Wei Bian

What courses are you currently teaching?
I am teaching two online courses. One is PE 302/502, Foundations of online teaching and learning, the other is PE 342, Wellness through movement. I also supervise 6 student teachers who are majoring in Health and Physical Education. In addition, I teach Chinese 101: Beginning Chinese and Chinese Culture.

What are you most proud of concerning those courses?
I have taught many classes, and always enjoy what I am teaching. Being with students and seeing them grow is the most rewarding time for me. We teach by example so I try to be their role model to practice the best instruction.

What scholarly/projects are you working on in your classes?
This summer, I took an online course on educational leadership. I did a literature review on University supervisor’s role during student teaching. I just gave a presentation in Shape American PETE conference. The title of the presentation is: Capture, reflect and evaluate teaching moment: Intruding iPad applications in student teaching supervision.

What student stories can you share?
I am so happy to hear that 5 student teachers I supervised received the job offer after their graduation this Fall.
I enclose one message from one of my student teachers:

Dr. Bian,
I just wanted to say thank you one more time for everything you did for me in my undergraduate experience. I am here at UGA and I am working under Dr. McCullick (who says hello by the way) and I absolutely love it! I am the instructor of record for 3 Beginning Bowling Classes, 1 Beginning Tennis Class, and 1 Intermediate Tennis Class. Let us not forget I have my own classes to attend to, but teaching is just so much fun and I owe a lot of that to you, for teaching me in a way that makes it enjoyable. Many times, students do not tell you how much of an impact that you play in their lives, but I just wanted to make sure that you know how much you are appreciated. I cannot express my gratitude enough for you always pushing me to be the best student that I could be at that moment in time. You made me a better person beyond the classroom and that is a task I aim to achieve in each of my students. Enjoy your semester and I hope to see you sometime soon!
Casey Hollibaugh

What do you do for fun during your free time or school break?
I like cooking and gardening.

What most do you appreciate about SRU?
Student centered education. I like having the opportunity to work with my students as an advisor. It is the best time to see them from high school graduates then grow to be proud, knowledgeable and confident teacher candidates. SRU and College of Education is the best place to prepare teachers.

What made you want to be a faculty member at the college level?
Young people whom I always love to work with. They are my teachers. I learned so much from them.

If you could have one super power what would it be? Why?
Love. You got to love what you are doing, which to me is teaching. I love my students. They are making my life so enjoyable and purposeful.

Dr. Mary Vetere

Dr. Vetere is such an inspiring, upstanding and sincere professional. She is a warm-hearted, positive and a very well respected individual. She is the department chair and a professor who teaches six credits. She teaches both Field Based Child Development and Family Community Partnership class. These are blocked together along with an ELL course.

When she was asked what she is most proud about regarding those courses she stated “We were recognized by the state in the development of the Diversity block so I am proud of the work that we put it in.” She also shared that how she really liked that the students who are at the sophomore level are placed in three diverse settings which include New Castle Head Start, Pittsburgh Head Start (linguistically diverse as well) and lastly Mohawk which is a rural area that is socioeconomic diverse. She explained what she enjoyed by saying “the first day they dress so professional and so excited and they go in and experience the joy of 3 and 4 year olds and to me that is my piece of heaven. Then, all of a sudden they say, I wanted to be a teacher because I like children but it’s so much more. It is the experience of witnessing that “ah-ha” moment.” Vetere loved seeing the student’s growth from the beginning of the semester to the end of the semester and how they begin to use teacher vocabulary or academic language. 

She continued by stating “they start thinking less about themselves and more about their students.” Vetere shared that in tandem with field is the family class where the students develop a family engagement plan. This is one of the projects that the students complete in the class which allows the student to understand how they would engage the family with the education of the child. For this project, the students are given a fictitious school district and then from that they create a plan with activities that go to the families so that they can work with them at home as well as what activities will bring the families into the school. This project also enlightens the families as to the value of how and why family engagement is necessary for the academic achievement of their child. At first the students struggle, but then they begin Head Start where they are able to connect with the teachers and families. The students are able to connect what they learn at school to what they see in practice. 

