Everything Nac

Seven Stephen F. Austin State University faculty members will be honored this week for their outstanding contributions to the classroom during the Teaching Excellence Awards Convocation, which recognizes one individual from each of SFA’s six colleges and a seventh chosen by the Faculty Senate.

The convocation will be from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Thursday, April 4, in the Baker Pattillo Student Center Regents’ Suites A and B. The event is free and open to the public.

Honorees include Dr. Jason Reese, assistant professor of marketing; Dr. Mark S. Montgomery, assistant professor of elementary education; Dr. Deb Scott, professor of music; Dr. John Mehaffey, associate professor of agriculture; Dr. John C. Pruit, assistant professor of sociology; Dr. Matthew A. Beauregard, professor of mathematics and statistics; and Jackie Rosenfeld, senior lecturer of theatre.

Begun in 1994, SFA’s Teaching Excellence program is an opportunity to recognize individuals for their excellence as teachers. The selection is based upon a number of criteria, including knowledge of subject matter, quality of lectures and assignments, and enthusiasm for teaching, among others.

By Christine Broussard, senior marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.

Imagine being in a classroom where you don’t speak the language. You try to complete your assignments. You try to communicate with your classmates, but you can’t.

“There are a lot of kids coming into Texas who don’t speak English and Spanish learners who are having trouble in the classroom. I was one when I was younger, and I didn’t have the guidance I needed,” said Miriam Lira, a student at Stephen F. Austin State University who has recently been involved with helping create a chapter of the Bilingual Education Student Organization.

Lira, BESO vice president, along with SFA elementary education juniors Brenda Sosa, BESO president; Valerie Vela, secretary; and Sofia Martinez, treasurer; have worked to bring BESO to Nacogdoches. Dr. Sarah Straub, SFA assistant professor in elementary education, helped kick start this organization.

“We weren’t aware that there wasn’t anything out there for diverse and bilingual education, so whenever Dr. Straub brought it up I was shocked,” Martinez said. “We believed we should start the organization here and spread the word about bilingual education.”

Many universities across Texas have a BESO chapter. Martinez explained its goal is to promote bilingual education in the field of education, as well as the diversity of bilingualism.

“I know many Spanish-speaking parents come here and make their children learn English and not Spanish,” Martinez said. “My parents taught me the opposite. They taught me to not be ashamed of who you are. You are Hispanic; you speak Spanish first. Don’t ever let go of that because you will use it in the future.”

Students do not have to speak Spanish to be a BESO member. As a member, students will have the opportunity to attend professional development events specific to bilingual education. For example, Dr. Jim Ewing, SFA assistant professor in elementary education, spoke to BESO members at their first meeting about “Celebrating Nuestra Identidad (our identity): The Various Faces of Bilingualism.”

Erica Bundy, from Peabody College at Vanderbilt University, spoke to BESO members during the second professional development session about “translanguaging” as a way to support bilingual students by empowering them to use all of their linguistic resources.

“Our officers believe teacher candidates should have more of an opportunity to learn about bilingualism and their future emergent bilingual students, and this open professional development opportunity provides that space,” Straub said.

Community service is another important aspect of BESO, and members will have the opportunity to engage with the community in various ways. For example, BESO has a partnership with Absolutely Fiction in Lufkin, and members will conduct bilingual reading sessions and activities this semester.

Currently, there is no membership fee. To join, contact Straub at straubsm@sfasu.edu or (936) 468-1723.

By Kasi Dickerson, senior marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.

Stephen F. Austin State University secondary education senior Katie Peterson was awarded the Ann Rogers Scholarship from the Texas Social Studies Supervisors Association.

The scholarship benefits a social studies student teacher in Texas. It is named in honor of Ann Rogers, who served as the director of social studies for the Texas Education Agency for 10 years.

“Winning this scholarship means everything to me. It is an immense help in pursuing my lifelong dream of becoming an educator,” Peterson said. “Due to this scholarship, I have been able to solely focus on improving my teaching skills and knowledge.”

A Cypress native, Peterson’s high school teachers inspired her to pursue a degree in education. She said her teachers’ passion for their subjects and dedication to their students motivated her to enter this field.

“I knew I wanted to be like them. I chose to teach history because I loved the subject in high school. I find the connections from the past to our present extremely interesting and want to teach those same connections to my future students,” Peterson said. “Ultimately, my history instructor and mentor at SFA, Megan Weatherly, confirmed my love of history and helped foster my ability to teach it.”

While studying at SFA, Peterson engaged in relevant field experiences and interned at Nacogdoches High School, where she was able to observe and practice teaching social studies. These experiences and SFA faculty members have helped prepare her to enter the workforce.

“The secondary education and educational leadership department, especially Dr. Linda Black, taught me how to be an effective teacher in the 21st century,” Peterson said. “Megan Weatherly taught and modeled relevant skills that I will use in my career, such as pedagogical and instructional design skills, and résumé and interview tips. It was the SFA faculty members who prepared me for my career.”

As part of her final semester at SFA and her clinical practice, Peterson is student teaching 11th grade U.S. history at Cy-Fair High School. She is expected to graduate in May.

“I get the amazing opportunity to wake up every day and make a positive impact on the lives of my students,” Peterson said.

To learn more about SFA’s James I. Perkins College of Education, visit sfasu.edu/education.

By Kasi Dickerson, senior marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.