Tag: School of Education

Alumni Spotlight: Scott Kasenga, Principal Certification, ’16

September 28, 2017 / cairney / 0 Comments

In the Spring of 2016, I earned the Principal/Program Administrator Certificate led by Dr. Cynthia Johnson. As a result of positive support and a rigorous training, I am the first Assistant High School Principal at College Place HIgh School in College Place, WA. Craig McKee, who graduated from the program two years earlier introduced me to Gonzaga . He spoke highly about the standards that the programs holds their students accountable, the support given to their students while attending the program, and the program’s leadership.

The instruction and guidance provided by Dr. Cynthia Johnson and Jim Whitford helped me tremendously during my adjustment out of the classroom and into the front office. As a first year administrator, Dr. Johnson has reached out to me to assist with this year’s cohort and Jim Whitford has stopped by my high school twice to make sure I was settling into my new position with relative ease.

One of the greatest lessons learned while attending Gonzaga is how to work collaboratively, because education’s greatest resource is others in our field. We can solve all our current issues if given enough time to first empathize an issue, create a definition, ideate possible solutions while building a prototype, and finally testing and evaluating our results. If we can provide the resource of time mixed with the experience of other educators most educational issues can be contained. Working with my colleagues for the betterment of the students has become my best part of my day, because the most challenging aspect has always been a meeting to set up a meeting. Any system can be infected with the bureaucracy. Part of my vision as an educational leader is to support those with a great idea. The idea needs to get into the classroom while the burning inspiration is still ablaze.

I want to raise the public perception of teachers in our society. I have worked with two highly dedicated and motivated school districts in my career, and in both always felt overworked, but this is the profession we have chosen. I want acknowledgement through accolades and compensation through funds showered on our current educators. Only then will the profession be viewed on the same level as other occupations in our society. However, this vocation can offer the most rewards you could ever imagine! Once a professional educator develops relational trust with all their stakeholders, colleagues, students, and parents, true success follows. Know what your strengths are and play to them while recognizing and developing your areas of concern.

Alumni Spotlight: Gane’ Bourgeois, Principal Certification, ’16

September 14, 2017 / cairney / 0 Comments

Tell us about yourself: My name is Gane’ Bourgeois, and I received my certification in Educational Administration/Leadership from the Principal Certification Program. We, our cohort, graduated in May, 2016.
What are you doing now?: For the last six years, I have served as the Educational Director for the Madison House, a youth organization run by the Yakima Union Gospel Mission. I chose to remain in my role for an additional year to serve the students in our program, whom I’ve known and mentored for over 20 years. I recently accepted a position as the Assistant Principal at Wilson Middle School, in the Yakima School District, for the 2017-2018 school year.
Why did you choose a program in the School of Education at Gonzaga? Gonzaga University is well-respected in the field of education, known for having an excellent program with high standards, talented faculty, and focused on bringing quality educators/leaders into the field.
What influenced you the most during your time at Gonzaga? Dr. Cynthia Johnson was instrumental in helping all of us become successful. While she has extremely high expectations, she treated us with respect, and helped us keep our goal in mind. Dr. Johnson loves her school, and is a proud Bulldog. She made sure that we were well “decorated” in GU emblems for our future offices, as each graduating principal enters our new roles as administrators with a professional folio marked “Gonzaga University Educational Leadership” on the front. “Expecting” mothers and fathers received Gonzaga “onesies” to celebrate the new births that took place during our cohort year. She helped us become a supportive family, and her friendliness kept us “human” during our tough program.
What was your greatest lesson learned at Gonzaga? My greatest lesson learned from my specific program at Gonzaga was that ANYONE can do ANYTHING for a year, but doing it well is the challenge.
What is the most rewarding aspect of working in your field? Most challenging? The most rewarding aspect of working in the field of education, and in my position as an educator in a youth non-profit organization, is watching students make something of their dreams. When my students turn their dreams into goals and then go after them, it is so powerful. The most difficult aspect of being a part of this field is helping students understand that success doesn’t come easily, all the time; and when they fail, helping them get up is difficult, but necessary.
What critical issues do you see that need to be addressed in your field? I’m worried that educational professionals have become swept-up in a current of negativity. This has been caused by several factors; and though it is fairly easy to focus on things that distract us, we cannot lose sight of the reason why we do what we do…a successful future for our students.
What advice do you have for future education professionals?
1. In whatever role you acquire, give yourself at least two years; one to keep your lips above the water-line, and the second to actually do the work. Then decide if you like what you do.
2. Find balance; this field will take every second of time that you have. The work will still be there tomorrow, but people may not be.
3. Don’t be afraid to laugh…especially at yourself. This might be the only action that keeps you from “crazy”, on some days.

