks targets a specific audience:

 

  • UCAPP PLUS – Builds on the UCAPP Traditional model, but focuses specifically on becoming a school leader in the Hartford Public Schools (HPS) system. (PLUS stands for Preparing Leaders for Urban Schools.) Candidates must be Connecticut-certified educators with at least three years of teaching experience who work in the Hartford Public Schools, and must be nominated by an HPS principal.
  • UCAPP Residency – Also based on the UCAPP Traditional model. Candidates for the UCAPP Residency track must have at least three years of teaching experience and work in a district that partners with LEAD Connecticut, an education reform initiative that specifically seeks to develop turnaround school leaders in the state of Connecticut. Candidates for this track must be nominated by a superintendent.
  • UCAPP Law – Slated to launch in Fall 2016, UCAPP’s newest program will cater to working professionals interested in obtaining a law degree from UConn as well as certification as an educational administrator. Find more information about this new program here. 

The other is the UCAPP change project, a recently instituted capstone assignment that requires each student to identify a specific issue facing a school in which they teach, work, or are mentored – and to determine how they can serve effectively as a leader to make a positive change or enhancement. “The key is, they are not the implementers,” Gonzales says. “They have to be the leaders, facilitators, and supporters of this change. That is the kind of ribbon that they tie into a bow at the end of their UCAPP experience.”

Growing Program Choices

Initially launched with what is now known as the UCAPP Traditional track, which recruits Connecticut-certified educators with at least three years of teaching experience and an interest in securing a school-based leadership position, the UCAPP program has more recently evolved to include three additional UCAPP tracks – all aligned with the UCAPP Traditional model.

But why grow the program beyond what had already been proving successful?

“It has not been growth for growth’s sake,” Gonzales says. “The Traditional model has been working – and is still working.”

Each of the additional tracks is shaped to target a specific audience and to serve a specific need (See “Learn More About UCAPP’s Tracks” sidebar). For instance, one of the newer models, called UCAPP PLUS, caters to individuals who wish to become school leaders in the Hartford Public Schools (HPS) system. Launched in 2013, UCAPP PLUS evolved in part out of the HPS’ interest in improving the quality of their principalship pipeline. “They wanted a higher caliber of applicants for their principal vacancies,” Gonzales says, and “they wanted to develop that talent all the way back to the classroom.”

At the same time, the Neag School recognized that existing UCAPP cohorts were not necessarily coming from – or going on to serve – the state’s most challenging urban or small-community settings. “We weren’t making the same impact in those communities as we had been in the rest of the state,” Gonzales says. “There was an interest in changing that pattern. The leadership in Neag wanted UCAPP to evolve in order to meet the needs of urban centers and historically low-performing schools throughout the state.”

Hence, with HPS as a partner, the Neag School launched UCAPP PLUS in 2013, offering not only a clear path for those interested in school leadership within HPS, but also a special program emphasis on urban leadership. “None of this would have happened – or can continue – without the support of the Neag School leadership,” Gonzales says.

“We want to keep recruiting groups and offering a stronger experience for the students. We want our students to graduate, take jobs, and prove that this is working.”

–Richard Gonzales, director of Educational
Leadership Preparation Programs

Additional UCAPP models – namely, the UCAPP Residency and UCAPP Law tracks – have similarly evolved out of the needs of various school and communities across Connecticut. And the growth of these types of programs at the Neag School is not likely to slow any time soon. A UCAPP PLUS model based in the New Haven area, for example, is now also on course to launch next summer.

Those who complete the UCAPP Traditional, PLUS, or Residency tracks are eligible to receive the sixth-year diploma. In addition, they may be eligible to earn an endorsement from the Neag School that recommends them to the state of Connecticut for certification. Earning this recommendation is dependent upon how well students perform in class, the level of professionalism they demonstrate during the internship, their demonstration of knowledge, their disposition, as well as feedback shared with the Neag School by their mentors. Halfway through the program, regardless of the UCAPP track, every cohort receives an evaluation on their standing – with checkpoints scheduled thereafter for anyone who may be struggling.

As UCAPP continues to foster relationships with partners statewide and advance the program’s choices, Gonzales stresses the need to evolve. Over time, he says, “We’ve got to change whatever can be made better. The shift to partnerships reflects that priority. When [our partners] are part of the process and get to shape [the program], it’s better for our students because they are a better fit for what the districts are looking for.”

Ultimately, Gonzales says, the key is sustainability. “We want to keep recruiting groups and offering a stronger experience for the students. We want our students to graduate, take jobs, and prove that this is working. They have to be able to perform well in schools throughout the state.”

Questions about UCAPP? Reach Richard Gonzales at richard.gonzales@uconn.edu or visit ucapp.education.uconn.edu for more information.

With Support From Two UConn Grads, Future Schoolteacher Looks Forward to Connecting With Youth

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Whether she’s faced with a classroom of culturally diverse fourth-graders or an after-school group from Hartford’s North End, UConn senior Symone James ’16 (ED) has one goal in mind: to able to relate to every student.

James is the recipient of the Degnan Family Scholarship, an award funded by James and Elizabeth Degnan, both UConn graduates. The scholarship was established by the couple in 2013 to support one academically outstanding student in the Neag School’s Integrated Bachelor’s/Master’s (IB/M) Program for his or her junior, senior, and graduate years.

