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ICCTA Outstanding Faculty Member Award
2002 Nominees
2002 AWARD RECIPIENT
Dr. Joan Ferrell
English and French
Southeastern Illinois College
Since many of my students must work outside the classroom, I try to give them the
encouragement to persevere and am often rewarded when they thank me, as one student
recently did, for helping her to "keep on keeping on."
Denise Anastasio
Health information technology
College of Lake County
My first baccalaureate degree was in English, and I have continued to believe that
educated individuals are those that have developed an understanding of contemporary
social issues, historical perspectives, economic issues, and a lifelong love of learning.
I try to incorporate these aspects of a liberal education into our curriculum, even though
it is considered a technical career program.
Marco Benassi
Speech communications
College of DuPage
My philosophy of education includes many strategies and goals:
Instill vision. Have humility. Value differences.
Be open/flexible. Face obstacles.
Trust your heart. Present a challenge.
Set no limitations.
Make it fun. It's a lifelong process.
Jeanine Bloyd
Psychology
Spoon River College
I feel fortunate to teach within a discipline that strives to understand the human experience.
Ultimately, my own greatest learning moments over the past 17 years have occurred in the classroom
with my students. Perhaps that is because I strive to approach the unfolding of ideas and the
excitement of discovery with an enthusiastic curiosity.
Dr. Ed Bridges
Science
Shawnee Community College
My goal as an instructor is to correct or minimize limitations and to enhance the strengths.
If the student gains confidence by mastery of one difficult concept, they then feel empowered
to conquer more complex ones. We do no service to a student when we make the road too easy.
It is the role of the instructor to provide a pathway that will ultimately lead to a better
life and a better appreciation for the world around them.
Marion Carroll
English
John A. Logan College
Above all, I work towards helping my students understand the importance of writing, not only
for career purposes, but to discover who they are and to share this understanding with those
who care most about who they are and where they are going in their lives. If I can achieve
this goal, I have fulfilled my primary objective in teaching.
Robert L. Carson
Psychology
Wilbur Wright College
Thirty-eight years after I taught my first psychology class in graduate school,
my classes are just as exciting, my students just as inspiring, and my colleagues
just as supportive. The opportunity to spend my life in the most rewarding activity
I can imagine has expanded my horizons beyond my wildest dreams.
Dr. Carol Chandler
Psychology and sociology
McHenry County College
As an educator I am in the position to pass on the enthusiasm that I have for my
disciplines, to foster the importance of lifelong learning, and to validate each
student's unique contribution to our mutual learning process. Education can open
the doors to many and varied opportunities. I am proud to be an integral part of
such an "honorable occupation."
Al Check
Machine tool technology
Triton College
By example, stand up for worthwhile causes. It may not be popular, but sometimes
we must take chances for the betterment of education and society. If teachers don't
stand by their convictions, they commit a grave injustice to those who could benefit
by their actions. Remembering a plaque on my high school shop teacher's desk,
"It is better to try and fail, than not to try at all," I hadn't realized it then,
but the cornerstone of my philosophy of education had begun.
Lisa Putman Cole
Reading
Heartland Community College
Teaching is the complex act of facilitating others' learning. As teachers, it is
our business to ensure than learning is an integral part of the process of education
and that the terms "students" and "learners" become synonymous. . . . Teaching that
fails to result in learning is time wasted – for teachers and for students.
Dr. Michael J. Cravatta
Accounting
Richland Community College
Education is a learning process for individuals to grow and stimulate themselves
both morally and mentally by acquiring wisdom and knowledge through study and
experience. . . . Education promotes and assists human development and provides
the freedom for the individual to discover one's self in life regardless of
different race, color or religion.
Dan Davis
Athletic director
Malcolm X College
Every student can learn; it's a matter of nurturing, effort and mentoring.
Terese Dudek
Biology
Kishwaukee College
My role in the classroom is that of facilitator of student learning.
