School of Education - Year in Review - 2020

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N T, A S U HI T U S T O P R AY, L I V E , T R G IN AND N I P FOR O T H E R S . T H E AC T O F H O TRA NSFO R M S DA R K N E S S T O L I G H T.

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2019/20 YEAR IN REVIEW

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THE DEAN’S REFLECTION

Putting Hands and Feet to the Work of the SOE The experiences of academic year 2019-2020 have shaped each of us in ways that will not soon be forgotten. We went about our days, weeks and months looking forward to the spring, a time of year that brings renewal and hope. With the spring, however, came a world-wide contagion that the majority of us walking the planet had never before experienced. The pandemic the world is confronting doesn’t discriminate based on class, race, gender, sexual orientation, religion or ability status. It can harm one human body the same as it can harm another, yet the disparities in the proportion of devastation from communities with resources to those without with regard to the havoc the virus has wreaked, cannot be ignored.

It is no coincidence that from one end of the country to the other, people of color and those living in poverty make up a substantial percentage of those who are suffering and dying from the pandemic even as these words are written and as they will soon be read. These are the same populations that are marginalized and discriminated against continually in our economy, our healthcare system, and our schools. They are the same populations being needlessly killed solely because of the color of their skin.

No, marginalizing the same groups over and over again in so many brutal ways both hidden and visible is no coincidence. Continuing to do so is without question, the very deďŹ nition of malevolence. It is going against the commandment and inheritance we have been gifted with: Love your neighbor as yourself.

The faculty and staff within the School of Education are working to dismantle hatred in all of its forms by coming together to study systems of oppression and to look at new ways of being with and for others. As we seek to prepare teachers, school counselors, administrators, school psychologists, and professionals in the area of sport and athletics, we commit to bringing the act of loving others unconditionally into our classrooms, our curriculum, our practice and our relationships with one another. This is a pedagogy and practice of hope meant to transform how we live with others and ultimately, how we love others. We will do the hard work of critically questioning so that the affect our students and graduates have on the lives of others will multiply in ways that have the potential to change the world, even during a pandemic and beyond.

Yolanda Gallardo, Ph.D. Dean, School of Education

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TABLE OF CONTENTS The Dean’s Reflection ..................................................................1 Confronting Race and Culture in the Classroom ...........................................................3 Sports on the Global Stage ........................................................4 Our Stories Carry Hope ..............................................................5 Care, Competence, Commitment ...........................................6 School Psychology Mentoring, Service and Scholarship ..............................................................7 T.Ed. Talks: Personal Biases .......................................................9 Teachers in the Community: Behavioral Issues in the Classroom .......................................10 ParaSports: Reducing Fear and Increasing Confidence ........................................................11 New Pathways Towards the Future .......................................12 Resetting of a Body of Broken Bones ....................................13 The Age of Fiber Optic Telecommunication ..........................................................14 Grace and Blazer Bound for Teaching Post This Fall ................................................................15 Zeisner Goes Viral .........................................................................16 Faculty Responses to COVID Questionnaire .................................................................17 Retirement .......................................................................................18 Paul Hastings, Ph.D Martha Savage, Ph.D School of Education Announces 2020 Wardian Award Recipients ............................................19 Faculty Recognition......................................................................19 Father Hess Reflection................................................................20 Contributors....................................................................................21

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“I know that we are very resilient, and we are capable of many things.”

- Bonnell St. Goddard

Confronting Race and Culture in the Classroom The School of Education (SOE) hosted a workshop for local teachers and the SOE community to work through questions of Native American identity and how race can impact the classroom. Spokane Public Schools Indian Education Coordinator, Bonnell St. Goddard and Ali Michael from the Race Institute for K-12 Educators were featured speakers. This event challenged the audience to look at the hidden statistical data and confront white culture’s role in perpetuating racial issues.

St. Goddard explained how funding for Indian Education is challenging because it relies on accurate reporting of Native student enrollment. The available funding goes toward Indian Education programs which support Native language classes, tutoring and dropout prevention. She pointed to graduation rates as a reflection of the support Native American students are getting. While at first the statistics looked promising with a 71% graduation rate for Native American students, this number did not account for biracial Native American students. These students were hidden inside of a larger biracial student category but when factored by themselves showed a 37% graduation rate.