Dr. Vetere said that some of the best success stories is when she goes into a school district in which she is supervising and she hears a voice say “Dr. Vetere, is that you?” She explained that when she turns around to see who said that she sees that it is one of her former students. She said “that is when I can see success, especially when they sit down and talk to me about what it’s like to be a teacher and what they learned.” She used to do a lot with puppetry in the classroom and at times the former students reports that she uses puppetry in her teaching as well and being an advocate for family engagement in their classroom. She is able to see and hear about all the things that the student learned from the ELEC program and how it is implemented into their own classroom. 

Some of Dr. Vetere’s interests include NCIS, Steeler football, and ballroom dancing with her husband as well as beginning tango. Her and her husband travel and spend time with their five grandchildren. She said “that’s the best job ever.” When she was asked what she most appreciated about SRU she explained that SRU is like her family from the students to the faculty to her fellow chairpersons and how they are always there for support and friendship. She really shared how much she appreciated individuals at SRU truly care about her as a person and she loves the family atmosphere. Dr. Vetere’s background allowed her to grow her career and began teaching workshops which led her to find great satisfaction working with adult learners. She explained that at the college level she is able to connect her love for people along with education while being challenged in a positive way by the students who are always teaching her new things. Dr. Vetere expressed how much teachers have to handle now such as high stake testing, money etc. and can cause teachers to get weighed down. She stated that if she could have one superpower it would be to impress upon her students to always teach from the heart.

Dr. Gary Clark

What courses are you currently teaching?
This semester I am teaching Biomechanics for Individuals with Disabilities, Assessment Strategies in Physical Education, and Strategies for Teaching Physical Activity. While at Slippery Rock I have taught about 14 different courses.

What are you most proud of concerning those courses?
I think I am most proud of my diverse background which has enabled me to teach a wide variety of courses. I also enjoy bringing realistic scenarios into the classroom based on my previous work experience. This includes my experience as a public school teacher, working in the fitness industry, coaching, and some of the great people I have worked with at when teaching at other institutions such as PITT and Penn State.

What scholarly/projects are you working on in your classes?
The Physical and Health Education Department is in the process of modifying our program and working with several public schools to bring a Comprehensive School Health and Wellness approach into school physical and health education programs.

What student stories can you share?
Having taught individuals ranging from preschool up through graduate school, there are many stories, but two come to mind. One is from when I taught middle school and one is from college. When teaching middle school I had a student in 8thgrade student who did not have the greatest athletic ability and he had no desire to be involved in physical education. Throughout the year I worked with him explaining I did not care if he was good at sports, I wanted him to have the tools he needed to be a healthy adult. Throughout the year he became more engaged and I did not think much of it. It was nearly a year later that I received a letter from his mother thanking me, explaining how he realized now that physical activity is something he can be involved in while in the past he had always dreaded physical and health education. 
The second story is a college story. One afternoon I was sitting working in my office when I noticed a student walk past several times. After the 4thor 5th pass I asked the student if I could help them with anything. The student said they were looking for a professor who was doing a review session, but that the student could not find the room. Of course I asked the student what room they were looking for. The student responded that the teacher had not given a room number, he had just said that he would conduct the exam review in the ‘chat room’ but the student could not find the ‘chat room’ anywhere in the building (I helped the student find a computer and log onto the chat room.).

What do you do for fun during your free time or school break?
I enjoy outdoor activities including hiking, hunting, and fishing. However I also continue to serve with the United States Army Reserve which seems to eat up a lot of my weekends, free time and breaks for required training. In fact was away from the University for an entire year for a combat deployment in 2012-2013.

What most do you appreciate about SRU?
The people, professionalism, and the commitment to pedagogy and wellness.

What made you want to be a faculty member at the college level?
I had never planned to teach, I was going to be a coach. I worked in the fitness industry for a while and through some odd twists of fate while preparing to get a master’s degree I completed my teaching certification. Then I went to Western Kentucky University to be a football graduate assistant with coach Harbaugh when more odd twists of fate resulted in my being an academic graduate assistant instead. Returning to Pennsylvania I was a Physical and Health Education teacher for many years where I also got back into coaching. At the same time while working in camps and programs I was able to begin work on my Ph.D. and began to realize that I had been teaching all along. When the opportunity arose for me to move to the University level, I embraced it.