I believe that college students should have a natural curiosity for learning,
and ultimately be responsible for their learning. . . . My philosophy of
education envisions students as well-rounded and socially responsible
humans for whom teachers are role models.
George Evans
Criminal justice
William Rainey Harper College
We as educators must recognize each student's achievements at our point of
contact. We must recognize each of our student's individual learning styles,
and do whatever we can to meet his or her educational needs. This is a
difficult role for today's educator facing the diverse backgrounds of students.
Fortunately, as part of a community college family, I am part of a great team.
Murlen Garner
Cosmetology
Kaskaskia College
Understanding that each student has many issues that they deal with on a regular
basis, I know that it is important to be there for the students. The results that
I expect are students that graduate with confidence, knowledge and, above all,
a value for education, reflective of my own teaching standards.
Lori K. Garrett
Biology
Danville Area Community College
Each student is both reachable and teachable, and I must find the best path
to guide them to success. . . . If I have a passion for what I teach,
my enthusiasm becomes infectious and my students leave my classes assessing
their worlds with newly opened eyes and minds that hunger for more knowledge.
Victoria Giambrone
Anthropology and geography
Oakton Community College
My philosophy is that everyone can learn. Every student has potential. No
matter at what level a student is achieving, there is always something new
to experience. This is true for me, too! . . . Critical thinking is essential
to an education. I encourage students to question everything – their text,
the news, even me. This is one of the most important skills we can teach
our students.
Jan Hayes
Computer information systems
Lewis and Clark Community College
To build a good relationship with my students, I treat all students fairly and
equally. I respect them, and believe they are all capable of learning the subject
matter. Students must be able to trust me and know that I want them to succeed.
Janice Hill-Matula
Developmental reading
Moraine Valley Community College
John Dewey once said that education is not preparation for life; education is
life itself. I agree with John Dewey. . . . Educators must continue to find novel
ways to emphasize the lifelong attitudes necessary to further John Dewey's
observation.
Don Jenkins
Agriculture & industrial technology
Illinois Central College
Teachers should value each student's involvement in their education. Students
who know little and learn much benefit more than those who know more but learn
little. Regardless of what administrative evaluations say, there are "good"
teachers and "poor" teachers. If you don't believe that, ask the students.
Dr. Harold G. Johnson
Administration of justice
Southwestern Illinois College
Educational curriculum must address competencies but must also includes issues
of a social and global nature. The teacher who facilitates the student's educational
experience must nurture the student, in a safe environment, towards the acquisition
of knowledge, skills and an appreciation of what it is to be human.
Mary Knepp
Adult education
Black Hawk College
These are the beliefs I bring into my classroom:
Students first
Learning is change
All learners have potential
The educator is a facilitator
Education touches lives. Our students deserve our very best in helping them reach
their potential.
Norma Lestikow
Nursing
Highland Community College
Teaching is a profession that provides rewards that few other occupations can give.
Only seeing a new baby being born can outweigh the pleasure of seeing a student's
academic growth throughout a semester.
Dr. Ricardo Lorenz
Music
Richard J. Daley College
History and techniques are part of what I teach, of course, but what fascinates
me most is how human nature manifests itself through music. How music offers an
interface space, devoid of social, political, cultural or language barriers, by
which people that engage in it experience first-hand the joys of kinship and
difference. This sounds idealistic, but it's true. Music is a universal form
of communication.
Mary Jean McHugh
French / Italian
Lincoln Land Community College
The teaching process begins from the first moment that we make contact with our
students. We can cause as important a change in our students' lives by modeling
courtesy or patience outside the classroom as we can with chalk or wireless
mouse in hand inside the classroom.
Mark W. Moore
Chemistry and physics
John Wood Community College
Jaded colleagues often complain that today's students do not have inquiring minds.
Isn't it the teacher's responsibility to stimulate curiosity by constructing
experiences that challenge the student's misconceptions and superstitions? . . .
