Spring 2021 Newsletter

Webster University's EdD Newsletter Spring 2021

Dear Readers,

The EdD newsletter is designed for current and prospective students, as well as our alumni. It will keep you up-to-date on Webster University's Doctor of Education program. This includes new graduate profiles, conference information, scholarship opportunities, updates to the program, and more! It is scheduled to be published twice a year and it is available online.

Enjoy reading!

Dr. Lee-Johnson, Ph.D.

Director of Ed.D.

In This Issue

Program Updates
Recent Works
Faculty Interviews
Student Interviews
Upcoming Conferences
Contact Us

Program Updates

The Ed.D. has undergone some exciting changes!

The program now has seven emphases! That's right, now students can choose from seven different emphases to allow for students to focus more on their area of expertise. The emphases are:

Educational Leadership (1)
Special Education
- Dyslexia (2)
- Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (3)
- Severe Developmental Disabilities and Autism (4)
- Trauma-Informed Education and Intervention (5)
Teaching English as a Second Language (6)
Transformative Learning in the Global Community (7)

These emphases will begin for the Fall 2020 cohort. New cohorts will begin every even year.

Due to COVID-19, the Spring 1&2 courses will be taught in a new hybrid mode (recorded lecture, synchronous via Zoom, and asynchronous discussions) or online. The program will continue to follow the university's guidelines and provide updates as they become available.

Recent Works

Dr. Lee-Johnson, director of the EdD Program, has kicked off 2021 with a number of publications, presentations, and media coverages that bring attention to Webster's EdD Program. Take a moment to read about her recent works below.

Professional Conference Presentations

Dr. Lee-Johnson and other faculty in the School of Education, have already presented in an array of conferences this year. Below are each of these conferences and the presentation names:

Harvard College in Asia Program's (HACP) 2021 Virtual Conference (January 17-23):
- Dr. Lee-Johnson was one of twelve speakers invited to speak and presented her article titled "We are not a virus: Solidarity and Resilience for Contesting the Renewed Yellow Peril, Sinophobia, and Xenophobia amid COVID-19." Click here to read her feature in the Webster Today News.

American Association of Applied Linguistics (AAAL) Annual Virtual Conference (March 19-23):
- Lee-Johnson, Y.L., Kaiser, D., Mansouri, S., & Kennedy, S: Analyzing the “Just Because…” Poems among Pre-service ESL Teachers: Defying Stereotypes and Reaffirming Teacher Identities

** For more information regarding the conference and other presentations, click here.

TESOL 2021 Annual Virtual Convention (March 23-26):
- Kaiser, D., Mansouri, S., Lee-Johnson, Y.L., & Kennedy, S: Engaging Family, Parents, and Communities to Promote EL Success
- Kaiser, D., Mansouri, S., Lee-Johnson, Y.L., & Kennedy, S: Teachers as Language Planners and Policy Makers
- Lee-Johnson, Y.L., Kaiser, D., Mansouri, S., & Kennedy, S: Enriching K-12 ESL Teachers' Professional Development Experiences with Saturday Panels

** For information regarding the convention and other presentations, click here.

AERA 2021 Annual Virtual Meeting (April 8-12):
- Lee-Johnson, Y.L. : How to Accept Educational Responsibilities and Disrupt Anti-Chinese Rhetoric due to Covid-19?

Dr. Lee-Johnson was featured in the Webster Today News about this presentation. Click here to read about her research and presentation.

Media Coverage

Podcast Feature: Dr. Lee-Johnson was featured in the podcast The Webster Learning Collective in the episode "We are not a virus" on March 25 to discuss her journey in becoming an educator and researcher, her research and its impact, and the challenges faced by Asian-Americans experiencing anti-Asian hate-crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic through data gained from her survey. Click here to listen to her discussion. If you are interested in learning more about her Sinophobia and COVID-19 research or taking the survey to discuss your experiences as being Asian during the global pandemic, click here.
Special Issue Editor: Dr. Lee-Johnson has been invited to be a special issue editor for the peer-reviewed journal, Journal of Asian Pacific Communication. This special issue, "Preparing Teachers for Addressing the Sociocultural Issues with Asian Pacific Immigrants and Refugees," focuses on the voices and experiences of immigrants and refugees in education and emphasizes a variety of topics. Dr. Lee-Johnson and her co-editor, Dr. Hsiao-Chin Kuo of Northeastern Illinois University, co-authored the introduction article entitled "This is the worst of times; this is the best of times: Juxtaposing the crisis and opportunities of Asians in the global context." To read more about the special issue, click here for her feature in the Webster Today News.
Radio Feature: Dr. Lee-Johnson was featured as a guest speaker on the KMOX radio show The Charlie Brennan Show with Amy Marxkors, a show based out of St. Louis, on April 5 to discuss the rise of anti-Asian hate crimes in the U.S with the onset of COVID-19. She discusses her research regarding anti-Asian violence and her own experiences with this topic as an Asian American living in St. Louis. Click here to listen in. Dr. Lee-Johnson also appeared in Webster News Today regarding this appearnce.
Special Guest: Dr. Lee-Johnson was a special guest on the April 28 Webster Speaks episode, a virtual speaker series that features discussions with leaders within Webster University and the community in regards to confronting systemic racism issues. This episode, "We are Not a Virus: Anti-Asian Hate in the U.S.," focused on the anti-Asian hate crimes that have been increasing with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The event was livestreamed and uploaded to the Webster Speaks playlist on YouTube. For more information regarding Webster Speaks, please visit this link.