If you could have one super power what would it be? Why?
I kind of like Captain America, some of that is due to the patriotic nature of his character, but largely it is because he does not truly have a super power. He is not invisible with x-ray eyes and able to fly into outer space. His character is based largely on working hard and the good that can come from doing the right thing even in the face of adversity.

Dr. Junko Yamamoto

Dr. Yamamoto is such a personable individual and is very passionate about what she teaches and about helping the students be successful. She currently teaches instructional technology and world languages teaching methodology, and supervises fifteen student teachers. She loves being able to see student teachers using the information that they learned in her classes in an effective way. She explained how she is so proud that her student teachers are able to bridge theory and practice and actually apply into their teaching methods. 

She also shared that it’s important when the students use what she taught them as well as other professors and use all of the information, theories and practices all together. Yamamoto said that the “new project this year is taking some students enrolled in the instructional technology class to a local school district.” The students who sign up to go the district will get to see what kind of technology the teachers and students are using. The other project is a professional development grant that she is working on. Ten faculty members attended a four day workshop with her included. The objective is to have some of the people who teach Spanish and French become certified oral proficiency interview testers. The rationale of this is that Spanish and French Education majors must be able to speak at a certain level in order to be recommended for a teacher certificate. She explained that it is important that the teacher candidates in French or Spanish can formulate a paragraph in their target language. 

A student story that Yamamoto shared was when she saw a social studies education major student using their own knowledge of the Spanish language to tutor a non-native speaker because the student came from Central America. She explained that this student was able to use visuals and simplified English and sometimes cues in Spanish to be able to tutor him one on one. She said that her student “was able to help him understand.” 

In Dr. Yamamoto’s free time she likes to paint, crochet, knit, garden and sing. She enjoys listening to music and since it’s her job to teach the authentic cultures of Spanish and French she binge watches Spanish and French movies. One of the things that Yamamoto said that she appreciated about SRU is that “it is a teaching university and if you go to a non-teaching university you may have graduate student teaching undergraduate students. You don’t see anything like that here. You have someone who is qualified to teach the subject.” Another reason she appreciates SRU “is it’s a nice, safe community and once you got here you don’t have to worry about crime or violence as much as studying at some other universities.” She also shared that the parking is so much better at SRU than other college’s especially inner city colleges.

 Yamamoto wanted to become a teacher at the college level because she loves having the academic freedom and the opportunity to start a project and to have creativity in teaching and completing the projects. If she could have one superpower in the world it would be to control her eating and her tongue because sometimes she eats things that she regrets eating and says things that she regrets saying.

Dr. Jason Hilton

What courses are you currently teaching? 

My regular fall schedule includes: Methods of Instruction in Secondary Content, Teaching of Social Studies in Secondary Schools, American Education in the 21st-Century, and I also oversee a number of pre-student teaching field students. Beyond my regular schedule, I am also teaching a FYRST Seminar course and I am teaching once a week at Aliquippa High School as part of the Stonehouse CPH: Humanities Ladder Initiative.

What are you most proud of concerning those courses? 

My students! Slippery Rock students have an energy and excitement about the future that makes me excited to be a part of their journey.

What scholarly/projects are you working on in your classes? 

Blending my scholarly interests with my teaching, I enjoy making sure that my students are up-to-date with the latest ways to infuse technology into all parts of the teaching process, thus preparing students to teach the “digital native” generation. I am also honored to be a part of the Professor Protégé program, which allows me to work with some of our most talented incoming freshman in a research fellowship.

What student stories can you share? 

The best stories come from those connections made that last beyond the SRU experience. I tell my students that I come with a “lifetime guarantee.” Many of them contact me after they graduate to ask me teaching-related questions or to celebrate their accomplishments with me. These are my favorite moments.

What do you do for fun during your free time or school break? 

