Service
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
― Mahatma Gandhi
― Mahatma Gandhi
Service is one of the things that I really enjoy about working at Appalachian State. I do not really consider it "work" because my service often means contributing to projects I care about deeply or involves planning fun activities and working closely with students on projects they care about. Even as a middle school teacher, I was constantly volunteering to help out with little things - organizing spelling bees, assistant coaching, chaperoning dances, or working all night to help students be in the Book of World Records. It has always been so much fun. Even back then, I encouraged students to get involved in their communities and instituted a service component to student offices. We planted trees, clean cemeteries for Memorial Day, cleaned streets near the school, and various other projects the students generated and planned. At Appalachian, I'm involved in so many little things that I often forget to list them...and some of them overlap into different levels. I have listed my service here with some sample descriptions of how my service has impacted by teaching and scholarship. For a more detailed account beyond what you see here, I believe my Commitment to Service page in my Dossier gives an in-depth look at how service has done more than that--it has changed my life to its core.
I have broken down my service into department, college, university, professional organizations, and community. I will summarize and emphasize points for each and then highlight three areas of service that indicate my passionate commitment to the college, university, and community.
Department Service:
Middle Grades Undergraduate Program Director (July 1, 2012 - Present)
Co-Chair, Middle Grades Search Committee (October 1, 2014 - Present)
Committee, Member, Departmental Personnel Committee (September 15, 2014 - Present)
Committee, Member, Middle Grades Professional Advisory Council (August 25, 2009 - Present)
Committee, Member, Curriculum & Instruction Leadership Team (January 15, 2014 - May 1, 2014)
Committee, Member, General Education Impact Committee (August 7, 2013)
Committee, Member, Search Committee, ELL Elementary Education (January 1, 2010 - March 1, 2010)
At the department level, two areas that have been the most fulfilling are serving on search committees and being part of the Middle Grades Professional Advisory Council. The Advisory Council consists of middle level teachers, administrators, and district staff as well as our middle grades faculty. We have done two separate advisory councils in my time at Appalachian and both have been geared toward building relationships with those we serve in the educational community. These councils serve our partner schools because they have a say in redesigning our curriculum and field experiences so the get the best candidates interning in their schools. We also serve the students in our program because we improve the education we offer them with input and feedback from those currently in schools. While re-visioning our program in my first year at Appalachian, the voices of the advisory council were extremely helpful in program improvement and innovation. Serving on search committees has also been an opportunity to move our programs and department forward. The university's commitment to diversity is something I believe strongly in and I believe it is important for our students to have faculty with a diverse worldview. Serving on the ELL Elementary Education search committee strengthened my conviction that we need to shift our focus as the demographic landscape of our community shifts. We were fortunate to get an amazing faculty member in Greg McClure. His work with ELL populations and the Latino community in Boone is truly inspiring. Now, as co-chair of the Middle Grades Search Committee, I look forward to serving and moving our program forward in similar ways. As our Advisory Council has shown us, we have some gaps in our program that we need to fill. Being able to select a new faculty member who can fill those gaps and add substantively to our program is heartening and exciting!
College Service:
Committee, Member, NCATE Standard One Committee (March 26, 2012 -
Committee, Member, Honors College Thesis Committee (August 30, 2014 - Present)
Committee, Member, Communications Team (August 20, 2014 - Present)
Committee, Member, Image and Identity Taskforce (August 30, 2013 - Present)
Committee, Member, Doctoral Committee (March 1, 2013 - Present)
Faculty Advisor, Student Organization, Collegiate Middle Level Association (January 1, 2011 - Present)
Committee, Member, Teaching Fellows Advisory Council (August 20, 2010 - Present)
Recruiting, On-Campus, Spring and Fall Open House (September 1, 2009 - Present)
Committee, Member, Doctoral Committee (June 15, 2013 - August 15, 2014)
Committee, Member, Honors College Thesis Committee (January 25, 2014 - April 30, 2014)
Committee, Member, International Committee (August 25, 2011 - August 25, 2013)
Committee, Member, Diversity Committee (August 25, 2009 - August 25, 2013)
Committee, Member, College of Education Dean Search Committee (August 15, 2012 - April 30, 2013)
Committee, Member, Voices of Inspiration Event Committee (January 15, 2013 - April 15, 2013)
Committee, Member, Middle Grades Graduate Program Re-Visioning (September 1, 2010 - March 15, 2011)
Committee, Member, Education Core Diversity Course Committee (October 1, 2009 - March 15, 2010)
Service to the College is often not separate from service to the department or the campus community. Many of the committees on which I have served reach beyond the college and impact the broader community. One that was particularly fascinating was serving on the College of Education Dean Search Committee. As one of the few junior faculty members, it was an eye-opening experience. I am not sure I actually knew that the Dean did before serving on this committee. Being able to work with a diverse group of people from around the college was a wonderful experience. After five years, there were still people in our building that I had never met and it was nice to be able to discuss shared interests, projects, and goals. In addition, it was an honor to represent my department on this committee; I solicited from them the characteristics they wanted in a new Dean and reported that to the committee and consultants who were assisting with the search. Reading the application materials of all the candidates, two long days of interviews off-site, and countless meetings and emails were extremely time consuming, but worth the effort and time. Meeting the candidates in person and being a sort of liaison between them and other faculty was very rewarding. The committee took nearly a year of service to successfully select a Dean; unfortunately, we are now at that first stage again faced with choosing another. Even given the less than ideal outcome of this committee, I very much enjoyed serving and found it to be one of the most interesting and enlightening service positions I have held at the college level.
