Erin Odle has always loved working with children. Piotr Wojciaczyk drew inspiration from a high school music teacher. Dominique Yackley discovered her ambition from within after she left high school as a sophomore. Connecting the three NIU College of Education alumni, all
Read moreAlumna Yuni Lopez experiences strike, COVID-19 in wild first year of teaching
Had life gone as planned, Yuni Lopez would be a nurse by now. And, given the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, that career choice would have generated quite the extraordinary first year out of college. But that doesn’t mean the last 12 months have
Read moreThree-decade CPS principal remembers finding career mantra in NIU classrooms
At age 30, recently married and with a child on the way, Richard Morris decided to take an interview for a principal’s job in the Chicago Public Schools. The 1980 alum of the NIU College of Education really wasn’t in the market
Read moreJanuary All-College meeting focuses on student success, offers good news
During an all-college meeting focused on students and their success, Dean Laurie Elish-Piper and her administrative team made it clear how that objective aligns perfectly with the NIU College of Education’s vision statement. Elish-Piper tailored the Jan. 7 gathering to put “a
Read moreVision Program alum rekindles love of ice skating with Chicago Blackhawks Blind Hockey team
Kevin Allison had spent most of his young life on the ice in pursuit of one dream. “I was always a figure skater. I was always training. I was getting my degree at the same time – my undergraduate degree – but
Read moreCollege of Ed alumna shares KNPE instructional philosophies with P.E. teachers in Chicago
Yara Santillan traded her sneakers for high heels, her gym for a cubicle and her whistle for a smartphone. What the new coordinator of Physical Education for the Chicago Public Schools hasn’t given up is her drive and ambition to make a
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