I like to be outdoors. Between white water kayaking, mountain biking, bouldering, golf, ice hockey and now sailing, I try to stay pretty active. The best moments are when I can share parts of these activities with my two-year old son.

What most do you appreciate about SRU? 

The campus community. My colleagues, both within the College of Education and across the entire university, are some of the most intelligent, professional, productive and dedicated faculty members imaginable.

What made you want to be a faculty member at the college level? 

It is part of a pyramid scheme I have in my mind to change the world. Work with great students at Slippery Rock - they become great teachers -they have their own great students – they go on to do great things - our world is made a better place.

If you could have one super power what would it be? 

Why? I do have a super power, I am an educator! My students have this power as well.

Dr. Michelle Amodei

Dr. Amodei is such a personable, inspiring, motivated and dedicated professor at Slippery Rock University. She is always willing help to students be successful and strive at the things they are passionate about. She is currently teaching a section of FYRST Seminar to freshmen, child development, two sections of formal and informal assessment as well as leadership advocacy and program development. She is very proud of her leadership and advocacy class because she feels that one of her projects she has her students working on allows them to see the bigger picture of the education field. 

Dr. Amodei said she is “always changing and tweaking, and updating” the class so the students can get the most out of it. She says “the students need to learn to become advocates and think about their roles as leaders.” In the Leadership class, she requires the students to complete an advocacy project, where the students work together in groups to identify an issue that impacts children’s and families or teachers. They decide the issue to advocate for, contact stakeholders, go out into the community, gather information and then complete research. She has the students not only write a paper, but present the material to the class and design artifacts that support what they are advocating for. Dr. Amodei states that this project can be “daunting because it’s so abstract” and it’s not concrete like writing a lesson plan. She says “the students learn a lot and feel confident” about their work. This really allows the students to articulate what really matters. The students are not given a list to choose from because Dr. Amodei allows her students to explore on their own by spending the first week discussing issues in Early Childhood and Special Education as well as using information from the current events assignment in the class. 

One student who really inspired her is a junior this year and involved in a student club that she is the faculty advisor for. She is very proud of this student and says “watching her, as seen in other students, evolve into this leader and take on so much responsibility as well as become so passionate about being a professional and a teacher.” Dr. Amodei expressed how hopeful and positive she feels about the future of education and the students as educators. 

She loves watching students’ progress and she is able to see this student excel so much. Raising three children with her husband she finds that she does a lot of running around. She has two boys who are both involved in football and a young girl who is involved in cheerleading, tumbling and swimming. She enjoys running as well as reading. She said “I like to read things that are non-academic in nature such as the Hunger Games” when school is not in session because she is able to take a “brain break” from the academic reading during the semester. 

She is so proud to be a faculty member and professor at SRU because they “strive for excellence, always looking for ways to continuously move forward, and learning how to serve the students best.” She also stated that she is “impressed with the caliber of colleagues that she works with.” 

She got into the higher education field by the opportunities that came her way. She was always working hard, focused on excelling and moving forward as she was a Childcare Director and then approached to take a job with the office of Child Development and Early Learning. She was then able to work with adults and realized she really enjoyed it! Dr. Amodei then received a call from a colleague who she had met through trainings, who was a professor at Grove City College. At that time she had never taught at the college level and her colleague had recommended her to teach her class while she was out on medical leave. She was then an adjunct professor and loved it! Amodei shared that she found her “nitch.” Following that opportunity, she got her doctorate, and said I want to do this! She then worked at other colleges, and when there was an opening at SRU, she went for it because she knew this is where she had always wanted to be. If she could two super powers she would want to read peoples mind because she said its “hard to know peoples intention” as well having never ending energy. 

Dr. Amodei was a great professor to interview for the spotlight because she has so much insight, knowledge and information to share and is so nice to talk to. She is a great role model for students to learn from and gain such experience from.

Dr. John Hicks

What courses are you currently teaching and what are you most proud of about those courses?

I teach: English Language Arts Methods for Middle Level, Secondary at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, Courses in teaching English Language Learners in the Content Areas at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, and Directed Field/Seminar at the graduate level.