Why I Teach: Danny’s Story

September 5, 2017 / cairney / 0 Comments

By Lauren Macey, MIT ’12

I get asked all the time why I teach. I never know how to answer it quite right, so I usually say something sarcastic like, “Because I’m really a huge fan of hearing myself repeat the same thing 16 times in three minutes,” or “Because summers, obviously.”

There was a 13-year-old boy in my morning class who I’ll call Danny. At least three times a week, he showed up over an hour late to my class. He was always behind, never quite knew what was going on, and his late work caused extra grading for me. Frankly, he annoyed me. Every time he showed up late, I assumed he didn’t care. He wasn’t responsible. He didn’t respect me. Finally, I asked him. “Danny, why are you always late?” He shrugged. I said nothing, and waited for a response. He sighed, “My mom got this new boyfriend, and whenever she stays the night at his place, no one is home to make sure my little brother gets on the bus. I make sure he’s awake and get him on his bus, but that means I miss my bus and have to walk.” How far is your house from school? “A little over a mile.”

Woah! Danny IS responsible. Danny DOES care. Danny DOES value his education. See, whenever Danny was late, he would miss the school’s free breakfast and go hungry until lunch. He’s frustrated with his mom, behind in his classes and hungry. Now, when Danny shows up late, instead of greeting him with a detention slip and an eye roll, I get to greet him with a genuine smile and a granola bar. Danny humbled me. To be completely honest, I get humbled by my students daily. They make me realize that I can be impatient, judgmental and imperfect. But the thing is, there’s no eleventh commandment that says, “Thou shalt be perfect.” Jesus just showed up, met people exactly where they were and loved them. Then he taught, but only after their immediate needs were met.

I teach because I get to ask kids “why” every day. Why are you late? Why aren’t your clothes clean? Why aren’t you doing your work? Why do you want to sleep in my class? Why are you so afraid to take a risk? Why don’t you trust adults? Why are you acting out? Why are you arguing with me? (Sometimes the questions are ridiculous: why are you hiding in my closet? Why did you think it was a good idea to throw your shoe out the window? Why did you just lick your neighbor’s ear?). The “whys” teachers ask aren’t to be punitive and shame kids. Teachers ask kids “why” because we get to treat students like human beings worthy of love and respect. Those “whys” show kids that we care, that they’re worthy, that they matter, and that they’re safe. We ask why, and then we listen … really listen to these kids.

For eight (sometimes up to 11) hours a day, I have the privilege of treating my students like people – not like test scores, not like a pay check, not like one big group who are all the same. In each class, I have 30 Danny’s. Each kid shows up with individual baggage, and I get one year to try and help them unpack it. When a kid trusts you enough to let you in or to take a risk in your classroom, that is a victory I can’t even begin to put into words. Teaching isn’t about the curriculum, the common core, the SBACs, the pay for performance ladders, or any of that. For me, teaching is about being that one consistent adult in a kid’s life. It’s about that moment when you see a kid grasp a concept they’ve struggled with for days, weeks, or even months. It’s about the look in their eyes when something clicks. It’s about the pride students feel when they turn in a project they were excited about. It’s about a student begging, “Miss, pleaseeee just read one more chapter, the story is so good!” It’s about one of the toughest kids in the school saying your class is their favorite because they know you care.

