School Year Reflections

Like sand through an hourglass, so are the days of an educator...

2024-2025 first year as an
elementary learning center teacher

Q4: I made it through , y'all 🤪
I must say if it wasn't for my tremendously supportive Monfort Elementary coworkers, school principal and the shadowing principal PLUS generative AI this transitional experience would have been deeply troubling to my mental and physical wellbeing. Monfort students and parents are wonderful as well. Our Parent-Teacher Organization just amazingly responsive. ALL IN ALL, my placement at Monfort made the difference in an otherwise entirely foreign experience for me as a veteran teacher.

Q1: Adventures in elementary teaching

Fish out of water outfitted with an oxygen mask 🤪... that's how I'd describe my headspace around this MAJOR change in assignment for me.

First off, our 1st day of school was rainy. So, there I was with the new responsibility for AM/PM bus duty...in the rain-- THAT WAS NEW! Then there was a major storm that knocked out power to certain neighborhoods. My new school was closed for the next and only two days before our originally scheduled Labor Day holidays out of school: our 4-day weekend became SIX DAYS OFF! 🥹School started in earnest AFTER Labor Day... a throwback to the past for this 30-year teaching professional. I must say... I was NOT mad at this late start.

2025 Led with CHANGE and NEWNESS! Our principal retired on the last day before holiday break in December 2024... Our Speech and Language Pathologist relocated and left our school district the week BEFORE that. Nevertheless, I made it! One semester of elementary teaching to my credit. With all the change, Monfort Elementary has been a wonderful school environment to have my first experiences with elementary education--the staff, the students, the PTO, and the families. The people have wonderful to work with.

In making this major elementary ed transition... generative AI has been my superpower helper. I have used it to deeply evaluate student writing assignments. A huge help to me having been a 10th grade English teacher for 18 years. I had not been accustomed to checking papers of developmentally emerging writers. High school students with written expression disabilities sure, but not a writer still learning the connection between letters and sounds... YIKES!!!! AI came to the rescue for this BIG TIME! Beyond myself, I'm informally coaching my peers --to include a school administrator-- on applied uses of generative AI in the school setting.

Welp! It's 2025 Q1 and I'm back to my generative AI shenanigans... I'm taking this show on the road a bit this year too!

2023-2024 MY year of Generative Ai outpouring

My 2023-24 school year was marked by some deeply rewarding professional & personal experiences:

getting the opportunity to teach in the online learning environment which was something I longed to do post-COVID shutdowns;
presenting to aspiring future teachers (middle/high school students) and early career teachers (1 year or under) on applied use of generative AI in the classroom;
being one of the Michigan Education Association Voice magazine February- March 2024 Issue COVER STORIES on Artificial Intelligence --> https://mea.org/veteran-ai-democratizes-education/;
experiencing the year's natural phenomena like the Total solar eclipse of April 8, 2024 in Detroit, the Michigan, northern lights, or aurora borealis on May 10, 2024, and the blooming of the Rare corpse flower blooms in Dexter, MI seen via webcam;
absorbing all the excitement in the city of my birth-- DETROIT with its record-breaking NFL Draft, Grand Prix, Michigan Central Station concert & reopening activities;
and, last but not least... the college graduation of my twin daughters... WOW! Wow! Wow!🎓🎓

Let's first define our terms here: "Generative AI" refers to artificial intelligence systems capable of creating new content, such as text, images, audio, or video, based on patterns learned from existing data.

I LOVE how generative AI can extend our human creative and intellectual capabilities IF we learn to develop our skills to manage it for ethical use. The following slides are samples from my aspiring future teachers (middle/high school students).

Educators Rising SHOWCASE

2023-24 ~ UCS Virtual Academy Special SpEd Teacher - Davis

My CI students engaging with Hume AI: Empathic AI

I'm doubling down on my education consulting business. My business Waddell instructional Design and Training solves the lack of effective technology integration and support problem in classrooms for early secondary education teachers (within their first three years of teaching) so that they can feel confident and empowered to create a nurturing and engaging learning environment that benefits both teacher and students. I see the problem this way:

Inexperienced teachers + poor tech integration = ineffective classrooms
Result: Lower student engagement, decreased academic performance, and potential drops in standardized test scores

Waddell Instructional Design and Training will transform early-career teachers (years 1-3) into tech-savvy classroom leaders for direct impact on student performance:

