Accolades
We
want to hear about you! This section provides news and notes
from our faculty, staff, alumni and students. Please send
in any family or career news for the Accolades section of
SofE enews via e-mail to s.kornegay@tcu.edu.
The items will also be submitted for possible inclusion
in other TCU publications.
Teachers of the Year - Have you been honored as a “Teacher of the Year” at your school? We want to share that wonderful news with our School of Education family. Please forward the information, including name, school, award and date to: Shawn Kornegay at s.kornegay@tcu.edu.
Faculty, staff, students and alumni – News and Notes
Student Profile – Drolkar Dhogo
The College of Education has a first - the first Tibetan student at TCU. Drolkar Dhogo, who is midway through her master’s degree in educational administration, is from a nomadic background and has excelled personally, even with her humble beginnings.
“I’m a Tibetan woman working in a highly technical field,” said Drolkar. “It is imperative that Tibetan women have the opportunity to work in all fields, including specialized ones such as computer science. This, I hope with my example and mentorship, I can encourage and support other Tibetan women to study and succeed in these areas.”
Drolkar learned about TCU when she came to the U.S. for the second time as an exchange scholar at the University of Virginia. She was planning on applying for a master’s program, but was discouraged when she realized the tuition was beyond her means. She mentioned her dilemma to a Tibetan friend, who introduced her to TCU alum, Ron Moore. Through her friend and Ron Moore’s support, she was able to attend TCU.
Through her previous two visits to the U.S., Drolkar realized that teaching here is very different from teaching at the university in Tibet. She appreciates the educational culture here, such as student discussions in the library. She also notices that the professors here are creative in their teaching techniques and she appreciates the student-centered approach.
She completed her Intensive English in mastering her third language: Tibetan, Chinese, and English. She has a BS in engineering from Beijing Broadcasting Institute, where she majored in computer technology. Prior to attending TCU, she was an instructor in the Department of Electronic Information at Tibet University in Lhasa. Drolkar was also involved in the Tibetan and Himalayan Digital Library, a collaborative project between various Chinese and American universities.
Drolkar has a great passion for Tibetan language and culture. One challenge she noted of importance is the fact that Tibetans frequently lack advanced degrees that are normal in China and other parts of the world. “We are blocked in professional advancement and credibility. I am certain that the education and degree from TCU will increase my knowledge base, enhance my professional credibility, and enable me to accomplish my goals in making a difference in Tibet.”
Due to her performance in summer school classes, she received a teaching assistantship this past fall at the recommendation of Dr. Mike Sacken. She’s a full-time student here at TCU and she also helps with class preparations. Drolkar likes Fort Worth – it is bigger here than where she’s from in Tibet. She also likes the sunshine, which is similar to back home, but she has found the summers to be hot in Fort Worth. Drolkar has also enjoyed visiting the museums and shopping with friends.
After graduation, she plans on returning to Tibet University. She feels she can help the students there through her skills she has learned here at TCU. Drolkar has learned a lot being abroad and thinks her experiences will not only help her grow, but will also help individuals back in Tibet.
Cathy Block (faculty) co-authored the book Collaborative Literacy: Using Gifted Strategies to Enrich Learning for Every Student, Corwin Press. She spoke to Monmouth University (NJ) School of Education faculty and students on “New Directions in Reading Education: Educating Generation Y.” She presented the keynote address on “Effects of Reading Books on Students’ Achievement” for the Florida State Reading Association. She also gave the keynote address, titled “Powerful Vocabulary: The Keystone for Reading Success” for the Tennessee State Reading Association. Cathy was appointed to the board of directors of the U.S. Dept. of Education Pacific Regional Research and Development Laboratory through 2012, and was appointed to the board of directors of the Literacy First advisory board.
Jennifer Brooks (faculty) spoke at a forum on “Curbing the Drop-out Rate: Teachers Make the Difference” held at Ridglea Country Club.
Jared Brown (Kinderfrogs student) was invited to participate in the Texas Art Education Association’s Youth Art Month Capital Exhibit. The exhibit showcased Pre-K-12 works of art from across 43 Texas school districts.
M. Francyne Huckaby (faculty) published “My Other Education: Vicarious Learning about Race and Gender in the Professorate”in From Oppression to Grace: Women of Color and Their Academic Dilemmas Within The Academy. She alsopresented “Dear Molly” at the Curriculum and Pedagogy conference in Marble Falls.
Jan Lacina (faculty) wrote Collaborative Partnerships between ESL and Classroom Teachers: Helping English Language Learners Succeed in Pre-K – Elementary Schools, Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), Inc. and “Reading instruction and the Internet,” Childhood Education (2006). She also presented “Trends in Literacy” to the Fort Worth Museum Educators organization.
Shari Rominger Lincoln, BSED ’83 and M.Ed ’85 has been promoted to Lower School Head at Fort Worth Country Day School where she has taught since 1994 and has held administrative positions since 1997. Shari holds both educational diagnostician and supervision certification in teaching students with learning differences. She lives in Aledo with her husband Dan and four year old son.
Robert Maninger (faculty) published “Intervening in times of crisis: A case study,” for The John Ben Shepperd Journal of Practical Leadership, and “Successful technology integration: Student test scores improved in an English literature course through the use of supportive devices,” in TechTrends. He also presented “Examining Handheld Technology Integration in College-Level Biology Labs” at the Southwest-Association of Science Teacher Educators conference. His talk on “The Millennial Generation College Student: Tech Savvy, Gadget Driven, and a Challenge” was given at the American Association for Teaching and Curriculum conference.
Jennifer Martin, M.Ed ’05 won “Teacher of the Year” at Foster Elementary, where she teaches third grade, in the Birdville ISD. She was an Early Childhood 3-2 earning a master’s
degree in education with a major in special education.
Theresa Prosser (faculty) presented “Preventing School Failure: Strategies to Support All Young Children” at the annual International Conference on Young Children with Special Needs and Their Families. She also received the Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment certification at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston.
Priscilla Shaw, BSED '94 (Music Ed.) is the principal at Marshall School in the Lower Yukon School District, Alaska. Marshall is a K-12 Alaska Native School, located on the Yukon River. This is her first principal job and her first time to Alaska. She’s looking to hire some good teachers for next year.
Kelly Stille (faculty) enjoys participating with horseback shows with her family horse, Nikki. Her most recent show was the Fort Worth Stock Show and her next show will be in Tulsa. The American Paint Horse Association ranks her nationally #12 for overall standings.
Pictured above is Kelly's son Austin and her horse Nikki, wearing Austin’s favorite TCU cap.
Frank N. Thomas (faculty) has contributed two articles to RATKES: The Journal of the Finnish Association for Solution Focused and Resource Oriented Methods, as publication for which he serves as English Editor. He has also published, “Brief therapy with humour beings” in Solution News: The Bulletin of the United Kingdom Association for Solution Focused Practice. He was a co-presenter of “The Dance of Supervision” at the annual conference of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy. He also spoke on “Possible limitations, misuses, and misunderstandings of solution-focused brief therapy” at the European Brief Therapy Association conference in Krakow, Poland.
Molly Weinburgh (education) is president-elect of the Southwestern Association of Science Teachers Educators.
