Kenneth Riley Jr. went behind the walls of the Illinois Youth Center in St. Charles to impart his passion for fitness and exercise. But what the NIU College of Education graduate student discovered inside the juvenile medium-security facility has changed him as
Read moreElementary Ed grad Abigail Newman begins National Guard, U.S. Army career
Abigail Newman loved playing school. Then she loved babysitting. Really, she always loved interacting with children. When she was a senior at Oregon High School, she jumped at the opportunity to spend one period each day as a teacher’s assistant in a
Read moreHuskie spouses, colleagues Ted Moen, Carolinda Douglass retire from NIU
Editor’s note: Ted Moen, program coordinator in the College of Education’s Office of External and Global Programs, and his wife, NIU Vice Provost for Institutional Effectiveness Carolinda Douglass, wanted to share one story on their retirement. Their story begins at the University
Read moreNIU’s online TPSR conference expected to welcome new practitioners, scholars
NIU’s PALS (Physical Activity and Life Skills) Group will host the first all-virtual conference for the Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility Alliance this summer. Scheduled for July 22 and 23, the event brings together an international group of teachers, coaches and scholars
Read moreIllinois school leaders to talk COVID-19 during June 16 Whiteboard Wednesday
Like everyone working to navigate COVID-19, Lynn Gibson has questions. “Is this our new normal?” asks Gibson, a clinical assistant professor in the Educational Administration program and an interim superintendent of Paw Paw Community Unit School District 271. Regardless of her active
Read moreAlumna Maddi Bodine reaps confidence, motivation from Golden Apple surprise
Maddi Bodine knew in advance that she needed to gather with her Kingston Elementary School community at half-past nine that Thursday morning. Yet the teacher of Pre-K students with special needs only had part of the story. Children and their teachers at
Read moreTrailblazers: NIU, ECC salute first cohort of Elementary Ed graduates via PLEDGE
Fifteen newly minted teachers are ready to return to the school districts where they grew up and, thanks to a partnership between Elgin Community College and Northern Illinois University, never really left. The students completed their first two years at ECC and
Read moreA message from Dean Laurie Elish-Piper
We made it! As we close another successful semester of teaching, learning, research and service, despite extraordinarily challenging circumstances, I’m thrilled that I can write (and live!) those happy words. Reasons for optimism are easy to find. I’m fully vaccinated, and I’m
Read moreStephanie DeSpain among first winners of inaugural NIU online teaching award
Stephanie DeSpain can count herself among forward-thinking educators who were somewhat prepared to handle the sudden shift to remote learning in March 2020. An assistant professor of Early Childhood Education, DeSpain already had developed and was teaching some classes online in the
Read moreTransfers to BSAM-ITTE program find confidence, avenues for career growth
Christine Bailey has worked in information technology for more than two decades, many of those years as a systems analyst for K-12 public education. At age 47, she is ready to make her impact in a new way. “For 11 years, I
Read moreLearning to respond, not react: Course aims to equip trauma-informed teachers
Numbers begin to tell the story. Around two-thirds of children in the United States experience some form of trauma before the age of 16. Help for each could come in a 15-minute pull-out once a week at school with a trained counselor
Read moreNIU distributing iBill currency readers to individuals with visual impairments
NIU is now a distribution center for free iBill currency readers that enable people with visual disabilities to sort their paper money. The designation from the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Bureau of Engraving and Printing comes thanks to the work of
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