Artifacts

1.  Departmental

·        Advisor to Otterbein College Education Theme House 2003- present

·        Advisor to Otterbein Collegiate Middle Level Association 2002- present

My first artifacts in this area are information about each of the above organizations and letters from students from these groups. I would like to highlight my departmental commitment to working with students not only in a classroom but also outside the classroom through student organizations.  From 2002 to the present, I have been the advisor for the Otterbein Collegiate Middle Level Association.  This is a professional organization with membership in the Collegiate Middle Level Association (CMLA) that is an affiliate of National Middle School Association.  Our local chapter has officers, weekly meetings, attends conferences, presents at conferences and brings programming to campus.  I also worked with a group of young women in the spring of 2003 to write a proposal for an Education Theme House.  Both of these services show my commitment to democratic practice and the belief in building a professional learning community with and for the students of the education department.

2.  Divisional

·        Member of the Otterbein College Faculty Development Committee- 2004-present (at-large member)/ responsible for organizing Faculty Scholars Series

My second set of artifacts is examples of the Faculty Scholars Series that I organized.  My membership on the Otterbein Faculty Development Committee has been one that has provided me with a stronger understanding of the workings of the college and the continued support for the professional growth of all faculty members.  My service as the organizer of the Faculty Scholar’s Series has put me in direct contact with leaders from all departments and divisions on the Otterbein Campus.  This membership shows my commitment to my own professional growth and my belief in the college as a learning community.

3.  Campus

·        Work with the Center for Community Engagement as one of the liaison for the Learn and Serve grant- 2006-present

·        Worked with the Service Learning Creative Literacy Project with the Otterbein College English Department - Summer 2006                

·        Learn and Serve Grant, participant, 2006-present
Service Learning and Academic Achievement in the Middle (SLAM)

The third artifact is the proposal for the Learn and Serve Grant that I am presently working on with the Center for Community Engagement.  Service learning, as indicated earlier in my portfolio, shows my pledge to experiential learning with a strong commitment to social justice and equity. In the artifact you will see the draft of the ongoing work to collaborate with the Education Committee of the Westerville Chamber of Commerce, Westerville City Middle Schools, and the Otterbein Center for Community Engagement in developing a service learning component in their classrooms. I am committed to making Service Learning and Academic Achievement in the Middle (SLAM) a part of the middle childhood education program at Otterbein and a part of the middle schools of Westerville.  I am committed to keeping myself and my students involved with public schools and to model for them service learning in action. 

4.  Community

The fourth set of artifacts includes information about the Ohio Schools to Watch and a letter of support from a member of the leadership team.  "Schools to Watch" is an initiative launched by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform in 1999. The National Forum is an alliance of more than 60 educators, researchers, and officers of national associations and foundations dedicated to improving schools for young adolescents across the country. 

·        They are academically excellent – these schools challenge all students to use their minds well.

·        They are developmentally responsive – these schools are sensitive to the unique developmental challenges of early adolescence.

·        They are socially equitable – these schools are democratic and fair, providing every student with high-quality teachers, resources, and supports.  (http://www.schoolstowatch.org/what.htm)

Implemented by the Ohio Department of Education– in partnership with the Ohio Middle School Association, the Ohio Federation of Teachers, Otterbein College and KnowledgeWorks Foundation – OSTW is an affiliate of the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform “Schools to Watch” program.  (http://www.ohiomsa.org/ohio_schools_to_watch.asp)

As a member of this leadership team, I have shown my commitment to building a learning community outside of Otterbein campus.  I have shown my desire to look for excellence and to find ways to connect my students to this excellence.  I have shown my continued commitment to work with young adolescents and continuing the belief in my own professional development in this area.