Engaged Students → Better Learning Outcomes • Tech-savvy teachers create interactive, multimedia-rich lessons • Students are more motivated, leading to improved retention and understanding
Efficient Instruction → More Learning Time • Teachers proficient with technology waste less class time on tech issues • More time for actual teaching and learning activities
Personalized Learning → Improved Individual Performance • Tech-savvy teachers can leverage adaptive learning platforms • Students receive tailored instruction, boosting their individual progress
Data-Driven Decisions → Targeted Interventions • Teachers skilled in educational technology can better utilize student data • Early identification of struggling students leads to timely, effective interventions
Transferable Skills → Future-Ready Students • Students learn crucial digital literacy skills from tech-confident teachers • Improved preparation for higher education and future careers

2022-2023 "year of jubilee"

The Year of Jubilee is a Biblical concept that is referenced in the Book of Leviticus. It is a year of rest, forgiveness, and restoration. Every 50 years, the Israelites would let the land rest, forgive debts, and release slaves. The Year of Jubilee was a time to remember God's faithfulness and to celebrate His provision.

REST: I renewed a personal commitment to my own #selfcare. During 2020-2021 many people developed a wide range of symptoms of psychological stress and disorder, including low mood, insomnia, stress, anxiety, anger, irritability, emotional exhaustion, depression and post-traumatic stress symptoms. With the emergence to co-existing in public places in 2022, folks almost seemed to believe that all was well and that we could continue as we had in 2019. What irritated and distressed me most was my keen sense that we had experienced a disruption that required an equal response for radical change in education. I am EXCITED to report that major change is on the horizon for the 2023-2024 School Year in special education. I'm all for it, and I'll be up for the challenge because I'm committed to resting when I'm tired. Leaving things undone... it is okay--it is NOT the end of the world (just yet!). I'm giving my students more grace and I'm having more fun in the NOW. I'm not waiting until the next break... I'm enjoying the little things and those things are giving me life!

FORGIVENESS: Welp! My student loan was completely forgiven 6 years earlier than I had anticipated. Truly the borrower is servant to the leader. This slave to student loan debt was freed. I cannot effectively express by absolute JOY UNSPEAKABLE at the news. I learned of my status in December 2022. It was a Christmas miracle as far as I was concerned and I praised God for it!!

RESTORATION: I first met the now graduating senior Class of 2023 as 10th graders during the unprecedented global pandemic quarantine and lockdowns of 2020. This class will forever hold a special place in my heart having endured arguably the largest psychological experiment in both our lifetimes to date in what was a very necessary effort to mitigate the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

2022-2023 POINTS OF PRIDE

The week just before the start of our Spring Break I decided to "require" my students to teach ME something (anything) from their own sphere of expertise or interest. I called it STUDENT-Teacher Day. It was a tremendous success. I learned so much from my students, about my students on new levels, and we all learned something new about our classmates. I will DEFINITELY make this a Dr. Waddell THING going forward.

The same week AFTERSCHOOL, I facilitated 3 professional development sessions for UEA MIGS (members in good standing): The Empowered Educator and ChatGPT, Linkedin Makeover Challenge, and virtual fireside chat about 4IR (4th Industrial Revolution) Teacher Readiness. Engaging with my students and colleagues in this way truly jumpstarted my Spring Break 2023. I was in my FLOW. My pace of grace. My purpose by teaching and learning in authentic and empowering ways. I could teach for 10 more years if my days were like this special red-letter week.

DISSERTATION ROYALITIES: Who knew ProQuest pays royalties to authors based on copy sales and usage of dissertations? I didn't. So, I was pleasantly surprised to have earned a royalty payment through its placement behind the paywall of my university's ProQuest Dissertation & Theses Global subscription. Sales in all formats are added together on an annual basis and checks remitted to authors. What a nice way to continue to reap dividends from the expense of earning my PhD through my involvement with a prominent research university: Wayne State.

2021-2022 social-emotional needs in crisis

One thing the pandemic has amplified is the need in our schools for effective social-emotional skill development. Apathy, grief, depression, and anxiety are at an all-time high among teachers and students! Already wearied by the continued COVID-19 pandemic, contact tracing regulation, and periodic mask mandates in my district as well as unavoidable shifting priorities from moment to moment... students, and teachers were challenged to maintain business as usual. (Sidenote: I even became C-19+ this school year and was out for a week until I recovered. I wasn't alone-- other teachers and our administrators contracted the virus.) I've got to tell you it has been TOUGH. The critical need for self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationships skills, and responsible decision-making was in blatant display as manifested by behaviors NORMALLY unseen in our student body. A major example of this misbehavior followed the Tik Tok "bathroom challenge." A vandalism trend that causes school bathrooms across the country to be closed to students due to the damage students caused. I was shocked by the utter senselessness and repeated destruction of school property. Had our school pride diminished to ZERO?

