Celebration of Teaching scheduled for Feb. 28

Office of Communications & Marketing |Northeastern State University
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. -- Northeastern State University will host its Celebration of Teaching on Feb. 28, bringing public school students to campus to learn about careers in teaching.

The Celebration of Teaching is is about helping students at public schools, especially minorities, visit a university campus to meet those who educate teachers and have a positive experience, said Dr. Tobi Thompson assistant professor of curriculum and instruction and director of the Wadley Reading Center. We hope these students will seriously consider a career in teaching.

Thompson said the event includes activities which allow students to learn about different methods of teaching and hear from outstanding educators.

"As the premier teacher education college, it is fitting that NSU host the event," she said. "Looking at the list of Oklahoma district teachers of the year, the majority are NSU graduates. The Celebration of Teaching is an excellent recruitment opportunity for the College of Education, but also for NSU in general. For many of the students who attend, this will be their first college experience."

The event, which runs from 9:45 a.m. 1:45 p.m., includes a public keynote address by 2012 National Teacher of the Year Rebecca Mieliwocki. Also speaking is Elaine Hutchison, 2013 Oklahoma Teacher of the Year. All teachers of the year from individual Oklahoma school districts receive formal invitations to the event, and about 20 have accepted.

Mieliwocki is a 7th grade English teacher at Luther Burbank Middle School and has taught for 14 years. She holds a bachelor of arts in speech communication from California Polytechnic State and her professional clear credential in secondary English education from California State-Northridge.

She is the 2005 California League of Middle Schools Educator of the Year for Southern California, a 2009 PTA Honorary Service Award winner, a
Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment mentor, and served as a teacher expert for the CSUN College of Education panel The ABC's of IEPs.

Hutchison teaches Algebra II, trigonometry, pre-calculus and AP calculus at Fairview High School and Chamberlain Middle School in the Fairview School District and at the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics Regional Center. She is a National Board Certified Teacher with 19 years of classroom experience. She earned her bachelor of science in secondary education from Oklahoma State University.

Invited participants also receive a luncheon and attend workshops with faculty from NSU and partner institutions. Thompson said all workshops are interactive and presented by experts.

"All workshops promote the rewarding experiences of learning and teaching," Thompson said. "Topics include using technology, incorporating movement, using art, group collaboration and peer learning using team building skills to solve problems, building and launching aerodynamic creations, and how to assess and utilize learning styles."

Schools attending include McLain, Booker T. Washington, Webster, Hale and Edison high schools of Tulsa; Keys, Union, Pryor, Locust Grove, Liberty, Checotah and Hulbert high schools; Westville Junior High School, KIPP Academy of Tulsa, Anderson and McKinley elementary schools of Tulsa, and Ketchum ACE/LEAP.

The event is possible through a special project grant from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education Minority Teacher Recruitment Center.

For more information about the Celebration of Teaching call Thompson at 918-444-3749.