Senior Lecturer Dossier

OPENING STATEMENT

San Juan Center History

Our center began when the community petitioned UNM to start a teacher education program for those interested in pursuing a teaching degree. Our center reflects the spirit of advocacy of people, ideas, and innovation. The UNM San Center opened in October, 1994. However, it had been operating for the previous two years with Dr. Pat Stall traveling from Gallup several days each week and conducting classes. Our education program started as a grant funded by the Ford Foundation, the Navajo Nation, and the Zuni Pueblo. After three years of operation, UNM COE made it a permanent program through UNM Gallup under the guidance of Dr. Vi Florez. Over the years, Coila King, along with Dale Alam, fine-tuned our teacher education program reflecting a corollary to main campus that was customized to the contextual needs of our community in Farmington and Four Corners area.

In 2010, our Teacher Education Program made a fiduciary shift from the auspices of Extended Learning to that of the COE. In this transition, we were able to align our teacher education program to that of main campus as a more unified program.

Our teacher education goal remains committed to serving preservice and inservice teachers and schools in their respective communities in Northwest New Mexico. We are focused on reaching out to our students, including Navajo, Ute, and Apache communities. Our students do not consider our programs as distance learning, because we are a part of their communities. We provide ongoing professional collaboration and development, and our physical presence in the community and in schools contributes to recruitment of undergraduate and graduate students, and enhances the overall quality of education in our communities.

A number of our students, Native American (predominately, Dineˊ), Hispanic, and Anglo, are first generation college students and graduates. Many of our students work full time as well as going to school, to support their families, and the majority receive financial aid for which full-time enrollment is required.

My UNM History

As a teacher at Lake Valley Navajo School (LVNS), I dreamed of becoming a faculty member at the University of New Mexico one day. My first opportunity in 1993 came as an adjunct instructor teaching Creative Drama, then EDUC 443 Children's Literature, and eventually, MUS 298 Music for Teachers.

In 2005, I was hired as a full time Lecturer III joining Coila King in the Teacher Education Department at the San Juan Center in Farmington. I had worked with Coila King since 1989 as a Special Education Teacher at Lake Valley Navajo School (LVNS) in the Eastern Navajo Agency of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (now Bureau of Indian Education). When Coila left LVNS for a Lecturer position with UNM, she shared about the teacher preparation program and the vision of a master's program in reflective practice. I felt grateful that I was included in the meeting with Pat Stall about this master's program focused on teacher practitioners that Coila King and Dale Alam drafted with main campus faculty Anne Madsen, among others. Little did I realize that I soon would be teaching alongside Coila at UNM in this very program! Currently I have the privilege of teaching EDUC 513 and EDUC 590 as the master's capstone courses.

My Teacher Education Work

The work of the Farmington center continues in delivering a quality upper division teacher education program and program experience for students graduating from San Juan College (SJC) with associate degrees in Elementary, Secondary Education, and Early Childhood Education.

I network with SJC teacher education program instructors for recruitment of students in the pipeline for UNM. Establishing and maintaining school networks are crucial in recruiting for undergraduate and graduate master’s program. School visits are a visible way to keep a pulse and keep connected with faculty, principals, and administrators, including clinical supervision of teacher candidates in Semesters 1, 2, 3. Seminars for semester 1, 2 & 3 teacher candidates provide opportunities for reflection, reflection-in-action, and building of professional learning communities as students discuss practicum and classroom experiences. In semester 3 regular meetings with Cooperating Teachers each semester are planned to discuss teacher candidate progress and UNM requirements, such as observations and TK20 assessments. I also meet with Semester 2 Mentor Teachers throughout the semesters. I am the Mentor Teacher of record during Semester 1. I facilitate FSP registration during Semesters 1, 2, 3 of Student Teaching for teacher candidates and their respective mentor teachers. I communicate with Elementary Education and Secondary Education Coordinators in maintaining program consistency at our center. I conduct midpoint evaluations for master’s cohort teachers. I continue embedding TK20 assessments and management system with students, adjunct faculty and Cooperating Teachers in core course syllabi and field experiences.

Additionally, students participate in several practicum experiences where they can apply theory to practice: Oral History FamilyProject at McKinley Elementary School is a literacy program, where UNM teacher candidates coach third grade students through the storytelling and writing processes; Family Math Night at Kirtland Elementary School is an opportunity for teacher candidates to plan intergenerational math activities for the family; 21^st Century Afterschool program grant at Blanco Elementary School focused on literacy through creative drama. These practicum experiences also balance the online courses that students are taking in their program. Working with students affords me the opportunity to see them in a classroom setting as they draw from their own background knowledge as well as applying course content learned in methods and teacher preparation program.

