Teacher Consultant Kudos!
TCs receive 18-hour Graduate Certificates:
Eight PLWP TCs have completed or are finishing the Prairie Lands Writing Project 18-hour Graduate Certificate in Writing during 2008-2009. Ann Dotson (2006, 2007 Invitational) St. Joseph Skaith grade 4 teacher ; Jerri Fischer (2007 Invitational), St. Joseph Lindbergh kindergarten teacher; and Jill Steinmetz (2007 Invitational), Maryville high school English teacher; graduated in December 2008. Receiving their diplomas at Western’s May 9 Commencement ceremonies will be spring and summer graduates Joyce Clark (1994 Invitational) Emporia State University instructor; Tia Frahm (2008 Invitational) St. Joseph Neely grade 6 teacher; Christie Leigan (2004, 2007 Invitationals) St. Joseph Skaith grade 2 teacher; Cayetana Maristela (2008 Invitational) Center elementary (Kansas City) ELL teacher; and Jen Vermillion (2007 Invitational) Lathrop high French/Spanish teacher. Jill Steinmetz will also graduate again this summer, receiving Western’s first-to-be awarded Master of Applied Science in Assessment: Writing Option.
Carrie Lamm Clark (2006 Invitational) returned this month from active duty in Kosovo, where she served as the Secretary of the General Staff for the Commander of the Multi-National Task Force (East). “It was an amazing experience, and I am happy to be home,” she writes. Carrie plans to travel, spend time with her family, and practice law until she returns to her full-time teaching job at Lathrop high school this fall.
Mary Lee Meyer (2002 Institute) and her work integrating photos with “I Am From” poems in PLWP workshop are cited in Hank Kelnner’s article, “Using Photographs to Inspire Writing,” which published in the KCTE/LA Newsletter (winter 2009).
Kathy Miller (2001 Invitational) is the recipient of a $10,000 Best Buy Teach Award for implementing innovative technology projects with ninth-graders at West Platte high school. Kathy is the A+ Coordinator at West Platte and an adjunct English instructor at Missouri Western. The grant is one of 15 awarded nationwide, and the only one awarded in Missouri.
Rachel Spencer (2008 Invitational) had a multi-genre gallery show throughout January at Morgan Community College related to ranching and living in rural eastern Colorado. The show featured photos side-by-side with prose, poetry, and selections from “New Hometown,” the part-fiction, part-memoir piece she began last summer at the PLWP Writing Retreat. Rachel teaches language arts and sponsors FFA activities at Byers high school in Byers, CO. Read/respond to her Plains Jane blog at http://rachelchappelle.blogspot.com/.
Jill Steinmetz (2007 Invitational) and Jane Frick (2000 Invitational) conducted “Blogs and Wikis in Writing: Building a Cyber-Classroom” and “Replacing the Research Paper with an I-Search Project,” workshops, respectively, at this year’s Write to Learn Conference for language arts teachers, held at Fort Osage, MO, February 26-28.
Valorie Stokes (1994 Invitational) heads the National Writing Project leadership team that will facilitate the “Planning Your Site’s Web Presence: A Working Retreat” May 1-3 in Denver, Co. Ten teams representing writing project sites from around the country have been accepted to participate. The media coordinator at Platte County High School, Valorie serves as PLWP's web editor. In April, she also participated as an online scorer for the state of Delaware’s high school writing assessment exam, and she was honored at the Kansas Northland Regional Chamber of Commerce's Excellence in Education Banquet for service to education.
Patsy Brost (2008 Invitational) and Joe Marmaud (2004 Invitational) gave a presentation, “Between the Lines: Developmental Writers’ Life Stories” at the College Reading and Learning Association’s annual conference held this year at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, KS, April 2. They described their successful teaching strategies and successes in teaching ENG 100 Introduction to College Writing here at Missouri Western.
Send us kudos about yourself or other PLWP TCs. We update and archive kudos every month during the school year.
Kudos Archives
PLWP Teacher Resource Wiki
Read and/or contribute to our Wiki about improving teaching: Educator Organizations, Revolutionary Books, Lesson Plans and Handouts, Teacher Resource Links, and PLWP 2008 Writing Retreat
Book a Teacher Consultant to Assist with Using TechKnowFiles
Looking for ways to use technology effectively in your classroom? Browse our TechKnowFiles—online "Best Practice" teaching templates for teachers who want to use a particular technology tool to improve learning. The templates were developed as a part of PLWP’s participation in the NWP’s national Seed Sites Technology Initiative, 2005-present. The TCs who created them are available to lead workshops or provide consultations at area schools for teachers wishing to implement the technology tools. To arrange for a TC to come to your school, contact Heidi Mick, (PLWP professional development director and TechKnowFile cadre coordinator).
Graduate Courses and Programs
PLWP offers institutes for MWSU graduate credit as well as MWSU graduate courses which are taught by National Writing Project Teacher Consultants; these PLWP courses are available to teachers at the reduced tuition rate of $75 per credit. The PLWP courses count toward three MWSU graduate degrees:
Invitational Institute
Every National Writing Project site—including Prairie Lands Writing Project— offers experienced teachers the opportunity to apply and participate in an annual summer Invitational Institute. During the summer, these Teacher Scholars prepare for leadership roles by demonstrating their most effective practices, studying research, and improving their knowledge of writing by writing themselves. Upon succesful completion of the Invitational Institute, they receive NWP Teacher Consultant certification and join our TC cadre, putting their knowledge and leadership to work to improve student achievement. To learn about prior PLWP Invitational Institutes, browse our Institute Archives.
Library Listings
The PLWP office is home to a comprehensive library of books related to the teaching of reading and writing at all levels. We are proud to share these resources with our TCs at no charge. Click here to open a current list of our library holdings (in an excel file.) If there is a book you wish to borrow, e-mail us and we will be glad to pull it for you. You may then arrange with us to pick it up from the PLWP office.
TC Database
Stay in touch with fellow Teacher Consultants and find out where they are today with our new TC database. We are attempting to make the information as correct as possible. If your email or teaching status has changed, please let us know via e-mail.
Click here to open the TC Database.