It’s about the smile that crosses a kids’ face when you hand them back an assignment with an ‘A’ written on the top and they feel successful for the first time in their life.

Yes, I get frustrated sometimes, but I don’t get to quit. I try and teach kids like Danny not to give up – to stick it out, face the adversity and rise above it. If we as teachers want to live out the lessons we teach, we can’t focus on all the negative aspects of this job, when there are so many good things! I fail every single day.
I handle situations the wrong way, I say the wrong thing, I snap at a kid who didn’t necessarily deserve it. I’m human, I’m flawed and I’m broken. But as a teacher,
I have redemption every day. I can lead by example and show kids how to come back from a mistake. Every class is a fresh start and a new opportunity to do a little bit better than I did last time.

Every single kid deserves a chance to make it. As teachers, we get to help them realize that education is their way out. Education is the springboard that’ll get them out of the situation they came from. Teaching isn’t about me. It’s bigger than me, and it’ll always be that way.

Teaching isn’t just a job. It’s a lifestyle. That’s why I teach.

Alumni Spotlight: Dianna Easton, Leadership & Administration, ’16

August 31, 2017 / cairney / 0 Comments

Tell us about yourself: My name is Dianna Easton; I was blessed with the privilege of earning a Master’s Degree in Leadership and Administration, in Calgary cohort 23, in July 2016.
What are you doing now?: Currently I am a grade three teacher that loops with her students into grade four, and then rotates to grade three again to pick up and new set of students for another two years. I teach in a public education setting, in a complex and diverse learning environment. This year, I also accepted a Learning Leader position with our administration team to help promote and further our schools development plan, as well as lead development in task design and Professional Learning Community protocols and collaboration. The Alberta Teacher’s Association (ATA) also granted me an opportunity to work for them within their professional development seminar cohort, delivering requested ATA workshops and seminars throughout the southern part of Alberta.

There are three other roles that I have taken on as well, because of my love for learning and the need to continue to ask questions and develop a deeper understanding of culture and leadership. Starting in June 2017, I will be beginning my doctoral program in Leadership Studies with Gonzaga University. Dr. Chris Francovich is my academic advisor for my doctoral work. I am incredibly honoured to have this opportunity. Dr. Charles Salina, has also hired me to begin working with the Adjunct Assembly and help support and teach the Gonzaga Master’s Program in Alberta. Dr. Sherry Martens, the Associate Dean of Education for Ambrose University, has also invited me to be a sessional teacher, teaching elementary mathematical conceptualization courses to support Alberta’s mathematical drive to increase student performance and achievement.

Why did you choose a program in the School of Education at Gonzaga? The drive behind my choice to attend Gonzaga University stemmed from a summer seminar, in which two inspiring leaders conversed and shared their views and levels of thinking that touched my heart and caused me to ask deeper pedagogical questions that stirred my curiosity. The following Monday, I asked a question about pursuing a master’s level education. Before I knew it I was conversing with Dr. Charles Rose, and I began classes that weekend. In conversing with Dr. Rose and Dr. Martens, I realized that the face-to-face learning was where I wanted to be, as I was so (and in many ways still am) very unsure of my thinking abilities, qualities and capabilities. Yet, the supportive and highly knowledgeable people I have come to know and love, as my professors, believed in me. It was all I needed to begin to question and to view learning and teaching differently. It was the catalyst to my opening my mind and finding strengthen therein.
What influenced you the most during your time at Gonzaga? I truly believe in the cohort model, as sharing and listening to each other helped me to gain strength within my own thinking processes, but also with my perspectives and in my understandings/interpretations of events, experiences and opportunities. The notion of a lived experience only begins to touch the surface of the profound effect my master’s journey with Gonzaga has given me. My life has sincerely and irrevocably has been changed because of my association, interactions and professional relationships with Dr. Dan Mahoney, Dr. Sherry Martens, and Eric Perrault.