I wouldn’t say I am “proud” of my courses, but I do take seriously the challenge of preparing classroom teachers for a world that resembles what comedian Flip Wilson termed, “The Church of What’s Happening Now!” What I mean by this is that I think Education is a profession of the faddish—perhaps more than any other profession in history. We think a new way of lesson planning, online courses or new technological gadgets are the tickets to create the ever elusive educational utopia. The most memorable teachers in human history didn’t need technological crutches to get their messages across—individuals such as Buddha, Jesus, Confusion and Socrates. These teachers often taught outdoors without even pen and paper not to mention Ipads and Smartboards. Still, we remember everything they had to say because the teacher, as John Hattie says, “is the major player in the education process.”

Contemporary education has been hijacked by technocrats and bureaucrats who are only interested in realities that can be quantified and controlled. Thus, metaphysical realities that have always been a part of education, such as the Good, the True and the Beautiful are jettisoned because they cannot be weighed or measured. What’s left is a truncated education that leaves some of the most profound realities of human beings completely untouched. American education is completely focused on the practical, the merely utilitarian, and, sadly, anything like art, music and literature is considered frivolous. I’ve made it my mission to remind students that education is more than just getting a diploma and not to be the kind of people who get all A’s in school but then turn around and flunk life.

What scholarly/service projects are you working on and what are you most proud about those projects?

My main focus right now is on finishing a Methods book on the teaching of high school English. This methods book will help students learn how to teach high school English. I also enjoy my role as SEFE Curriculum Committee Chair.

What student success stories can you share?

I am always impressed with dedication of the students I teach in class. They really get after it, and it shows in the work they do and the jobs they inevitably get. I am proud of the group of secondary teachers we have been preparing in my ten years here.

What do you do for fun during time off/school break?
I am a baseball junkie, and especially love watching the Pittsburgh Pirates. I also enjoy Steeler and Notre Dame (one of my alma maters) Fighting Irish football. I am always reading up on theology and philosophy, and you can most often see me with a detective or mystery novel in hand. I am hoping to finish two mystery novels I’ve been writing by the end of this coming summer.

What do you like best or appreciate most about Slippery Rock?
Besides my department chair, secretary and my students, I just love the place. I grew up here from 3rd grade on, did my undergraduate work here, and was thrilled to return in August of 2005. My folks both met here as students, my dad taught here for 30 years, and my sister went here as well. So, being here is more than just a job for me—it’s a family tradition.

Dr. Stacy Jacob

What courses are you currently teaching and what are you most proud of about those courses?

I teach graduate level courses in the Department of Counseling and Development. I mainly teach in the Student Affairs in Higher Education program and my classes include: Introduction to Student Affairs, Organizational Behavior in Higher Education, Leadership and Managing Change in Student Affairs, Higher Education Environments Cultures, and Students, Student Affairs Practicum, and Student Affairs Internship. In addition, I teach Research and Program Assessment for the department.
For the past five or so years I have experimenting with gamification of classes (e.g. using elements of video games, role playing games, and board games to make courses that are a game with games inside them). I have gamified Organizational Behavior in Higher Education. So for instance in this course students earn XP (experience points) to level up (as in a video game) and in the end different levels reached earn different grades. Also as in many games student choose their own quests (assignments), and earn badges and awards.

What scholarly/service projects are you working on and what are you most proud about those projects?

I have been talking with different folks from around the country about gamification. I get contacted about it frequently due to a chapter in a book that I authored and a presentation at national conference. I also research and write about teaching practice in the field of higher education and student affairs.

What student success stories can you share?

I have only been at SRU for a short time and so I only have two classes of graduates with whom I have worked. It is great to see them take their first jobs in colleges and universities.

What do you do for fun during time off/school break?

My husband and I are renovation an over 100 year old house in Pittsburgh and that takes up a lot of our time. This summer we will be tearing out the kitchen and redoing it. I also paint, read, love movies (especially ones that take place on college campuses), and I love games!
What do you like best or appreciate most about Slippery Rock?

My colleagues--they are talented, supportive and they really care about teaching students.