Publications

Journal of Asian Pacific Communications: As mentioned, Dr. Lee-Johnson co-authored the introduction to the Special Issue of the Journal of Asian Pacific Communication with Dr. Hsiao-Chin Kuo entitled "This is the worst of times; this is the best of times: Juxtaposing the crisis and opportunities for Asians in the global context." Click here to read her introduction.

Faculty Interviews

The EdD Program is fortunate to have faculty that strives to inspire and assist doctoral students in their studies. It is through their expertise and dedication to their students that the program is able to thrive.

For this newsletter, Dr. Kevin Gitonga, one of the program's adjunct faculty, was interviewed about his connections to education and insights on dissertation development. Please take a moment to read about his interview below.

Would you share with us your passions in education?

Dr. Gitonga immediately expressed his love for learning and experiencing new things. What gives him the most satisfaction is helping people achieve their goals through the learning process. He stated that when he is teaching courses, he focuses on the learning experience. "I want my students to experience personal development, growth, and come to know themselves," he exclaimed, "This is the most fulfilling part of learning."

How was the doctoral course that you taught this past year? Would you share some learnings that happened in the class?

With EDOC 7130 (Communications Technologies in Educational Systems), the last course Dr. Gitonga taught in Fall 2 of 2020, it was the first-time classes were completely virtual, which he stated that he really enjoyed. "You get to be in your own space and are able to express yourself freely within that space." He chimed in with great praise for the group of students he worked with, explaining that it was an engaging group that always brought good conversation to the table. "I came to these discussions with questions," he recalled, "so that I can help facilitate the discussion." Dr. Gitonga strives to encourage his students to bring in their own experiences into the discussions to help students make connections with the course material and later to assist them with the dissertation writing process. He also discussed the importance of how peer-to-peer learning within these discussions affect students by creating a learning community that proves helpful later in the dissertation writing process.

What are your research interests?

Dr. Gitonga's research interests revolve around the integration of technology into learning processes and designing student-centered learning experiences. "I'm also interested in the management of these spaces as well as evaluating the technology being used in such spaces," he stated. This is in line with his academic training background in workforce development, specifically in looking for gaps in learning, and his current work as a learning and development practitioner. Dr. Gitonga emphasized the importance of creating situations where students and others can undergo transformations through the integration of technology in their learning processes.

Would you share some tips for identifying a dissertation topic with our students?

"You have to identify a good problem, and for those of us in the Social Sciences, it should be a social problem," Dr. Gitonga stated. He believes that dissertation research is a way of helping society find a solution to a problem, and therefore, to have a good dissertation you have to make the alignment between your value-system and the social problem you are seeking to address. That, in his view, gives you the purpose to pursue it, since you are serving a mission bigger than yourself, and it helps you stay passionate about the process.

Also, Dr. Gitonga emphasized remembering that dissertations require total focus, time, and commitment. It is important to have that understanding from the very beginning.

Would you share some dissertations that you served on as Chair or a Committee Member before?

Dr. Gitonga has served as a Committee Member and a Chair to two different completed dissertations and is currently Chair to two current students. This information is listed below.

Committee Member: Joy Doyle (2018) "Special Educator Sense of Efficacy and a Guided, Reflective E-Group"
Chair: Monica Barnes-Boateng (2020) "The Lived Educational Experiences of African International Graduate Students at a U.S. Midwestern University"
Current Chairs: Carol Arshad & Shan Vlad

Student Interviews

In this newsletter, we are taking a moment to learn more about some our current doctoral students. Ashley Spencer and Melissa Schmuke are both students in the Transformative Learning in the Global Community emphasis in the EdD program. Please read below to learn more about their research interests and their definitions of transformative educators.

Ashley Spencer

Can you tell us more about your professional work and passion in education?