These three key individuals have influenced my understanding and desire to continue to question and consider ways to become better, to drive change, and seek after continued learning. Mr. Perrault introduced me to the notions and questions of cultural impact and consequence, which spurred my capstone inquiry and drove my interest into increasing cultural understandings of others. The impact of this course alone has changed my thinking and perceptions immeasurably. Coupled with the untold support and encouragement that Mr. Perrault and Dr. Martens gave me as I began to write, to explore my thinking, and notions of educational problems of practice that I found to of worth, was incredible. The knowledge and generosity of time given to help strengthen my self-confidence and encourage deeper thinking, really was truly profound. The unwavering and interest that Dr. Mahoney gave to my questions and conceptualizations was and is a profound gift and blessing. Dr. Mahoney was able to help me reframe and consider complex interactions and philosophies of interpreting ‘being’ and ‘becoming’ that allowed me to see beyond the immediate and into the possibilities of what could be with change and dedication to service and servant leadership. It was through Dr. Mahoney’s influence, support and gentleness, that I found the strength and desire to explore the reasons for why I fear leadership. The process was very personalized, which allowed me to dig deep and help me learn to write from my heart.

Simply put, my life has changed. My way of thinking has changed. I have been shaped and molded into someone I never thought I could be. It is so totally exciting and thrilling to continue this journey and to explore other ways that I can make a difference in the lives of those I teach!

What was your greatest lesson learned at Gonzaga? The greatest lesson I have learned at Gonzaga is the power and influence of servant leadership. So many individuals I have been blessed to associate with and learn from within the master’s program exemplify and embody what servant leadership is all about. The kindness, generosity, compassion, and passion have given me hope to work with increased determination for what education is all about – reaching potentials, building confidence, teaching and learning about thinking, and developing relationships that spur exploration, risks and trust; which all allow for failures, mistakes and increased probability of finding the heart of the matter (truth). But to also understand ‘others’ with different views and lenses, with increased care and appreciation. The collective and collaborative nature of working in education is complex and often times overlooked as political structures influence the design and needs of public education. In understanding that change is possible and that change matters, hope and willingness will prevail to endure within a changing structure(s)/understandings.
What is the most rewarding aspect of working in your field? Most challenging? The most rewarding aspect of working in education is to see the smile and eyes sparkle of child who has just discovered for themselves, that they can make sense of the world around them.

The excitement and enthusiasm children have with a natural curiosity and willingness to question events, experiences and happening around them is a motivational factor to continue to find ways to help children be the best learners they can be, with self-confidence, advocacy and appreciation. I would be remiss to not acknowledge the profound affect and effect the collaborative and influential nature of working with wise and profound leaders can have on one’s perceptions, perspectives, and interest in advancing educational practices and remaining student-centered.

The most challenging aspect of working in education, is understanding the influence of politics, organizational constructs, and interactions of our government with the institution of education. How does one teach all day, interact with children all day, and then at the end have others making decisions politically, financially, and socially that directly impact the way in which a child can be educated without voice, without collaboration, without time? How can teachers help other teachers and parents navigate the complexity of educational systems to enable teachers to be active, to progress, and to help parents be informed and a part of the educational experiences of their child in a meaningful manner? How can professional teachers help complacent teachers move forward and seek further knowledge and learning themselves without relational trust and personal interactions with decision makers and policy makers within a hierarchical system?