University Service
Attendee, Meeting, Hispanic/Latino Forum (October 6, 2012 - Present)
Faculty Mentor, Appalachian Allies (November 14, 2011 - Present)
Committee, Member, Multicultural Center Advisory Board (April 15, 2011 - Present)
Faculty Mentor, Summer Reading Program & Faculty/Student Exchange (August 16, 2014)
Faculty Mentor, International Alternative Service Experience (January 15, 2014 - April 15, 2014)
Attendee, Meeting, Transfer Student Symposium (September 13, 2013)
Faculty Mentor, Summer Reading Program & Faculty/Student Exchange (August 17, 2013)
Faculty Mentor, International Alternative Spring Break (January 15, 2012 - April 15, 2012)
Faculty Mentor, Summer Reading Program (April 15, 2011 - August 21, 2011)
Faculty Mentor, International Alternative Spring Break (January 1, 2011 - April 14, 2011)
Faculty Mentor, Summer Reading Program (September 18, 2010)
Service to the university has been a bit less accessible in my early years at Appalachian, though I try to find opportunities whenever I can. Serving at the university level opens up one's professional network immensely and provides a different perspective of the university overall. It is sometimes easy to only focus on things that immediately impact MY students or MY colleagues, but I have begun to find colleagues across campus with whom I share interests and goals. One of the best things I do for service to the university is volunteer to be a Faculty Mentor for the Summer Reading Program and Faculty/Student Exchange. Each year, I read the book, attend the meeting, and then get an opportunity to meet incoming freshmen. At that meeting, we discuss the book, of course, but we also get a chance to just talk about their questions, fears, needs, and goals as new college students. I always give them my contact information and encourage them to contact me if they have other questions and do not know whom to ask. Only two have ever contacted me, but I am certain it makes them feel more welcome and safe in their first weeks or months on campus. Part of what makes this experience so enjoyable is working with the AppalCorps students. Each faculty mentor is paired with two students and it is amazing to watch them as peer leaders. They are exemplary students who are approachable and embody the type of well-rounded, articulate, and caring students for which Appalachian is known.
