Congratulations to these College of Education instructors who are retiring this spring!
The group includes Kathy Brosier, Laurel Burman, Jan Hart, Jean Searls and Marc Sgro, instructor in the Director of Special Education program.
Several shared memories and reflections on their time spent at NIU.
Kathy Brosier
Kathy Brosier began teaching in the Department of Leadership, Educational Psychology and Foundations in the fall of 1998. The instructor of Educational Psychology specializes in child and adolescent development, particularly attachment styles and motivational processes.
What did you do before you joined us, and what brought you here to teach?
Before the fall of 1998, I was working as a clinical social worker in agency and private practice settings (I have my MSW from Loyola University) and continued working part time as a clinical social worker alongside my teaching at NIU until 2016, when I chose to focus my work exclusively on teaching at NIU. I was brought to NIU because a friend of mine was retiring and suggested I apply, since I had been a guest speaker in her adolescent development class the semester before, and she thought I might be a good fit. Good fit it was, since I continued teaching here for 24 years.
What did you enjoy about teaching?
What I loved about teaching was connecting with my students around ideas related to how we grow and develop in healthy ways and how teachers can best promote that process in their students.
What do you hope your former students learned from you and are applying in their careers?
I truly hope my students learned to “see” theoretical developmental ideas in the everyday lives of their students, so that they can bridge theory with their practice easily and helpfully for all involved. The other thing I loved about teaching was how my students always taught me. I always felt that putting all our minds together in the classroom helped the thought.
What’s next for you?
What’s next for me is focusing on caring for my husband, who has a neurodegenerative disease, spending time with family and pursuing some favorite hobbies.
Laurel Burman
Laurel Burman, instructor in the Visual Disabilities Program, joined the NIU Department of Special and Early Education in 2009. She also teaches courses in the Director of Special Education program.
What did you do before you joined us, and what brought you here to teach?
I was a teacher and administrator in public schools for 37 years. I graduated from NIU’s program and continued to work with NIU professors. When one of my colleagues retired, I started teaching in the department after my retirement from public schools.
What did you enjoy about teaching?
I enjoyed teaching students about all aspects of teaching and leadership in public schools.
What do you hope your former students learned from you and are applying in their careers?
I hope they learned how much they can impact students’ lives as teachers.
What’s next for you?
I think I might really retire. I would like to travel and spend time with family.
Jan Hart
Jan Hart, an instructor and supervisor of teacher-candidates in the Department of Special and Early Education, brought her specializations in early childhood education and special education to NIU in the fall of 1999.
What did you do before you joined us, and what brought you here to teach?
I have been a resource/instructional teacher, a coordinator of a variety of programs and a children’s counselor. I was looking for a job that allowed some flexibility that enabled me to keep up with my three daughters’ schedules so I could attend as many of their events as possible.
What did you enjoy about teaching?
In the moment, you never know the impact you have on students’ lives. When I see former elementary or high school students who tell me how grateful they are they learned to read or have applied those math skills in their job I taught, that gives me great joy. Never did I imagine I would ever teach at NIU, but this has been as rewarding as teaching a young child to read and overcome barriers. When I see how hard our teacher-candidates work to hone and improve their teaching skills, that gives me joy. When I see how excited our candidates are to be entering this honored profession, and the success they have experienced during student-teaching, that gives me joy. When I enter a school and find a former candidate is teaching there, and they are as excited to meet me again as they were the first time we met, that gives me joy. When a former candidate becomes a cooperating teacher and mentors a young candidate to ensure children with disabilities gets the best teacher they can, that gives me immense joy.
What do you hope your former students learned from you and are applying in their careers?
Flexibility is key to SpEd; I hope they are learning that everything will work out. I hope they know how well prepared they are to teach. I hope I have modeled kindness and understanding of the situations all students find themselves in to be an agent of change to make it as good as you can for those under your care for the short time you have with them. I hope I have modeled a servant attitude of doing everything I can to help everyone succeed and reach their full potential, to go the extra mile, to be an advocate for students and families. I hope I have modeled being a lifelong learner. I learn something every day that makes me a better teacher.
What’s next for you?
I have not enjoyed any other career I have had as much as I have enjoyed being a university supervisor. I will continue with SEED part time in the fall. The rest of my time will be spent following my grandchildren across the country, watching them succeed in their activities.
Jean Searls
Jean Searls came to the NIU Department of Special and Early Education in the fall of 2017 after retiring as a teacher in DeKalb Community Unit School District 428. She supervises Early Childhood Education teacher-candidates – the perfect fit for someone who taught kindergarten through third grade.
What did you do before you joined us, and what brought you here to teach?
I taught in the elementary schools for 34 years. I taught mainly kindergarten and first grade. I taught two years in Hinckley, Ill., and then the next 32 years in the DeKalb School District at Lincoln Elementary. When I retired from teaching, I still wanted to do something in the field of education. When I was teaching, I had student-teachers in my classroom most years and decided that mentoring students through the university would be a good transition.
What did you enjoy about teaching?
I enjoyed supervising and mentoring teacher-candidates. This job allowed me to still be in the classrooms and see the joy of learning. I loved sharing ideas that I used in my teaching career and then watching candidates find success with a certain strategy or idea. I enjoyed watching candidates build relationships, gain confidence, and find the happiness and rewards of being a teacher.
What do you hope your former students learned from you and are applying in their careers?
I hope that my students learned what a huge impact they can have on their students. How smiling, building deep relationships and really listening to children can make all the difference for a child. I hope they remember to have fun, enjoy teaching and treasure their school family.
What’s next for you?
I recently became a grandmother, and I am looking forward to spending lots of time with my granddaughter. My husband is retiring soon, and we are planning to travel. We love to visit national parks and we have several trips in the planning stages.