What critical issues do you see that need to be addressed in your field? The critical issues I see that need to be addressed within education include building a better sense of community for immigrant families to help them transverse the complex educational system within Alberta, Canada, so that parents can advocate for their child’s needs; but to also be aware of the various supports and options to help support learning success for all students. But I also believe that teachers need help with learning how to pragmatically shift between notions of teacher practice and professionalism within an organization, and to develop more advanced levels of cultural awareness to ensure rich and engaged learning experiences and opportunities for all students. As I have stepped into a Learning Leader position, and have begun to work with our school’s administration team, another layer to helping develop teacher competencies would be to help foster and develop leadership skills in others.
What advice do you have for future education professionals? The advice I have for future educational professionals is to enjoying changing your view and perspective. That higher learning is exciting and will only enhance and shift your teaching practices to meet the needs of all the students who enter your classrooms. Leadership is a mindset and way of thinking that broadens understanding and heightens differentiation to lead to more engagement and richness of thought/activity/purpose. The culture of learning is the best avenue to meet your students with and begin to develop relationships based on trust and security. Moreover, I firmly believe that educational professionals need to ask themselves and others questions, to deepen conversations, to shift thinking, and to never settle: keep expectations high and think your way through the various notions, changes, and conceptualization shifts and paradigms asked of you: be comfortable with change, and be an agent for change.

Alumni Spotlight: Robert Wall, Leadership & Administration, ’94

August 17, 2017 / cairney / 0 Comments

Tell us about yourself: My name is Robert Wall. I earned an MA of Arts in Administration, Curriculum and Instruction in 1994.
What are you doing now?: ? I am retired from teaching. This was after 36 years in in the classroom and for 22 of those years I was a Vice-Principal. After that I was seminar leader and student teacher supervisor for eight more years at UVic (University of Victoria). I presently work on set construction for a theatre group, Peninsula Player, in Victoria, BC, and playing with my two grandsons.
Why did you choose a program in the School of Education at Gonzaga? My neighbour, Dr. Joe Kess, head of the Linguistics Department at UVic, recommended it highly. Kess was a graduate of Georgetown University and knew that Gonzaga had a positive affiliation with it. He felt that there would be very positive and supportive feel to Gonzaga’s Education program as well.
What influenced you the most during your time at Gonzaga? This is a difficult question. I believe I model the personal qualities that a school community should expect from an individual. I always wished that I could do more and always strived for that. The following people offered realistic and innovative new teaching models and ideas that I was able to merge right away as the MA program progressed as well as after the program was completed: Matt Cadman, Dr. Jon Evavold, Dr. Monica Schmidt, Dr. Dick Sovde and Dr. Deborah Nieding. They were all great role models!
What was your greatest lesson learned at Gonzaga? I had been called an “Educator,” “Master Teacher,” and “Idea Man” by Principal reports in the nine schools I had worked. Gonzaga gave me the feeling from, ‘I think I can’ to a definite ‘Yes, I can improve my teaching and administration skills for my school communities.’
What is the most rewarding aspect of working in your field? Most challenging? I was always a ‘Sunday night pacer’ as I planned for the next week to come. I always found that if you planned well you could almost always bring fun, new ideas and enjoyment for the students, staff and school community. Sometimes that required change or a new way of doing something. So, for me change was always the ‘challenge.’ That was one of the reasons I asked for nine school transfers so that I could challenge myself. Each school was like starting teaching all over only in a different school environment.
What critical issues do you see that need to be addressed in your field? ? I like being with kids and find a school ghost-like when the hallways are empty without them there. Like Victoria, many cities do not have a large percentage of students by population. I think it is extremely important to promote stronger understanding of the amazing talent younger people in schools are to the general public, sometimes the school’s parent communities, business, the press and government at all levels.
What advice do you have for future education professionals? To best answer this question I am going to use some quotes from my farewell retirement speech. “To me a school, my definition, has always been an ‘Information, Intergenerational, Transfer, Environment’. Or, I would say, a school is a building of four walls, with tomorrow inside. A school is more of a spirit than a physical structure… Young hope walks its corridors. Young dreams climb its stairways. Young ambitions fill its classrooms. It’s youngest building in the world. It’s a school my favourite place.” So, being an educator is hard work, challenging, and you need to work as hard as you can every year for your students. And if you do, you will find teaching to be one of the most rewarding, enjoyable and important jobs in the world. As Cicero wrote, “What noble employment, or more valuable to the state, than that of instructing the younger generation.”