I meet with school district HR directors, principals, and teachers in requesting and approving student teaching placements for students. I counsel students with academic issues and concerns on a case by case basis.

As program coordinator, I am responsible for: preparing course schedules each semester; secure necessary applications for adjunct instructors; intercepting student questions about their program/course; advising students; maintaining PR with schools, SJC and community. Administrative responsibilities are coordinated with communication with Michele Baldwin and Amy Hathaway, and of course, Jana Harris. I also conduct adjunct faculty orientations each semester. Coordinate with Chair in course offerings each semester, reviewing ESRs for final approvals. Part of this role includes: submitting adjunct faculty application information, including course syllabi according to template with any TK20 core assessments; preparing graduate student forms for OGS;completing interview rubrics for new students (graduate and undergraduate); communicating with prospective adjunct faculty.

Additionally, I am focused on recruitment and retention for undergraduate and graduate students in meeting the need for teachers in our school communities.

Center Plans

With record low enrollment numbers each semester, I am strategically and creatively rethinking how better to partner with SJC departments and organizations to connect with their education students earlier in their program so students are more familiar with UNM. I have scheduled get-togethers for UNM graduates and other teachers to learn about our master's degree opportunities and certification programs.

We will continue to recruit creatively for students in our program collaborating and partnering whenever we can. Offering get togethers for SJC teacher education students during their first two years can familiarize them with UNM students and program, as well as receive advisement recommendations and guidance. I will continue to recruit in SJC education courses. I sometimes accompany Educational Site Coordinator and BUS Advisor during recruitment visits to area schools.

I have submitted a proposal to McCune Charitable Foundation in partnership with FMS to recruit school Instructional Assistants in earning their bachelor degree and teaching licensure to help mitigate the teacher shortage in their school district. A grant to recruit students from SJC to TEELP is being workshopped through the OVPR for submission to BHPBilliton this June 2016.

As a Leadership Team member of Bisti Writing Program (BWP) affiliate of National Writing Program (NWP), UNM TEELP partners in planning and supporting teacher professional development through summer institutes and workshops for local area teachers. On October 16 and 17 UNM teacher candidates are partnering with Farmington High School Gifted Students and Early Childhood Career students in providing STEAM activities for Discovery Festival.

A formal MOU between SJC and UNM is forthcoming and will situate our center to be competitively on par with NMHU who has more than 20 MOUs with SJC at present.

With the assistance of Lisa Tsuchiya, LLSS Department faculty members (Lois Meyer, Patrick Werito and Holbrook Mahn) were preparing to providea TESOL Program for teachers in our area. I will advocate to maintain this inertia to make this happen.

Days in the Life of a Lecturer at San Juan Center

Wednesday (AM): Begin morning reading and responding to student and department emails. One school district emails their need of classroom teachers. I ask Jana to send out emails to our G & UG students, including San Juan College Alternative Licensure Coordinator.

TAG Team is recruiting for a new grant funded cohort in Educational Leadership Certification and asks for contact to visit while in Shiprock. Send Irvin Trujillo’s name as a contact (Irvin is an UG & MA alumnus of UNM San Juan Center). I meet TAG team faculty in Shiprock (Valley Trading Post) to learn about the program and collect program flyers to distribute in schools. While in Shiprock, I dovetail a clinical supervision observation of a Semester 3 student teacher prior to the TAG meeting.

Wednesday (PM): Return to center to work on a partnership grant with Farmington Municipal Schools (FMS) Human Resource (HR) executive director, sending drafts between UNM OVPR Support members and HR director.

Meet afterschool with FMS high school teachers to discuss collaborating with their early childhood careers and gifted students and UNM teacher candidates on local practicum projects, one of which is, Discovery Festival scheduled for October 16-17.

In the evening receive a text to review Strand C of a UNM alumna teacher preparing her dossier for Level II with the promise of sending revisions to her the following morning.

Prepare for LLSS 315 diversity class teaching in Gallup the following day.

Thursday (AM): Make copies at center before travelling to Gallup to teach LLSS 315 class F2F.

Friday (AM): Meet briefly with Gallup Branch program coordinator to talk about program questions.

Friday (PM): Field calls on travel back to Farmington, stopping at a Shiprock school to introduce myself to the new Cooperating Teacher for a Semester 2 teacher candidate.