St. Goddard said despite the data, “I know that we are very resilient, and we are capable of many things. So, the relationships, the visibility and the connection are all key to success for some of the students you teach in your class and some of the students you will be teaching in your class.”

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Pivoting away from Indian Education, Michael’s talk focused on how white culture impacts minoritized communities.

Michael said, “white culture often becomes synonymous with culture which allows white people to ignore the impact they have on marginalized groups.” Losing the term white in describing dominant culture actions allows white people to lose the responsibility that comes with it.

Becoming comfortable confronting the dominant culture is a learned skill. Talking about what white culture is impacting changes the role white people identify with and allows them to act on the injustices they see. It is all part of developing a positive racial identity and becoming comfortable in what it means to live in a racialized culture. “My racial identity is my toolbox,” Michael said. It is particularly important for educators to develop strong positive racial identities to support student development of racial and cultural identity.

Just as it is important to acknowledge our own racial identities, we must continue to acknowledge the land and Native people of this place. We acknowledge that Gonzaga University resides on the homelands of the Spokane Tribal people. We are grateful to be on this land and honor its past and present. These dialogues are central in addressing the injustices Indigenous and minoritized people face as we work to create solutions to systemic issues in all communities.

Sports on the Global Stage International sports management is pivotal to student understanding of sports in a global context. The U.S. approach to sports is unique in its highly competitive youth environment and the deeply rooted ties to patriotism.

While other countries like Sweden and Norway are seeing increasing rates of youth engagement, the U.S. is seeing a steep decline. This is one example of a case that the new International Sports Management course is using to broaden students’ perspectives.

Assistant Professor of Sport and Physical Education Ryan Turcott created a new course for this fall, International Sports Management and Culture. It focuses on large sporting events and takes a close look at working in a diverse multicultural environment as a sports manager. Through case studies, students compare and contrast international approaches to diversity in sports, youth engagement and culture, to broaden their communication and management skills. Turcott projects the course outcome will be an understanding of sports outside of the U.S. The COVID-19 global pandemic also offers unique case studies in how professional sports are adapting to new safety measures. Students will learn new skills in a post-pandemic world and many of the past approaches to networking and management will also have to be adapted. With a growing emphasis on technological advancements in sports, all sports management classes incorporate new techniques for students. At an international level, Turcott showcases examples of other countries’ reactions to the pandemic in sports; fan robots and fake fan noise as a few examples.

Turcott’s 10 years of research focuses on race in sports. This past year he published an article, “The White Racial Frame in Sport Media: Framing of Donald Trump and LaVar Ball’s Public Feud Following the UCLA Basketball Player Arrests in China.” Another topic of research focused on racial media coverage of Cameroon versus England in the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup Soccer, to be published in November.

In the current social climate, Turcott’s research informs his class as students are encouraged to look beyond their U.S. sports experience.

Furthermore, the Black Lives Matter movement has sparked international debate, creating an opportunity to look at the difference between race in sports on the international stage. Not only does the topic encourage a rich discussion of multiculturalism in sports, but it also invites international students to share their personal experiences in a way many other classes do not.

When study abroad becomes an option for students again, Turcott hopes to offer a version in Florence as a way for students to experience first-hand encounters with globalization of sports in an international society. He hopes to one day develop a full-degree program as the field of international sports management continues to grow. “I’m lucky that my research and my class intersect,” and only hopes to can continue to sharing more of his research and passion with students.

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Our Stories Carry Hope In September 2019, Gonzaga University hosted the Sixth Biennial Ethnicity, Race and Indigenous Peoples conference.

Two hundred and fifty participants attended from across the United States, Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America.

Dean of the School of Education Yolanda Gallardo facilitated a workshop called “A Pedagogy of Hope,” where attendees were led through a series of exercises to find out what hope means to them.