The STRESS of this 2021-2022 school year was further compounded by the following events:

Oxford High School Shooting. Oxford High is in Oakland County, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of Detroit. Four students were killed and six students and a teacher were injured during a shooting at the school on Nov. 30, 2021. A fellow student, Ethan Crumbley, 15, is charged with murder and other crimes. His parents also are facing charges. The school's interior has been renovated since the shooting, with new paint, wall graphics, and ceiling tiles.
While incredibly tragic, copycats threatening school violence abounded in the days thereafter across MI schools resulting in low student attendance through December 3, 2021. Parents feared to send their students to school. Students did not trust their peers and didn't attend.
In all the copycat cases, students were identified, fined, jailed for domestic terrorism, or otherwise seriously reprimanded. There was even an incident at my own school... I couldn't believe it!

Dare I ask what could happen next?!?!

GOOD NEWS! I'm on Midwinter Break as of the time of this post... up to now students have enjoyed three good ol' fashion snow days. Maybe our tough times are turning the corner because our third snow day occurred on the Friday BEFORE midwinter break. I'd say THINGS ARE LOOKIN' UP!! 🙌🏿One more quarter to go and it will be summer break!

Further GOOD NEWS... I have a new co-teacher-- Miss Ristovski. I have become her official mentor as a new UCS teacher. We've worked really well together this year. She's been wonderful to collaborate with over the needs of our students and the requirements of the curriculum. The feeling is mutual... what a blessing!

"I'm checked out...I don't care." (10th grade student -male)

Second Semester ~ 2021-22 Tech to the Rescue

Instructionally second semester is my favorite time of year. My ELA curriculum requires the 10th grade research paper. I customarily take this opportunity to really drive student-led engagement by allowing them to research ANY topic of interest to include topics deemed "not school-appropriate." I teach my students how to take a general topic and view it through real-world lens, craft a scholarly research question, perform a literature review, and formulate an argumentative research thesis from that review of existing literature. THIS YEAR promoting the idea as a time to "make school about ANY topic of their interest" didn't really sell... So, I included a 3-part No Code/Low Code App Development opportunity. Student had 3 tasks: build a Google TalkBot, choose another no code/low code application to design their own project (e.g., Code.org & others), and compose an ACEC Paragraph written in MLA format. I was pleased that 7 students took the no code/low code option. Results were varied but I was very pleased with myself for following through on what I know to be good pedagogy.

Later on in the year--Q4, I introduced my students to the metaverse via FrameVR. We had much to troubleshoot but AGAIN I was pleased to have arrested my students attention to what is possible leveraging technology with an intentional purpose. I can only imagine what a highly engaged group of learners would create working collaboratively around a learner-centered goal-- my plan for NEXT TIME.

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2020-2021
Year of DO and APPLY

This school year began like none other in all my now 28 years of teaching. When the Back-to-School merchandise started to hit the stores (the ones left open due to COVID-19 business closures), when the calendar flipped to September, and when the 1st school bell rang of the 2020-21 school year, the hallways at my school in my school district were SILENT. My classroom was empty and all my students' faces were on a school-issued laptop screen and/or new teacher docking station monitor. After a racially charged emotional and political Summer of 2020 that highlighted inequalities, this new school year placed EVERYONE in the seat of LEARNER equally-- teachers, administrators, parents/caregivers/guardians, and families as we navigated the REMOTE learning environment. EVERYBODY is working OVERTIME to meet the needs of students and their families given the virtual/remote teaching and learning arrangement. I'm actually writing this reflection after only 1 month into the school year...because this start of school has been a lot of work! While I personally absolutely LOVE the remote learning environment for its ability to give more pointed attention to students individually and in small groupswith a few keystrokes; for the option to work from home or onsite at school; for the ability to gather data to inform teaching, learning, and administrative tasks like attendance; for the ability to schedule a meeting with critical stakeholders by sending a video conferencing link; and for having the opportunity to actually do and apply standards of quality online teaching in terms of social-emotional learning, instructional design, online engagement, and online learning community building--with my students and colleagues. [I reference this point being quoted in the Sterling Heights Sentry News/ Sept. 23, 2020/Vol.31. No.21]

I will not lie. It has been exhausting! I'm struggling with time management... Did I say I'm crazy exhausted? Yet, I can absolutely appreciate a few things I have learned in all of this...

