During her years as a Cuban living in rural Galesburg, Ill., Mayra Daniel impressed on her family the need for fluency in her native tongue of Spanish. But that language was rare in this community of 35,000 in Knox County. “Few spoke
Read moreSocial Justice Summer Camp 4.0 turns to podcasts to continue vital momentum
Joe Flynn heard the news without any sense of surprise. “It came out in late April that there was a disproportionate representation of African Americans and Latinos who have been contracting and, most importantly, dying from the virus,” says Flynn, an associate
Read moreTeachers from Uruguay visit NIU, observe U.S. counterparts in DeKalb, Elgin schools
Valentina González and Analia Piantanida rarely see cultural diversity in the homogenous society of Uruguay, where both are English teachers in middle schools and high schools. Coming to Illinois as part of the NIU College of Education’s Uruguay Fulbright Teachers Program, however,
Read moreFrom Tonga with Love: Alumna completes Peace Corps service, returns for licensure
During the fall semester of 2015, Bernadette Chatman served as a Northern Lights Ambassador for the NIU College of Education. What, she was asked for a web profile, were her ambitions? The sophomore Special Education major in the Department of Special and
Read moreDoctoral students from Indonesia provide valuable insight for COE research mentors
In what seems like an “of course it is” bit of trivia, the official language of Indonesia is – yes, Indonesian. Linguists, according to WorldAtlas.com, categorize Indonesian as “a standardized register of Riau Malay” and “among the languages of the Austronesian language
Read moreJames Cohen studies novel ideas to teach English during Fulbright visit to Uruguay
James Cohen will remember the dirt roads, and the long drives to reach the most rural schools in Uruguay. He’ll remember touring those buildings, seeing the kitchens where the teachers and students eat and the bedrooms where the teachers sleep during the
Read moreAll-College: Summer enrollment climbs, fall forecast shows continued optimism
Good news is easy to find in the College of Education – and that includes enrollment. The college’s summer headcount for 2019 rose by 7.39 percent, or 89 students, over the year before – and the fall enrollment forecast expects to continue
Read more‘Keep talking’: Educators witness strength, advocacy at Social Justice Summer Camp
They were different women of different ages, sitting in different rooms, hearing different words on different subjects at different times. Yet their response – their natural, human reaction – was the same. The proverbial lumps in the throat, the moisture of not-quite-yet
Read moreSocial Justice Summer Camp 3.0 to foster growth via discomfort, ‘intellectual threat’
Jennie Hueber felt uncomfortable at NIU’s first Social Justice Summer Camp in 2017 – and that was a good thing. Hueber, the director of curriculum and instruction for DeKalb School District 428, already had begun her personal and professional journey to recognize,
Read moreCongratulations!
Gretchen Schlabach, Professor Emerita in the NIU Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education, will be inducted Wednesday, June 26, into the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame. The NATA Hall of Fame celebrates the achievements of the athletic training profession’s legends;
Read moreCommunity Learning Series will explore social justice during April 11 discussion
Joe Flynn grew up with a clear sense of his primary role and duty in society. “I was always raised to think about where other people are coming from, and what struggles folks have, and that oftentimes the things that people have
Read moreElementary Ed major Emily Soto earns place on Fulbright-Hays trip to Mexico
Emily Soto came to NIU from Dwight, Ill., to study business, which she did during her freshman and sophomore years. But she ultimately didn’t feel a passion for that career path, prompting her to enroll instead in the Department of Curriculum and
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