Dean Gallardo said struggling with these questions is a chance to learn about ourselves. She described a discussion with a group of graduate students that struggled to define who their people were. They responded, frustrated, “We are just normal.” The dean took this opportunity to ask an even harder question: Then what is abnormal? These types of questions are hard to confront but “if we ground ourselves in our stories there will always be hope.”

Dean Gallardo stressed throughout her presentation that the classroom is a place of hope. Teachers carry this hope by ensuring that all have access to a culturally responsive and equitable curriculum and experience. “How do we bring in the funds of knowledge from our children, who are our teachers” into the classroom? When teachers listen to those who have backgrounds that don’t match their own, they realize that “both narratives are important, are valued and are beautiful.” Students and community members all have complex stories that can enrich and transform the learning experience for everyone.

Stories are valuable, they humble us, and they are hard work.

Dean Gallardo’s dialogue is a first step to bridging gaps in our communities through understanding. Now more than ever, the stories we bring as individuals strengthen our communities in a time where we cannot be physically present together. We look to each other to find escape and support as we chart uncertain times. The hope we bring to the table from our experience fuels hope in others and lights the way to the future. “We have to love each other where we stand right now and do the work of moving from here to wherever it is the journey might take us,” she said.

After the Dean introduced the framework of the discussion, she asked attendees to break out into small groups to personally grapple with the concepts. What does hope mean to you? How do we humanize each other? How do we dehumanize each other?

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Care, Competence, Commitment Until March 13, everything was on track: Spring break, WCC basketball tournament. Then students were notified that spring break would be extended an extra week and the NCAA tournament would be canceled. Wait a minute, that would never happen, but it did. University and college administrators across the nation had to step back and take a long look at the COVID-19 pandemic and how it could impact their operations, but most importantly, how it would impact their students.

Here at Gonzaga, the key was collecting as much information as possible so the SOE could respond quickly once university-wide decisions were made. Underscored in all of this, is the work of Dean Yolanda Gallardo and Associate Dean Diane Tunnell, who encouraged and guided the faculty and staff with great compassion.

Diane Tunnell, Ed.D. Associate Dean

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School Psychology Mentoring, Service and Scholarship Spring 2021 will mark the graduation of the first cohort in the School Psychology program that began in 2018. This marks a key steppingstone on the path towards accreditation with the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), one of which is graduating a cohort. The application process will begin in February requesting “candidacy status,” and if approved, the program will apply for accreditation in September.

With Dr. Joe Engler at the helm, the program received approval from the Washington state Professional Educator Standards Board and the program is currently boasting a 40%

diversity in its incoming cohort.

Program Director Engler reflected on the challenges of the spring and looked forward to what is to come for this academic year as the program welcomed its third cohort filling the full three-year program.

The program has a strong service component, and the students serve numerous organizations each year.

One is mentoring children with developmental disabilities who are part of the Gonzaga Exceptional Hockey Program, a long-standing collaboration between the SOE and the Spokane Chiefs Hockey Program. The School Psychology students are well

known for their dedication and service, and this program is just one example of that. It is this work in the community that has built strong connections that afforded the students in their third and final year to be placed in internships across the state of Washington, as well as a few in Idaho.

In February, a number of students attended the NASP conference in Baltimore with Engler and Professor Mark Derby. The students also had an opportunity to tour the behavior health unit at Johns Hopkins University and interact with staff and administration and meet peers in their field.

Care, Competence, Commitment Amanda Coulter, M.A. Director of Certification When the COVID-19 pandemic suddenly sent everyone home this spring, the Professional Educators Standards Board offered guidelines and flexibility which fostered the ability for student teachers to meet their goals of teacher licensure without undue barriers, even if it meant no student teaching. Most importantly, Catherine Dieter and Amanda Coulter provided support and reassurance to teacher candidates with guidance by the State. Dieter emphasized the complexity of the situation, “It wasn’t just about our candidates, it was about making a decision on how this is going to affect our K-12 students, how is it going to affect our cooperating teachers and principals. It really was about making safe decisions for everyone.”