1) students miss socialization beyond their fancy mobile phones and video games

2) family members need to separate from one another to escape responsibilities of home life & build appreciation for one another

3) teachers are more empathic of struggling learners as we have experienced "the struggle" firsthand AGAIN ourselves this year

4) online learning forces us all to demonstrate and apply deliberate communication skills in terms of speaking/listening to basic writing to dynamic use of images, video, and gifs.

5) students are missing some critical hands-on skill development right now. Of course, I believe VR & AR could assist in this area.

It's only October as I write this... Phase II is about to commence with plans to RETURN to F2F instruction plus the virtual school component in place soon... THIS SHOULD BE INTERESTING...

SPRING BREAK 2021 - Welcome BACK... ONLINE!

We are on semi-quarantine to be safe after many folks left Michigan for Spring Break. I deem it "semi-quarantine" because it is SAT/PSAT testing week. The tests must go on...so, only 10th & 11th-grade students will return to school face-to-face 2 of the 5 days for testing. I decided to take the opportunity to engage my students in a virtual reality experience. We used FrameVR-- an immersive meeting and presentation tool that works on desktop, mobile, and most VR headsets. No downloads. No installs. We accessed it right from our web browsers. I had my all class just do some exploratory learning. I plan to have them help me brainstorm ways to use the space (and other settings) for learning our required curriculum. I'm looking forward to grouping them to design a space around a curriculum theme as a performance-based assessment of their learning.

The VR experience above had two required stations. Each station sought to help me gain some insights into their emotional state upon returning to school after a wonderful break from school. Michigan's weather was superb during our week off. #blessing The following QR code took students to a 1-question survey item powered by a unique machine learning algorithm that detects user behavior patterns and emotions whatever the question asked! My new friend Victoria Gerukh CEO of uTrigg designed this powerful tool. uTrigg empowers me by putting a "mood ring" on any question I ask my students. If this data is trustworthy, I can proceed with in-the-moment insight into how to connect with my students emotionally and academically. Game-changing for infusing social-emotional learning insights into any lesson or interaction, right!?

Immersive technology has captivated my psyche over the break. I'm entirely invested in leveraging VR for its research-based boost to learning, retention, and transfer of learning.

2019-2020 - Year of Reactive Online Teaching c/o COVID-19

Well... what can I say about the close of School Year 2019-2020...WOW!

I hold a graduate online teaching certificate that I have always wanted to use in my present place of employment AND do so working from home. Welp! THAT HAPPENED all right... but hardly under circumstances that I had EVER imagined.

I was so excited about transitioning to the online environment in the beginning; after all my doctoral research interest is squarely about designing dynamic collaboration in online learning environments (See A DESIGN-BASED RESEARCH STUDY EXAMINING THE IMPACT OF COLLABORATION TECHNOLOGY TOOLS IN MEDIATING COLLABORATION). Of course, the major finding of my research was that online learning is MOST effective when deliberately designed within the context of the established online class culture and social context of the activity system of transformative teaching and learning systems. What we experienced during Quarter 3 was nothing short of absolutely reactive to what we all came to realize was a WORLDWIDE COVID-19 PANDEMIC! Given THIS SET OF CIRCUMSTANCES, I'd say that educators, parents, school administration, and truly the community at large did the best we could. It was a CRAZY TIME that exposed digital access inequities in terms of internet connectivity and electronic hardware. It exposed the digital skill gaps of teachers, students, parents, and business owners. It rocked the social-emotional state of those in a professional position to serve the needs as their expertise. Personally, the experience gave me absolute clarity that my passion is to empower those with resistance to technology integration so that they can begin producing transformative teaching and learning experiences for their learners as educators or simply leverage technology with agility for daily life purposes of work or play come what may in terms of ever-changing technological advances. AGAIN, what must be underscored was the unprecedented circumstances under which we ALL had to shift into at the moment. By the end, I must admit... I WAS OVER IT!

I don't know about you but... I have had a GREATER 1-to-1 touch with my students being online than F2F. I'm NOT saying one way is superior to the other... I AM SAYING that the tech has enabled multiple means of representation, action & expression. It's been exhausting...but empowering. (My June 3rd Facebook post)

On the bright side, all technology is being considered for its pros & cons, its best practices, and its limitations. My greatest concern however is that the reactive online learning experience we all had to shift to-- as a first academic experience for most-- was largely perceived as negatively in terms of its utility for deep immersive learning. I can assure you that it is my goal to continue learning and involving myself in what's NEXT in eLearning (AR,VR, machine learning or AI, and more) for more immersive learning and transferable skill development. #GOALS

One thing is for sure... the Governor’s Executive Order, which required the school building closure for this school year due to the COVID-19 outbreak has accelerated or dare I say FORCED businesses and schools to rethink distance learning and confront head-on the ramifications of other big concerns with technology use: privacy, equity, accessibility, professional development, curriculum design, Universal Design for Learning principles, etc.