Ashley has been working in the Parkway School District for the past 12 years, specifically in upper elementary grades (5th and 4th grade). “I am one of those lucky people that knew what I wanted to be when I grew up,” she stated, explaining how she always wanted to be a teacher. Ashley holds a Masters degree in Reading from UMSL and one in TESL from Webster University. During her time in the TESL program at Webster, she was a NPD grant participant. The opportunities the grant provided her were inspirational, especially getting to work with a variety of professionals, including the faculty at Webster and the other students in the program. Ultimately, these experiences led her to pursuing her doctorate. Although she has loved working in Parkway, she has just signed a new contract with Webster Groves School District to teach 5th grade at Dr. Henry Givens Jr. Elementary School. “It is a much smaller district, and I am ready for new challenges and to work with a new administration,” she exclaimed.

Ashley’s biggest passion with regards to education is the classroom community. “I want to make a home away from home for my students,” she explained. Her classrooms can be seen with lots of lamps for ideal lighting, sitting areas, and pictures provided by the students. Building rapport with her students through this avenue is very important to Ashley, but she also focuses on building it with her students’ parents. For the past two years, Ashley has been conducting home visits, this year virtually, in order to be able to see her students in their home environments. “I am passionate about getting to know my kids and helping them to embrace their diversity,” she stated. In her school, there is a myriad of different cultures present, such as students with backgrounds from India, Romania, and Indonesia. On these home visits, Ashley enjoyed being immersed in such environments where families cook her a meal, provide snacks, or students want her to see that they cleaned their room. “They are just so excited to show me more about themselves. I can better understand them this way.”

What is your definition of a transformative educator?

Ashley emphasized that a transformative educator comes in with the mindset that they do not have all the answers yet and that there is always something to be improved upon. “Through knowledge, past experiences, and future experiences they are able to transform aspects of life,” she stated. Ashley also described how academics are not merely checklists and that as a transformative educator, you are working to create better human beings. “A transformative educator wants to create a better place, a better world.” According to her, transformative educators thrive off of interactions, where through them transformation occurs and has a domino like effect on others. “You transform the knowledge of your students, who then teach their parents, their siblings, and so on,” she elaborated. Ashley believes that “every lesson provides opportunities to transform students’ lives.”

Would you share with us your tentative dissertation topic?

Ashley’s research interests lie in anti-oppressive education, specifically in finding ways to transform elementary school environments. She shared that much of her inspiration comes from the works of Kumashiro and Freire, who call out the oppressive systems seen in schools. “My focus is on the development of the self. The U.S. encourages assimilation, but we need to be supporting students’ individuality,” Ashley explained. She described this assimilation as a mold that schools tend to make for students, but that we do not have to follow it, rather we should be learning how to foster individual identity. “I remember back to my first classrooms where we were always asking the question ‘What do we have in common?.’ It was never ‘What makes us each unique?,” Ashley recalled. She has found that there is a research gap in supporting and celebrating the development of the individual self in the classroom, especially with the presence of the pandemic showing that education needs to transform, and plans to use this topic for her dissertation.

Would you mind sharing with us your personal life amid COVID-19?

“The pandemic brought about a perspective change,” Ashley explained, “it was a year of learning where I realized that life is short and we have to take it a day at a time.” She remains thankful that her family and friends remained safe during the past year and that both her and her husband did not lose their jobs. “I learned to appreciate the small things,” Ashley stated when describing the new ways she had to socialize with those close to her, such as Zoom calls with relatives and playing board games or doing puzzles with her husband at home. She emphasized how balance between the chaos happening due to the pandemic was difficult, but that she realized everyone’s difficulties are different and that we cannot diminish our own difficulties just because we believe they are less than someone else’s struggles. “I would say that I feel very thankful that I had fewer worries than others, but I still had difficulties and others were probably in the same boat. This was a tough year for everyone.”

When asked about her job as a teacher working in the pandemic, Ashley immediately highlighted her students’ resilience through it all. “They just rolled with everything. They helped me to also change my perspective,” she explained. Ashley described how they were patient, adaptive, had to sacrifice their school lives and extracurriculars due to the pandemic, and showed that we should appreciate the small things. Ashley explained how her class did a pendulum activity where they made their own pendulum with a string and three nuts. “You’d have thought I gave them a million dollars! They were so excited about something so simple,” she laughed while reminiscing over the activity.

Like most schools at the beginning of the pandemic, Ashley’s classes were shifted to virtual. In October 2020, her school shifted to a hybrid of in-person and virtual until in January of this year when they went back to in-person with one day being virtual. Some students remained completely virtual, though. “The experience pushed boundaries and instilled in me that I had to be flexible,” she stated. At her school, each grade has a set number of teachers that are in-person or virtual. For her grade, she is one of three in-person teachers and there are also two virtual teachers. “We often are changing lessons plans to reflect what is easy to do virtually. Even though we are all teaching the same topics, our lesson plans may look somewhat different,” Ashley explained, “we had to find a way to redefine our collaboration.”