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As the semester changed to online delivery, Engler felt the program and students were well equipped for the change, a given in the field of psychology. Even through the changing environment, Engler worked closely with graduate students on producing several journal articles. Engler coauthored a test review (In Buros Mental Measurement Yearbook) with Jenna White (2nd year candidate) and a manuscript for an early childhood special issue journal (Perceptions on Early Childhood Psychology and Education) with White and Cory Ray (1st year candidate).

Engler is hopeful as more opportunities for service become available and the scholarly work continues. Several proposals coauthored by students are slated to get feedback in early fall.

Cathy Dieter, M.A. Director of Clinical Experiences

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T.Ed. Talks: Personal Biases

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This past semester a new forum, Teacher Education Talks (T.Ed. Talks), was created by Associate Professors Jonas Cox and James Hunter for undergraduate SOE students. With the goal to cover hot topics in teacher education, the event was the perfect venue for Dean Yolanda Gallardo to present on her Pedagogy of Hope work. Attendance at the T.Ed. Talks has hovered in the 20-30 range which

is impressive for a late-night talk, but also the ideal size for an intimate experience. “I realized we were onto something when 30 students showed up,” said Cox, excited that students wanted to participate.

The smaller group dynamic allowed for Dean Gallardo to engage with the audience and help them confront their personal biases. People develop biases through secondhand information collected from the environments that surround them. They later confirm these so called “truths” through personal experiences. Understanding that the bias exists and then working to confront it within ourselves, is the first step to challenging what the dominant culture is saying about marginalized groups.

Dean Gallardo pushed students to question the curriculum they are learning and the curriculum they will teach in their future classes. What often happens when a dominant culture produces curriculum for classrooms is that marginalized voices are left out or if they are represented, their stories are told through a distorted lens.

“What is omitted is just as powerful as what exists there. It’s part of the hidden curriculum,” she said.

Hidden curriculum is created by not directly using the perspectives of the people students are learning about.

Even if educators are becoming more diverse, if the curriculum doesn’t reflect an unbiased historical lens, then the stories of marginalized groups will continue to be taught through the lens of the cultural authority. By questioning what perspective is used, which voices are missing, and what is the underlying message, curriculums can change. One teacher in the audience said her school was adopting a new history curriculum to reflect multiple perspectives of U.S. history rather than learning it through one lens.

Hunter felt that the strategies Dean Gallardo spoke on were crucial, saying, “If we are not talking very specifically about what you do in the classroom it is not going to sink in.” Teachers are changemakers who are activated when they question what they teach. If they implement changes from this talk, the effects could become generational.

When inclusive curriculum is adopted, teachers can inspire students to find hope in the knowledge they gain rather than experience bias through the lessons they are taught. Hunter and Cox hope to bring additional powerful speakers to the T.Ed. Talks this fall and continue to cover important topics relevant to teacher education in an engaging and interactive way.

Dr. Jonas Cox and Dr. James Hunter are Associate Professors in Teacher Education.

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Teachers in the Community: Behavioral Issues in the Classroom Last year, Kimberly Weber, Ph.D., Professor and Chair of the Department of Special Education, worked to revamp the B.Ed. in Special Education program. The need for people who are trained to help those with disabilities in and outside of classrooms is increasing, especially care at an individual level. Weber said, “We examined what we are doing to provide more flexibility for the students working with individuals with disabilities who are not just in the school environment but in lots of other places.� The change would benefit students who may want to do

more advocacy in the profession and play active roles in leadership, not only in the community but through nonprofit agencies.

The result was an adjustment to the degree program minor for those who wanted to pursue a non-certification route. The department created a path for our undergraduate students to obtain a Board-Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA) certificate in a Verified Course Sequence (VCS) that mirrors the path for our M.Ed. in Special Education students who are pursuing the Board-Certified Behavior Analyst certificate.

The BCaBA VCS is appealing to undergraduate students who want to jump right into the field after graduation as it allows them to acquire hours built right into their courses.

This program is currently pending approval from the Association of Behavior Analysis International, but once approved, Gonzaga will have the only program in the states of Washington and Idaho. Weber is excited to enable more passionate students to get the training they need to impact the Spokane community and beyond.