Mrs. Pamela Arnhold

What courses are you currently teaching and what are you most proud of about those courses?

I currently teach Adapted Aquatics and Adapted and Therapeutic Exercise. I really like the fact that we have practicum experiences with children through adults with disabilities incorporated in the classes, as I feel that “hands-on” experiences are often times the most valuable. Kindergarten through sixth grade with intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum and the students at Slippery Rock will learn how to lead a lesson in the water with them. In addition, I am assisting in the Transition Program as the Evaluation Coordinator.

What scholarly/service projects are you working on and what are you most proud about those projects?

As of next week, I will be taking 15 students along with Dr. Kim Smith from Exercise Science and her 20 students to Paris, France to explore health and wellness opportunities for people with and without disabilities. We will also be meeting the President of the International Federation of Adapted Physical Activity at her Institute while we are there as well as visiting the University of Paris to visit their Adapted Physical Activity and Exercise Programs. These travel opportunities assist me in getting our Slippery Rock University students to develop of love of travel and learning about other cultures.

I am the faculty advisor for the Adapted Physical Activity Council. Next Wednesday, March 4th we will be leading the university in the “End the R Word” Campaign. We were one of the first 10 universities in the country to start this Special Olympics initiative.

What student success stories can you share?

“How long do you have?” We have had numerous students who have developed a passion for working with people with disabilities and did not necessarily find that out until they began taking our classes. With this list of many students, I have stayed in contact with them. It is the ripple effect. I teach them, they teach others, who teach others which all started with myself and the other faculty at SRU.

What do you do for fun during time off/school break?

My husband and I like to bicycle individually and on a tandem. We have a small pond/lake where we kayak and canoe. I like to travel to see our children and our families. I also enjoy refinishing furniture and reading.

What do you like best or appreciate most about Slippery Rock?

I like the fact that students in the Adapted Physical Activity minor and Master’s degree programs really get to know us. We tend to be a family! I am extremely proud of the students and faculty and everything that we have accomplished over the many years here at SRU.

Dr. Judy Werner

What courses are you currently teaching and what are you most proud of about those courses?
ELEC 340 - 2 sections - Mathematics Methods and Strategies
MATH 340 - Mathematics for Elementary Teachers II
ELEC 311 - Block 1 Field
1 - Middle School Student teacher
Most proud - I like to introduce students to concepts that they may already know, but the methods will help them understand the material conceptually - both in the methods course and the math course. They are fun classes because there are so many things to explore with the manipulative materials. Supervising students in the field and student teacher is always fun. I get to visit teachers that I have known since I started at SRU. Many of the teachers were my former students... a good way to stay connected.

What scholarly/service projects are you working on and what are you most proud about those projects?
I am on the PCTM Board, WME Board, NCTM/CAEP Audit Team, NCTM/CAEP reviewer, and NCTM student affiliate
I like working with these organizations because I get to work/talk/explore math education topics with other mathematics educators. It is a great way to get ideas that impact my courses and student learning. I am extremely proud of making the top 25 online masters programs for our MED in K-8 mathematics/science program.

I usually present at a number of conferences, PCTM, NCTM, NCSM, AMTE during the year.

What student success stories can you share?
Just recently I saw a young man who was in my methods class about ten years ago. He happened to be in Slippery Rock and decided to stop by. He said he remembered so much from my class and that he learned a lot that he continues to use today. I was so flattered. (Then there are these two grad students who always seek me out to chat about when they were in methods.) Several of my former students have gone on to get their doctorates in Mathematics Education and it is always neat to talk with them about what they are doing now.

What do you do for fun during time off/school break?
I like to cook - I am a scratch cook/baker. I like to knit during hockey games... AND I like going to math conferences, reading math books, solving problems.... I know... geeky. And I like walking/playing with my puppies.

What do you like best or appreciate most about Slippery Rock?
I like the fact that I can teach in more than one department and have been able to establish a good communication and connections with the math department. Working with the student NCTM affiliate is always beneficial. I like to see the students get excited about the math conferences that they have attended the past few years. We are already planning on PCTM and possibly an NCTM Regional in Nashville.