Professional Service:
Reviewer, Journal Article, Reflective Practice (June 1, 2014 - Present)
Reviewer, Journal Article, Educational Journal of Teaching and Learning (August 15, 2013 - Present)
National Chapter Faculty Advisor, Collegiate Middle Level Association National Chapter Advisor, Boone, North Carolina (April 15, 2013 - Present)
Officer, Secretary/Treasurer, North Carolina Professors of Middle Level Education (March 15, 2013 - Present)
Committee, Member, Association of Teacher Education Diversity Committee (January 1, 2013 - Present)
Reviewer, Journal Article, The New Educator (July 1, 2012 - Present)
Reviewer, Journal Article, Research in Middle Level Education Journal (June 5, 2012 - Present)
Reviewer, Journal Article, Studying Teacher Education (June 1, 2012 - Present)
Reviewer, Conference Paper, Middle Level Education Research SIG (January 20, 2012 - Present)
Reviewer, Conference Paper, Association of Teacher Education (November 15, 2011 - Present)
Reviewer, Journal Article, North Carolina Middle School Journal (July 1, 2011 - Present)
Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, American Educational Research Association Division K: Teacher Education (February 15, 2011 - Present)
Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, North Carolina Association for Middle Level Association (January 1, 2011 - Present)
Reviewer, Conference Paper, Association of Middle Level Education (August 1, 2010 - Present)
Reviewer, Conference Paper, S-STEP Castle Conference, East Sussex (September 15, 2009 - Present)
Reviewer, Conference Paper, Self-Study of Teacher Education Practices SIG (August 1, 2009 - Present)
Council Member, Middle Level Educational Research Special Interest Group (March 11, 2014 - April 15, 2016)
Professional service is so closely connected to teaching and learning that it makes it not even seem like work at times! As a member of numerous professional organizations, I especially appreciate the chance to review proposals and manuscripts. In particular, serving as a proposal reviewer for the Association of Middle Level Education's annual conference and for the Self-Study of Teacher Education Practices annual conference and publication. Both of these have greatly influenced my professional development because they allow me to keep up with current trends and innovations in my areas in teaching and research. As an early scholar, serving as a reviewer also helped me gauge my own work against others. Seeing different styles of writing or organizing a manuscript was helpful and the feedback I received from reviewers helped teach me to be a better reviewer. Now, as I am in my sixth year, I feel much more confident in my ability to provide suggestions and positive commentary to my colleagues across the US and world.
Public Service:
Committee/Organization, Member, FARM Cafe Fundraising Committee, Boone, North Carolina (September 1, 2013 - Present)
Volunteer, FARM Cafe, Boone, North Carolina (February 1, 2013 - Present)
Committee/Organization, Member, FARM Cafe Executive Board, Boone, North Carolina (February 1, 2012 - Present)
Service to Public Schools, Scholastic Book Fair, Boone, North Carolina (September 15, 2014 - September 20, 2014)
Service to Public Schools, Scholastic Book Fair, Boone, North Carolina (April 14, 2014 - April 19, 2014)
Service to Public Schools, Scholastic Book Fair, Boone, North Carolina (September 15, 2013 - September 20, 2013)
Service to Public Schools, Scholastic Book Fair, Boone, North Carolina (September 17, 2012 - September 22, 2012)
Service to Public Schools, CMLA Spring Scholastic Book Fair, Boone, North Carolina (April 16, 2012 - April 21, 2012)
In terms of public service, I have also recently become more involved in the broader community of Boone. This type of service, for me, is still new and I am trying to find a place where I can make a significant contribution. I will speak more about the F.A.R.M. Cafe in Notable Indicator Three and more about the Scholastic Book Fairs in Notable Indicator Two below.
I have broken down my service into department, college, university, professional organizations, and community. I will summarize and emphasize points for each and then highlight three areas of service that indicate my passionate commitment to the college, university, and community.
Department Service:
Middle Grades Undergraduate Program Director (July 1, 2012 - Present)
Co-Chair, Middle Grades Search Committee (October 1, 2014 - Present)
Committee, Member, Departmental Personnel Committee (September 15, 2014 - Present)
Committee, Member, Middle Grades Professional Advisory Council (August 25, 2009 - Present)
Committee, Member, Curriculum & Instruction Leadership Team (January 15, 2014 - May 1, 2014)
Committee, Member, General Education Impact Committee (August 7, 2013)
Committee, Member, Search Committee, ELL Elementary Education (January 1, 2010 - March 1, 2010)
At the department level, two areas that have been the most fulfilling are serving on search committees and being part of the Middle Grades Professional Advisory Council. The Advisory Council consists of middle level teachers, administrators, and district staff as well as our middle grades faculty. We have done two separate advisory councils in my time at Appalachian and both have been geared toward building relationships with those we serve in the educational community. These councils serve our partner schools because they have a say in redesigning our curriculum and field experiences so the get the best candidates interning in their schools. We also serve the students in our program because we improve the education we offer them with input and feedback from those currently in schools. While re-visioning our program in my first year at Appalachian, the voices of the advisory council were extremely helpful in program improvement and innovation. Serving on search committees has also been an opportunity to move our programs and department forward. The university's commitment to diversity is something I believe strongly in and I believe it is important for our students to have faculty with a diverse worldview. Serving on the ELL Elementary Education search committee strengthened my conviction that we need to shift our focus as the demographic landscape of our community shifts. We were fortunate to get an amazing faculty member in Greg McClure. His work with ELL populations and the Latino community in Boone is truly inspiring. Now, as co-chair of the Middle Grades Search Committee, I look forward to serving and moving our program forward in similar ways. As our Advisory Council has shown us, we have some gaps in our program that we need to fill. Being able to select a new faculty member who can fill those gaps and add substantively to our program is heartening and exciting!