**To learn more about Ashley and her research, please visit her website here.

Melissa Schmuke

Can you tell us more about your professional work and passion in education?

Currently, Melissa works at Adams Elementary School in the St. Louis Public School System as a kindergarten teacher and has for the past three years. Previously, she worked as a preschool teacher for six years. However, she was not initially studying to become a teacher when she started college at MIZZOU. “I was originally majoring in fashion marketing,” Melissa stated, “but then I was looking for a part time job and became a preschool teacher assistant. I fell in love with education, changed my degree, and I never looked back.” After realizing her love for working in education, Melissa got her Bachelor’s degree in Child Development and Education. She moved on to get her MAT in Early Childhood Education here at Webster University. She exclaimed that the older she gets the more passionate she becomes about education, which ultimately led her to pursuing a doctorate degree in it.

What is your definition of a transformative educator?

“A transformative educator changes, or transforms, how education is happening. A transformative educator is one that is a catalyst for change not only in their personal classroom, but also in education as a whole.” Melissa stated. She emphasized that as a transformative educator, you have to be an advocate for your students and find ways to bring the outside world into the classroom. “You have to look out for the social and emotional well-being of your students.” Melissa exclaimed how as a transformative educator, she is always a student, learning new strategies to better assist her students in understanding the world that they live in. “Even though they are young, they still have questions. You have to have age appropriate discussions with them in order to express to them what is happening in the world.”

Would you share with us your tentative dissertation topic?

Melissa’s research interests involve focusing on the socio-emotional well-being of students, specifically the lack of education and consideration in urban school districts regarding the topic. “Building relationships is the most important thing to me. Not just with students, but with parents as well,” she explained. Melissa emphasized that schools nowadays, especially in urban districts, focus on curriculum and standards, without regard for the students well-being and outside factors that are affecting them. “You cannot address academic success until you consider the social and emotional well-being of students.” Having seen this in her own classrooms, Melissa hopes to bring light to the situation with this topic in her dissertation.

Would you mind sharing with us your personal life amid COVID-19?

Melissa described how fortunate she has felt given that she has yet to lose anyone close to her due to COVID-19. She has maintained a small bubble of friends and family around her over the past year, trying her best to keep those she cares about safe. “I had to look for ways to find inner peace,” Melissa stated. Despite the pandemic, she claimed that she was still busy as ever, especially having started a side business selling dog cakes, treats, bandanas, and accessories the summer before beginning her doctorate program. She often donates treats to local animal shelters. The name of her business she operates out of her home is, Schmookies: Artisan Dog Treats. Melissa also recently just got hired on at the new food truck garden, 9 Mile Garden in Affton, to work at over the summer.

However, being an educator, Melissa also described some of the difficulties she experienced. “We switched to virtual once everything locked down and then in October of last year we transitioned back into the classroom. Being virtual was especially hard for kindergarten, they could not wait to get back in the classroom. It was much harder for me to try to build relationships with students and parents virtually, nothing can replace that in-person conversation and contact.” she explained. There were several challenges she had to overcome including getting materials and equipment to students, such as iPads and Internet, trying to keep her students focused, and serving as an impromptu IT person for her students and their parents. “I struggled, but my students struggled as well.” Melissa stated how her students had to keep their distance by not playing with their peers, not being able to play on the playground equipment, and more. “I worried a lot about their home environments, as many rely on school for meals and support, and how the pandemic would affect them in the end.” She remains optimistic though, stating, “This has been a tough year, but my students are tougher, I am looking forward to some of the normalcy that will be coming back soon.”

**To learn more about Melissa and her research, please visit her website here.

upcoming conferences

A few conferences that may be of interest to current or prospective students, or alumni. These conferences provide professional development and networking opportunities. Conferences are also a great opportunity for students to present their research. Please note that due to Covid-19, these conferences might potentially be cancelled, postponed, or held virtually. Updated information will be provided as it is made available.

AAAL (American Association for Applied Linguistics) 2021 Virtual Conference

March 20 - 23, 2021

https://www.aaal.org/2021-save-the-date#%23

TESOL International Association International Convention & English Language Expo

March 24 - 27, 2021 (held virtually)

https://www.tesol.org/attend-and-learn/international-convention

AERA Annual Meeting

Theme: Accepting Educational Responsibility

April 8 -12, 2021 (held virtually)

https://www.aera.net/Events-Meetings

NAFSA 2021 Annual Conference & Expo

Theme: Designing Our Shared Future