I will be an agent of change in public education through direct support to my colleagues & other educators everywhere. STAY TUNED...TO THE CLASS OF 2020... I celebrate you... It has definitely been something entirely unexpected on sooooooooooooo many levels... One for the history books to be sure... the personal diary, Snapchat & IG stories, Twitter and Facebook feeds. Nevertheless, CONGRATULATIONS, YOU MADE IT!!

2018-19 Year of a More Relational ME

"I want you to be my Black Momma, Mrs. Dr. Waddell..." I heard this more than a few times this school year. What changed? Had my students changed? The school system? Nope. Largely, it was me; I had changed.

I made a conscious decision at the beginning of the school year that I was just going to essentially find my pace of grace this year. Meaning I decided that with all the unexplained crAzY in the world today that I would purpose to be the change I wanted to see in terms of social-emotional development learning modeling. Social-emotional skills support student achievement. Technology is ever-changing. Social norms are shifting. Change and general disruption bounds today in every aspect of our lives. This change can be distressing or exciting depending on one's mindset.

Even as a middle-aged adult, I have noticed my own stress levels rising. I'm on a never-ending quest to just RELAX and not take things so seriously. Further, in the past 3-5 years, I have noticed that my students have become increasingly anxious, stressed and fearful as manifested by requests and almost the NEED for levels of student support that border on modifications to the general education curriculum over accommodations in a way that made even me uncomfortable to a certain degree. I wondered why students with mild to moderate learning disabilities required such support that tended to diminish returns on learning. It disturbed me. By definition, accommodations change HOW a student learns course content. A modification changes WHAT a student is taught or expected to learn. I'm the kind of educator who believes that learning is a holistic experience that goes beyond the mere learning of facts & figures. Learning for the 21st century should develop transferable skills that build character required to critically think and ideate innovative solutions to sticky global problems. Instead, it seemed that some accommodations modified the social-emotional learning outcomes that were to result in a more conscientious, emotionally stable, open, and altruistic student. These critical transferable skills are the foundation of all the academic strengths a learner may possess that could determine his/her future relationships, interactions, and employment.

Coping skills are at a deficit these days in the common citizen. Understanding that I could truly only change my own behavior over that of others I decided that I would be more purpose-driven in my interpersonal engagement with my students. I would be sure to model peace, self-control, organization, openness, and interest in the personal lives of my students. THE RESULT. I experienced hopeful flashes of socially responsible behavior from my students one to another during my class period. We were a community of learners sympathetic to the differences of others with an openness to communicate our fears, frustrations, and concerns about our world. Empowered with this candidate feedback I suppose I responded less like a stern schoolmarm and more like a confidant this year-- I became school-mom. My students sensed my concern for their futures. They began to accept that all the academic demands I required of them (my expectations are high) were to truly prepare them beyond just the facts and figures of our state curriculum but to build resilience and wonder in them again. If my students learned nothing else from Dr. Waddell this year I know they understood that our world needs them to express the best parts of being human in the face of increasing artificial intelligence, robotics, and other automated systems.

2017-18 Year of Pre-Employment Transition Job Exploration

The future of work is changing for everyone enabled by technological advances that impact societal expectations and demand new skills. Individuals with barriers to employment experience unique challenges that must be addressed early. Given both circumstances, I purpose to empower every learner I have the opportunity to serve with intentional learning experiences that incorporate real-life authenticity and applied digital skill development.

Transition planning came alive this year with two very different job exploration field experiences. My students were given a rare opportunity to engage with conservation and entertainment from the perspective of employment and training. Our daily school work and IEP activities were made more relevant to my students. They began to understand that their high school coursework and the work of outside agencies like Michigan Rehabilitation Services (MRS) exist to eliminate or reduce difficulties they may encounter in making the transition to adult life.

I will continue to open my class to Pre-Employment Transition Service opportunities through Michigan Rehabilitation Services (MRS). Next school year, I'd love for MRS to identify individuals who have disabilities and can offer first-hand accounts to share with students about their work-based experiences.