College Service:
Committee, Member, NCATE Standard One Committee (March 26, 2012 -
Committee, Member, Honors College Thesis Committee (August 30, 2014 - Present)
Committee, Member, Communications Team (August 20, 2014 - Present)
Committee, Member, Image and Identity Taskforce (August 30, 2013 - Present)
Committee, Member, Doctoral Committee (March 1, 2013 - Present)
Faculty Advisor, Student Organization, Collegiate Middle Level Association (January 1, 2011 - Present)
Committee, Member, Teaching Fellows Advisory Council (August 20, 2010 - Present)
Recruiting, On-Campus, Spring and Fall Open House (September 1, 2009 - Present)
Committee, Member, Doctoral Committee (June 15, 2013 - August 15, 2014)
Committee, Member, Honors College Thesis Committee (January 25, 2014 - April 30, 2014)
Committee, Member, International Committee (August 25, 2011 - August 25, 2013)
Committee, Member, Diversity Committee (August 25, 2009 - August 25, 2013)
Committee, Member, College of Education Dean Search Committee (August 15, 2012 - April 30, 2013)
Committee, Member, Voices of Inspiration Event Committee (January 15, 2013 - April 15, 2013)
Committee, Member, Middle Grades Graduate Program Re-Visioning (September 1, 2010 - March 15, 2011)
Committee, Member, Education Core Diversity Course Committee (October 1, 2009 - March 15, 2010)
Service to the College is often not separate from service to the department or the campus community. Many of the committees on which I have served reach beyond the college and impact the broader community. One that was particularly fascinating was serving on the College of Education Dean Search Committee. As one of the few junior faculty members, it was an eye-opening experience. I am not sure I actually knew that the Dean did before serving on this committee. Being able to work with a diverse group of people from around the college was a wonderful experience. After five years, there were still people in our building that I had never met and it was nice to be able to discuss shared interests, projects, and goals. In addition, it was an honor to represent my department on this committee; I solicited from them the characteristics they wanted in a new Dean and reported that to the committee and consultants who were assisting with the search. Reading the application materials of all the candidates, two long days of interviews off-site, and countless meetings and emails were extremely time consuming, but worth the effort and time. Meeting the candidates in person and being a sort of liaison between them and other faculty was very rewarding. The committee took nearly a year of service to successfully select a Dean; unfortunately, we are now at that first stage again faced with choosing another. Even given the less than ideal outcome of this committee, I very much enjoyed serving and found it to be one of the most interesting and enlightening service positions I have held at the college level.
University Service
Attendee, Meeting, Hispanic/Latino Forum (October 6, 2012 - Present)
Faculty Mentor, Appalachian Allies (November 14, 2011 - Present)
Committee, Member, Multicultural Center Advisory Board (April 15, 2011 - Present)
Faculty Mentor, Summer Reading Program & Faculty/Student Exchange (August 16, 2014)
Faculty Mentor, International Alternative Service Experience (January 15, 2014 - April 15, 2014)
Attendee, Meeting, Transfer Student Symposium (September 13, 2013)
Faculty Mentor, Summer Reading Program & Faculty/Student Exchange (August 17, 2013)
Faculty Mentor, International Alternative Spring Break (January 15, 2012 - April 15, 2012)
Faculty Mentor, Summer Reading Program (April 15, 2011 - August 21, 2011)
Faculty Mentor, International Alternative Spring Break (January 1, 2011 - April 14, 2011)
Faculty Mentor, Summer Reading Program (September 18, 2010)
Service to the university has been a bit less accessible in my early years at Appalachian, though I try to find opportunities whenever I can. Serving at the university level opens up one's professional network immensely and provides a different perspective of the university overall. It is sometimes easy to only focus on things that immediately impact MY students or MY colleagues, but I have begun to find colleagues across campus with whom I share interests and goals. One of the best things I do for service to the university is volunteer to be a Faculty Mentor for the Summer Reading Program and Faculty/Student Exchange. Each year, I read the book, attend the meeting, and then get an opportunity to meet incoming freshmen. At that meeting, we discuss the book, of course, but we also get a chance to just talk about their questions, fears, needs, and goals as new college students. I always give them my contact information and encourage them to contact me if they have other questions and do not know whom to ask. Only two have ever contacted me, but I am certain it makes them feel more welcome and safe in their first weeks or months on campus. Part of what makes this experience so enjoyable is working with the AppalCorps students. Each faculty mentor is paired with two students and it is amazing to watch them as peer leaders. They are exemplary students who are approachable and embody the type of well-rounded, articulate, and caring students for which Appalachian is known.