Alumni Spotlight: Dara Zurfluh, Principal Certification, ’17

August 10, 2017 / cairney / 0 Comments

Tell us about yourself: Dara Zurfluh, Principal Certification, 2017
What are you doing now?: Assistant Principal, Sumner School District
Why did you choose a program in the School of Education at Gonzaga? I chose Gonzaga because of the high recommendation that the program was given by past graduates. I valued the beliefs of the institution and the incorporation of the student as a whole.
What influenced you the most during your time at Gonzaga? Dr. Cynthia Johnson influenced me the most. She is a spit fire that will go to bat for her beliefs, and if she believes in you, you will have a forever ally. She has high standards that she brings everyone up to, and instills a belief in each and every student. She answers all questions at any given time of day or night, any day of the week. I am so thankful to have been influenced by her!
What was your greatest lesson learned at Gonzaga? My greatest lesson is that adequacy is not enough. I can do so much more than be average. Gonzaga and Dr. Johnson believed in me to push myself that much more.
What is the most rewarding aspect of working in your field? Most challenging? The most rewarding aspect of being in education is being able to influence students. They are the core, and seeing their growth is a reward like no other. The most challenging is the bureaucracy in education; the hoops and laws that administrators have to maneuver through.
What critical issues do you see that need to be addressed in your field? Funding is the most obvious issue right now. In addition, something I am passionate about and have learned a great deal about from Dr. Johnson, is the regional teacher shortage and the other mediocre institutions out there awarding certificates to students that do not fully understand the teaching pedagogy. It is frightening that so many people are earning quick endorsements to try and capitalize on the teaching shortage.
What advice do you have for future education professionals? Follow your heart, learn as much as you can, be open minded, and always continue to learn yourself!

Alumni Spotlight: Kelsi Rugo, Counselor Education, ’13 & ’15

August 3, 2017 / cairney / 0 Comments

Tell us about yourself: Kelsi Rugo, MA Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Undergraduate ’13, Graduate ’15
What are you doing now?: I am a PhD student working in the National Center for Veterans Studies at The University of Utah. Here, I do research and clinical work (psychotherapy) with suicidal veterans and service members.
Why did you choose a program in the School of Education at Gonzaga? I did my undergraduate degree at Gonzaga and knew that a Zag education would far surpass what competing universities could offer me. The holistic education and growth-oriented community at Gonzaga is unique, and quite rare.
What influenced you the most during your time at Gonzaga? Dr. Lisa Bennett was my faculty advisor during my master’s program at Gonzaga and was a major catalyst in the transformational growth I underwent during the program. She perfectly embodies the Jesuit idea of holistic education by pushing for her students’ intellectual, spiritual, cultural, physical, and emotional growth, which laid the foundation for me to continue this work outside of Gonzaga.
What was your greatest lesson learned at Gonzaga? The greatest lesson I learned at Gonzaga was to embrace challenging and often painful growth. This never feels easy, but has changed my life in revolutionary ways and continues to shed light on the path forward from here.
What is the most rewarding aspect of working in your field? Most challenging? The most rewarding part of the work I do is watching veterans and service members have better and live meaningful, fulfilling lives. The most challenging part is learning to take care of myself and reconcile what I hear in my office with my beliefs about the world, as trauma and suicide work can be very depleting at times.
What critical issues do you see that need to be addressed in your field? One issue that I’m particularly passionate about (and do research on) is clinician competency. In order to provide ethical care and help people become better, we need clinicians who are healthy, well-trained, and prepared to deliver evidence-based interventions competently. However, several barriers stifle access to quality training (financial cost, training status limitations, inadequate mentoring) and eventually impact the quality of care that patients receive from these clinicians down the road.
What advice do you have for future education professionals? Do the personal work that needs to be done. Heal from your past hurts, explore who you are, connect with an empowering community, and learn hard feedback from others. This kind of personal work will not only serve you well personally, it will also enhance the professional work you do with others.