Education Department Newletter - November 2022
Message from Dr. Boerman-Cornell, Professor of Education
For Young Authors’ Festival this year, our featured guest is writer Laura Martin. Laura is an amazing story teller who has had nearly ten books published so far. Imagine a future world in which civilization has collapsed and humans survive underground, hiding from the dinosaurs that roam the surface world. Or imagine a mandatory government camp where kids are trying to manage superpowers like the ability to turn invisible, or the ability to float above the ground. Or a world where two kids (who don’t like each other very much) must travel through time to fix glitches in history. Or imagine a family that makes its living by pulling off hoaxes – making people believe that Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, and other mythological creatures are real. Laura Martin has written abut all of these situations in chapter books for upper elementary and middle grades that will have students reading on the edge of their seats some of the time, and at other times, will have them laughing out loud.
And even more amazing, Laura is the first guest author or illustrator at Young Authors who was once a Trinity Young Author herself. When she was in elementary school her story was selected and she came to Trinity for the festival.
As usual, the festival will also feature Trinity education students leading small groups in writing workshops as well as the TrinProv Team turning children’s stories into small plays. And, of course, the students will enjoy learning from Laura Martin what it takes to become an author.
Young Authors takes place on the evening of April 25 when all children are invited to hear Laura speak and enjoy some improv as well. On April 26 the students whose work has been selected by the teachers will enjoy a morning of writing activities just for them – which will also give Trinity students a chance to interact with the budding writers. Don’t miss it!
Dr. William Boerman-Cornell
Professor of Education
Young Authors 2023 - Save the Date
April 25, 2023: Young Authors Reception (6:30 PM)
April 26, 2023: Young Authors Festival (8:30 AM – 1 PM)
We are thrilled to announce our guest author is Laura Martin . She is the first Young Authors attendee to return as a published author. Read more below.
Faculty Accomplishments
Professor Boerman-Cornell and Friends Publish Book about How to Lead Discussions about Literature
At the end of October, Rowman and Littlefield (a small academic press) released Young Adult Literature and Spirituality: How to Unlock Deeper Understanding with Class Discussion. This book (written by Dr. B-C and some colleagues from a research group: Dr. Deb VanDuinen from Hope College, Dr. Kris Gritter from Seattle Pacific University, and Dr. Xu Bian, also from SPU.
The book considers thinking of young adult literature not as a story wrapped around a theme, but rather to think of the book as a type of prayer. The book considers the young adult book Internment as a prayer of lament, The Hate U Give as a prayer of yearning, Speak as a prayer of anger, Goodbye Days as confession, The War that Saved my Life as a prayer of thankfulness, Orbiting Jupiter as a prayer of obedience and so on.
The book also looks at ways to help teachers find ways for students to focus on the literature. Using discussion techniques drawn from ancient, medieval, and modern practices for scholars considering sacred texts, the book provides innovated approaches for teaching discussion about literature. These approaches were field tested in undergraduate and graduate classes at Trinity and in high schools and middle schools across the country. Boerman-Cornell says the teachers who used these approaches found them very helpful.
The book is available through Amazon or you can ask your local bookstore to order a copy.
Professional Development Series
As our Professional Development Series continues, we were excited to welcome 20 alumni and educator professionals, who attended our second workshop of the Fall 2022 Series.
Dr. Syreetha Yokley, Assistant Professor of Special Education, presented Minding Your Mental Work: Strategies for Destressing While You Teach (1 hour session)
“I was excited to offer my Professional Development session for helping teachers to de-stress while teaching. As a former secondary education teacher, I have experienced the day-to-day stressors that we often ignore because we do not want to acknowledge when we are mentally or physically fatigued or don’t want others to notice that our mental health might be suffering. I believe that presenting some simple strategies for alleviating teaching stress was well-received and hope that those who attended will find those strategies useful in their everyday teaching practice..” – Dr. Yokley
Next session: Nov 16 │3:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Workshop III: Tired Teachers in Trying Times: Ways to Address Exhaustion presented by Dr. Latonia Winston, Director of Learning & Teaching Success
Fall 2022 Connections Event
On October 26th, the Education Unit was pleased to welcome nearly 60 schools, school districts and organizations to campus. Employers came from the Midwest and Internationally to meet with Trinity students.
Students came well prepared to network with the employers and learn about their current and upcoming openings. They even had the chance to learn about teaching abroad. Junior and Senior level students participated in Mock Interviews, which will prepare them for future interviews and career success.
We look forward to connecting students and employers at our Spring Connections event! Please Save-the-Date: March 15, 2023.
Career Opportunites
Ridge Lawn is currently looking for to fill several positions.
– FMLA Kindergarten Teacher – through March 2023 (*potential to start as early as November or could be a December/January start)
– Elementary Special Education Teacher
– Substitute teachers
– Paraprofessionals
To apply, please visit:
Chicago Ridge School District 127.5
Ridge Lawn is currently looking for to fill several positions.
– FMLA Kindergarten Teacher – through March 2023 (*potential to start as early as November or could be a December/January start)
– Elementary Special Education Teacher
– Substitute teachers
– Paraprofessionals
To apply, please visit:
Alliance Academy International (AAI) is seeking a kindergarten teacher.
Starting January 2023, at their
location in Quito, Ecuador. AAI seeks to recruit and retain professionals who are passionate and
committed equally to:
• Maturing in their spiritual ministry,
• Continually developing in their professional proficiency,
• Fostering their community role,
All in the context of a Christian international school serving a highly-diverse constituency.
To learn more:
Please contact Recruitment and Alumni
Relations Coordinator Ellen Evans at eevans@alliance.k12.ec. Serious applicants should please send a
prepared resume to Ms. Evens.
Middle School Writing Mentor
Calvin Christian School in South Holland is looking for a middle grades or English Education major to mentor their middle school student NANOWRIMO group. NANWRIMO stands for National Novel Writing Month. Students will be trying to write an entire novel in a month. (though there is some flexibility there).
Contact:
Principal Randy Moes at rmoes@calvinschool.org with any questions or to apply.
Are you looking for a Full-time, Part-time, Internship, Volunteer, or Summer Job? Take a look at our systems linked below for access to job opportunities!
Full-time Teaching and Education related positions can be found on the Handshake system.
Part-time, full-time, internship and volunteer education related opportunities can be found on your Brightspace – Education Unit Home Site – Job Board.
If you have a story to tell or an opportunity to share, please email education@trnty.edu.
We’d love to hear from you.
2022 – 2023
Dec 9: Student Teacher Commissioning Reception
Jan 4: Adult Program Orientation
Jan 9: Spring 2023 Student Teaching Orientation
Mar 15: Advising Day/Spring 2022 Connections Education Event
Apr 25: Young Authors Reception
Apr 26: Young Authors Festival
April 28: Student Teacher Commissioning Reception