Professional Service:
Reviewer, Journal Article, Reflective Practice (June 1, 2014 - Present)
Reviewer, Journal Article, Educational Journal of Teaching and Learning (August 15, 2013 - Present)
National Chapter Faculty Advisor, Collegiate Middle Level Association National Chapter Advisor, Boone, North Carolina (April 15, 2013 - Present)
Officer, Secretary/Treasurer, North Carolina Professors of Middle Level Education (March 15, 2013 - Present)
Committee, Member, Association of Teacher Education Diversity Committee (January 1, 2013 - Present)
Reviewer, Journal Article, The New Educator (July 1, 2012 - Present)
Reviewer, Journal Article, Research in Middle Level Education Journal (June 5, 2012 - Present)
Reviewer, Journal Article, Studying Teacher Education (June 1, 2012 - Present)
Reviewer, Conference Paper, Middle Level Education Research SIG (January 20, 2012 - Present)
Reviewer, Conference Paper, Association of Teacher Education (November 15, 2011 - Present)
Reviewer, Journal Article, North Carolina Middle School Journal (July 1, 2011 - Present)
Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, American Educational Research Association Division K: Teacher Education (February 15, 2011 - Present)
Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, North Carolina Association for Middle Level Association (January 1, 2011 - Present)
Reviewer, Conference Paper, Association of Middle Level Education (August 1, 2010 - Present)
Reviewer, Conference Paper, S-STEP Castle Conference, East Sussex (September 15, 2009 - Present)
Reviewer, Conference Paper, Self-Study of Teacher Education Practices SIG (August 1, 2009 - Present)
Council Member, Middle Level Educational Research Special Interest Group (March 11, 2014 - April 15, 2016)
Professional service is so closely connected to teaching and learning that it makes it not even seem like work at times! As a member of numerous professional organizations, I especially appreciate the chance to review proposals and manuscripts. In particular, serving as a proposal reviewer for the Association of Middle Level Education's annual conference and for the Self-Study of Teacher Education Practices annual conference and publication. Both of these have greatly influenced my professional development because they allow me to keep up with current trends and innovations in my areas in teaching and research. As an early scholar, serving as a reviewer also helped me gauge my own work against others. Seeing different styles of writing or organizing a manuscript was helpful and the feedback I received from reviewers helped teach me to be a better reviewer. Now, as I am in my sixth year, I feel much more confident in my ability to provide suggestions and positive commentary to my colleagues across the US and world.
Public Service:
Committee/Organization, Member, FARM Cafe Fundraising Committee, Boone, North Carolina (September 1, 2013 - Present)
Volunteer, FARM Cafe, Boone, North Carolina (February 1, 2013 - Present)
Committee/Organization, Member, FARM Cafe Executive Board, Boone, North Carolina (February 1, 2012 - Present)
Service to Public Schools, Scholastic Book Fair, Boone, North Carolina (September 15, 2014 - September 20, 2014)
Service to Public Schools, Scholastic Book Fair, Boone, North Carolina (April 14, 2014 - April 19, 2014)
Service to Public Schools, Scholastic Book Fair, Boone, North Carolina (September 15, 2013 - September 20, 2013)
Service to Public Schools, Scholastic Book Fair, Boone, North Carolina (September 17, 2012 - September 22, 2012)
Service to Public Schools, CMLA Spring Scholastic Book Fair, Boone, North Carolina (April 16, 2012 - April 21, 2012)
In terms of public service, I have also recently become more involved in the broader community of Boone. This type of service, for me, is still new and I am trying to find a place where I can make a significant contribution. I will speak more about the F.A.R.M. Cafe in Notable Indicator Three and more about the Scholastic Book Fairs in Notable Indicator Two below.