Elizabeth “Beth” Degnan ’87 (CLAS) and her husband, James ’87 (CLAS), created the scholarship fund as a way to give back to the community. They chose to support the Neag School specifically, Beth Degnan says, because the graduates of the School’s IB/M program go on to serve as schoolteachers who will ultimately change the lives of many children.

Symone James
Beth Degnan, left, and her husband James (both UConn alumni) established the Degnan Family Scholarship in 2013, which supports current Neag School student and aspiring schoolteacher Symone James, right.

She says James was specifically chosen for her energy, intelligence, and motivation in the IB/M program.

“This scholarship will financially assist one person to reach [his or] her educational goals. However, that one person will ultimately educate hundreds of others,” she says. “That seems like a pretty good return on an investment to us.”

Firsthand Experience

For James, an elementary education major from West Haven, Conn., becoming a teacher is not a newfound dream. Throughout her childhood, James’ parents – both emigrants from Jamaica – emphasized the importance of education because it was something they never got to pursue to the extent they desired. James’ mother, a certified nursing assistant, came to the United States at age 11 and began working to escape an abusive household. Her father, a skilled machinist, worked hard to put himself through college, but didn’t quite finish.

“My parents lived their education through me and my sister,” James says. Her 24-year-old sister, Brittney, a graduate of Pace University, now works as a program teacher at a community center in Queens, N.Y.

Her Jamaican heritage, James says, is something that she is conscious of when she envisions herself as an educator. Thanks to the IB/M program, she says she understands what being a teacher of color means for herself and for her students, as she has been an integral part of class discussions regarding the demand for more classroom diversity.

“My favorite aspect of the [IB/M] program is in the ways it has helped to foster my own personal growth and self-reflection,” she says.

Experiencing her parents’ desire for their children to have a quality education made James want to become a teacher herself. She wants to work with schoolchildren in kindergarten through second grade, where she thinks she can have the greatest impact on her students’ learning and development.

For James, learning how to connect effectively with children at varying stages of behavioral and intellectual development began even before she joined the Neag School’s IB/M program. As a freshman, James joined Husky Sport, a Neag School service learning program that teaches schoolchildren in Hartford about nutrition and life skills through active games and sports.

Students in the program are from the city’s North End, a community that faces economic disparities. But James didn’t enter the program with the mindset of “saving” these students – she just wanted to build a positive relationship with them.

“This scholarship will financially assist one person to reach [his or] her educational goals. However, that one person will ultimately educate hundreds of others. That seems like a pretty good return on an investment to us.”

– Beth Degnan ’87 (CLAS), on why she and her husband,
James ’87 (CLAS), established the Degnan Family Scholarship

“Don’t go in with preconceived notions that you’re going to help somebody. It interferes with your level of interaction,” James says. “Just get to know them for them, and you’ll end up impacting their lives.”

James remembers a day when her task was to teach a sixth-grader to score a goal in a game of soccer. The kicker? The student was autistic and unable to speak. Over and over again, James demonstrated how to kick the ball and direct it toward the goal. She recalls the moment when the student finally scored as one of her proudest career memories.

“It’s so gratifying when you can break across that barrier and get a student to have an ‘aha’ moment, especially when they can’t speak,” she says.

Later, through her student teaching experience in the IB/M program, James had additional opportunities to see what other sorts of language and cultural barriers students might face in the classroom. The level of cultural diversity at both Bowers Elementary in Manchester and W.B. Sweeney Elementary in Windham, where James served as a student teacher, challenged her to further consider how she might best serve students from many different backgrounds. For instance, many of the first-graders at Sweeney with whom James worked spoke English as a second language. Meanwhile, at Bowers, some of the fourth-graders James encountered while student teaching would come to school tired and hungry, having not had breakfast.

Beyond Teaching

Aside from her teaching endeavors, James is the president of Nubian Foxes, a Caribbean and African dancing group at UConn, and also works for the African-American Cultural Center and Leadership in Diversity, a program that supports minority students on campus.

As a Jamaican-American, she finds it important to be involved in programs supporting minority students. Her involvement extends to the classroom, too, where she says she feels a certain level of pressure to share her views with the class, especially if minority students are underrepresented.

“As a minority student, there’s a spotlight on you when you’re discussing diversity and social issues in class,” she says. “I feel it’s my duty to share my perspective.”

It is a perspective that James knows will also ultimately be valuable when it comes to teaching young children. She says she makes it her priority to get to know all of the children with whom she works so that she can identify with each one.

That is exactly what she did during her time in Husky Sport with one sixth-grader who had behavioral issues, and faced problems at home. James approached the child with her seemingly simple approach – to just try talking to her. It didn’t take long for James to discover the child had a passion for hair styling. A connection was formed. The student opened up, coming to depend on James for a listening ear and a helping hand.

“A teacher really can be that one person for students, that one person who can support them,” she says.

Not only does James plan on impacting children’s lives, but she also hopes to one day be able to support aspiring educators such as herself.

“The Degnans’ kindness reminds me that in the future,” she says, “I, too, have a responsibility to help those who come behind me to succeed.”

Learn more here about how you can help to support future schoolteachers and other Neag School students.