Zachary Craft began his career in education in Batavia like many classroom rookies, spending one year as an interventionist and then shifting to teach fourth grade. But his 2012 arrival coincided with a sea change in mandates. “I entered the field at
Read moreCollege of Education, Rock Valley sign 2+2 pathway for Elementary Education
The NIU College of Education has forged a 2+2 partnership with Rock Valley College to smooth the transfer path for future Elementary Education majors. Beginning this fall, the agreement provides RVC students a prescribed, sequential set of general education courses during their
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 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 moreElementary Ed major Julie Chavez earns NIU Intern of the Year award, job for fall
School occupies a special place in Julie Chavez’s heart. “I had quite the unstable childhood, and school was really my safe place. I had a meal; I had teachers who cared about me; it was structured – I just really thrived in
Read moreCollege of Ed counts four alumni, one student among Golden Apple finalists
Five of the finalists for the prestigious 2021 Golden Apple Awards for Excellence in Teaching and for Excellence in Leadership claim the NIU College of Education in their pedigrees. NIU alumni Maddi Bodine, Anne McNamara and Virginia Valdez are among the 32
Read moreBe You, Keep RoWINg: P.J. Fleck gives Spring 2021 Educator in Residence talk
Four-one-hundred-thousandths of a second. That’s the daily rate of progress sprinter Usain Bolt made between the 2008 and 2012 Olympic games in improving his already-record-setting time. Not much, P.J. Fleck told his online audience March 3 during his Spring 2021 Educator in
Read moreEducator in Residence P.J. Fleck to share lessons of football, life in March 3 talk
P.J. Fleck will never forget his semester as a student-teacher at Clinton Rosette Middle School. It was Spring 2004, and the wide receiver for the NIU Huskies football team had tried to postpone that classroom immersion – he was training for his
Read moreNIU’s Educators Rising chapter hoping to engage, mentor high school groups
Members of the NIU College of Education’s still-young chapter of Educators Rising are devoted to furthering their preparation, enhancing their marketability – and, they hope, making meaningful connections with those students who will follow in their footsteps. “When we began Educators Rising,
Read moreBest of both worlds: Educate U.S. takes virtual trip to Houston during pandemic
COVID-19 could not cancel the NIU College of Education’s January 2021 edition of Educate U.S. with the Houston Independent School District. Even as the pandemic did prevent travel to Texas for the 14 teacher-licensure candidates chosen to participate in the real-world learning,
Read moreCommencement profile: Evadne Bowlin
Out of concern for the health and safety of the Huskie community, NIU is hosting virtual commencement ceremonies Saturday, Dec. 12, and Sunday, Dec. 13, for those who register. Those who would prefer to watch after the scheduled times can visit YouTube
Read moreHere We Grow: Elementary Education
One year after Sally Blake arrived to lead the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, she joined in the August 2019 “grand opening” celebration of a new partnership with Elgin Community College to offer NIU’s B.S.Ed. in Elementary Education there. And she’s still
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