One knows that a passion for teaching has been recognized when a student comments
on an evaluation that the teacher is proud of his/her students.
Mark Pelczarski
Computer science
Elgin Community College
Never stop learning. Let your students share your own joy in learning
new things. Know enough to be confident. Know that there's a lot that
you don't know. Take risks. Don't just stick with what you've done
before. Be honest with your students when your risks fail. Be honest
always. Never be afraid to say "I don't know." Letting your student
know you are human helps their confidence.
Marilyn Quas
Chair, natural sciences department
Prairie State College
I see education as a lifelong process. My goal in teaching parallels
my goal in life: to explore the world, live life to its fullest, and
continually broaden my knowledge. I strive to instill this goal in
students directly in the area of Earth Science and indirectly in their
personal lives.
Larry Schroeder
Mathematics
Carl Sandburg College
One of my favorite teachers and past president of the National Council
of Teachers of Mathematics used to say, you cannot expect things to
grow unless you put down some fertilizer. I have followed that principle
and used his stories as well as adding my own.
Larry Sidwell
Accounting and economics
Rend Lake College
I come to the classroom with the sober realization that professor are role
models. As a student myself, I looked to my professors as experts in their
respective disciplines. Likewise, I have been periodically reminded of the
power of teaching when I hear myself quoted by former students. Accordingly,
I am consciously aware of the influence I have and the duty to use my position
responsibly.
Larry Sileven
Heating and air conditioning
Sauk Valley Community College
As a teacher of students who often are working adults
who can complete their certification in the field in
less than a year, I encourage students to commit themselves
to taking at least one class a semester beyond their certificate
training. . . . Realistically, I know that while opportunities
may be plentiful, preparedness is a prerequisite for taking
advantage of them.
Judith Straffin
Composition and literature
Rock Valley College
I once approached a wise colleague whom I knew students loved.
Like him, I was feeling deluged by the numbers of young people
seeking my help – in matters personal as well as academic.
I asked him, "How do you survive? What do you do for them all?"
He smiled. "I've learned," he said, "that I need not pay
special heed to a given student . . . as long as someone does."
His credo lies at the core of my philosophy of teaching.
Harold Strangeman
Social science
Lake Land College
Caring for our students and sharing with our students our own
educational knowledge and information are as important as ever.
It is the combined caring for our students and sharing the material
with our students that makes teaching so rewarding.
Audrey Styers
Computer information systems
Morton College
Education is a great equalizer. It doesn't matter who your family
is or what they do. People who have received an education can be
what they want and work to fulfill their dreams. The ability to
receive a quality education needs to be available to everyone.
It should be affordable and accessible. An education is not just
given – it has to be earned. Students need to work hard and be
willing to make sacrifices in order to receive their education.
As educators we can make a difference in people's lives.
Tod Treat
Chemistry
Parkland College
My role is to create a "community" that will motivate, guide and
cajole my students to new heights. In doing so, I have noticed that
students are asking better questions, are choosing topics related to
their work or interests, and are finding information for us, the
community, to discuss.
Dr. Audrey Turner
Social science
Kennedy-King College
The 21st century will bring a global society with new careers and a
unique, culturally diverse society. Education cannot be limited to
preparation in a single society and its cultural system. This global
society will be more influenced by technology than 20th century
societies. . . . My philosophy of education recommends an important
addition to the list of cross-curricula skills – the development of
cognitive processes that promote lifelong successful adaptations
and achievements across time and space.
For additional information on the ICCTA Outstanding Faculty Member Award,
please contact Kim Villanueva at 217-528-2858, ext. 1.
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Illinois Community College Trustees Association
401 E. Capitol Ave., Suite 200
Springfield, IL 62701-1711
217-528-2858 (phone)
217-528-8662 (fax)
ICCTA@communitycolleges.org (e-mail)
http://www.communitycolleges.org |
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