This school year I decided to incorporate the FREE resources of Google's new Applied Digital Skills Curriculum to teach and accomplish the challenging and long-term 10th-grade research paper process. My students' understanding was supported using this tool being from a trusted 3rd party: Google. My students learned how to leverage technology to research and develop a research topic. The lesson included designing a research question; performing basic and advanced internet search strategies; evaluating the bias of digital information sources, and selecting sources of information for credibility, accuracy, and relevance. (Speaking of bias... I LOVE my Google products and services! I'm Team Android all the way...) I'm all about collaboration and Google just ROCKS in this functionality... ijs

2016-17 Year of Opportunity: Digital Literacy Partnerships

I love NoRedInk! Having introduced the platform to my co-teachers McCarthy and Walczak last year and using NoRedInk with our students, this school year I was honored to participate in a pilot of NoRedInk's Writing program along with seven other UCS teachers. I was interviewed by Partnerships Lead, Ned Lindau to share valuable feedback towards the continuous improvement of the site. NoRedInk's School Partnerships Manager Marc McCann said of my contributions:

"Dr. Waddell is one of the few teachers across the country piloting a program this year that we hope to release in the future, and her feedback has been essential in determining what changes need to be made prior to launching the program. Her experiences in the classroom with students allow us to better understand the successes, concerns, and frustrations felt by our users. This information is critical for us to enhance student learning and ease the workload of teachers. Dr. Waddell's feedback resulted in our team providing teachers with much more flexibility and customization so that they can better tailor instruction to meet students' needs. She also helped us identify more valuable ways to organize and determine the amount of content students experience at a given time. These outcomes will significantly impact the effectiveness of teachers who use the program across the country and will help millions of students improve in fundamental writing skills." marc.mccann@noredink.com

During Teacher Appreciation Week 2017, I received an email from NoRedInk

Customer Success Manager, Jeremy Crouthamel shared that my quote about NoRedInk's impact on me and my students was featured on the homepage of NoRedInk.com. What an honor!!

(Shown to the right) My students use NRI's newly designed passage structures with the improved mastery system. They truly appreciated the changes!!

At the beginning of this school year, I purposed to make active use of the district-provided Office 365 cloud-based tools in my classroom. By year-end, I challenged my students (and myself) to only use Office Mix or Microsoft Sway for our final projects. I was abundantly pleased with the level of collaboration, creativity, depth of thinking, and engagement this challenge wrought. My students most fearful of doing presentations really embraced the tools' ability to give them voice. I was very pleased with this first attempt at requiring my students to produce content using Office Mix or Microsoft Sway. It will not be my last.

2015-16 Year of Budget Cuts

This school year started with the elimination of my K-12 Instructional Technology Consultant position due to cutbacks. Many if not all "teachers on special assignment" were sent back to their classrooms to no longer function in their special duties.

Became Special Education Teacher Consultant again this year

Defended my doctoral dissertation, graduated Fall 2015, and was conferred my PhD

All was NOT lost... my impact to students was somewhat greater through my direct support to teachers at my high school. This year my co-teachers integrated technology to facilitate daily student collaboration and greater instances of transformative teaching and learning experiences. We were so proud of our students this year as so many of them demonstrated deeper comprehension and synthesis of literary themes & social sciences to their own lives through their projects and presentations. Both our students and the teachers I co-taught with this year leveraged technology with greater creativity and digital efficacy. There is opportunity for growth for us all... Desperate times require desperate measures. Leveraging technology helps facilitate this change! I'm very proud to be one of technology's ambassadors for personalized instructional interventions toward student/teacher academic progress and instructional improvement.

2014-15 Year to Complete My Doctoral Dissertation

December 2015 Graduation is my goal!

Public Notice

Dissertation Defense

UCS website Acknowledgement

Go Dr. Me!

2013-14 New Challenges / New Beginnings

Some of the FEATURES of this school year included my:

Functioning in dual roles in my district: K-12 Instructional Technology Consultant & SpEd Teacher
Passing Doctoral Qualifying Exams--written & oral
Surviving the 2014 Arctic Blast & the Breaking the 133-Year-Old Detroit Snow Record
Experiencing 7 unprecedented SNOW DAYS that required county school calendar adjustment

I learned so much this year about next-generation teaching & learning strategies and assessment methods: PBL, NWEA, MEAP Online Version, and Smarter Balance. I met new colleagues (NGLC committee) & forged new relationships throughout my school district (DLMD & NWEA support at the elementary level).

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