Care, Competence, Commitment Kristen Kavon, M.A. Manager of Activity Programs at Gonzaga Kavon’s difficult role involved overseeing transformation of all activity classes for the spring. This involved contacting all vendors (outside organizations providing access to facilities and instructors) and participating locations to cancel classes as well as refunding or offering alternative opportunities for lab fees to be applied in a later semester.

Kavon admired how so many vendors were passionate about Gonzaga students and wanted to be able to still offer students an outlet. A few vendors created virtual workouts and Kavon co-created virtual Blackboard classes to fill the void of any credits lost from canceled classes.

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ParaSports: Reducing Fear and Increasing Confidence The kinesiology program is undergoing some big changes for fall 2021. Assistant Professor Nichole Calkins, who taught “Adaptive Physical Education and Sport” for the second year in spring 2020, shared some of this big news. The current class exposes students to diverse populations of athletes with disabilities by working with ParaSport Spokane. Before taking this class, students often feel fearful that they might hurt people with disabilities, or they didn’t have enough training to feel confident to work with them. A new course, “Field Experience and Adaptative Physical Education,” aims to expand on Calkin’s course by integrating these types of experiences into the degree requirement. Students appreciate the level of comfort they develop working with these populations. Some students even see themselves going into a related career after this class.

ParaSport Spokane is dedicated to creating sports-related opportunities for individuals who have physical disabilities as a result of spinal cord injuries or congenital impairments such as blindness, cerebral palsy and limb deficiencies.

ParaSport Spokane provides opportunities for youth and adults with physical disabilities to participate in team and individual adaptive sports programs. ParaSport Spokane provides consulting services to area school systems about ways to incorporate adaptive sports in their athletic programs and inter-school competitions.

“This was very helpful, and I’m so glad I went to ParaSport before the semester went online. I feel a lot more confident that I have the resources and ability to figure out how to coach a variety of athletes. My area has a big special Olympics

Care, Competence, Commitment Miranda Lewis, M.A. Clinical Placement Coordinator, Counselor Education Lewis worked closely with supervisors to transition Counselor Education students into virtual internships.

On the student end, a training was added in Telehealth to teach students new skills required for remote counseling. Students had to learn how to “read inflection and listen intently for what’s not being said” in lieu of facial expressions, body language, and other in-person cues to connect with clients. The Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs (CACREP) was flexible with the requirements to start internships so that students could have more time to put in their hours and not feel pressured by previous timelines.

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community, and if things clear up this summer I’m hoping to volunteer with them and gain more experience after this. I will take the strategies I’ve learned and adapt to each individual, not just their disability.”

- Madeline Glancey, class of 2020 “Giving exercise modifications is relatively easy, but I think the most important thing to focus on is being able to connect with an athlete with a disability. If you cannot connect with your athletes, then they won’t respect you or work with you to get stronger. ParaSport showed some great coaching techniques on how to connect with athletes.”

- Natalie O’Hare, class of 2020 There are different types of constraints on everyone’s abilities, disabled or not. Part of the course is learning how to adapt to their constraints. “Reducing fear and increasing confidence to work with diverse populations” is one of the key takeaways from the course now and what the future curriculum aims to do.

New Pathways Towards the Future “Social justice is intrinsically intertwined with fostering hope for clients and seeing them through a multicultural lens.”

- Robert McKinney, Ph.D. In May, Assistant Professor Robert McKinney and Clinical Placement Coordinator Miranda Lewis in Counselor Education hosted a virtual dialogue, “Fostering Hope for Academic Success: Adopting a Multicultural Perspective.” The dialogue was based on the framework provided by Charles Snyder’s 2002 article, “Hope Theory: Rainbows in the Mind” and “Hope and Academic Success in College.” Snyder’s theory explains a way that hope can become a tangible goal. It involves thinking critically about one’s goals and how different pathways can be formed to

achieve them. Agency, or empowering the individual to achieve these goals, is also key to generating hope.

Lewis recalled an example of hope in her new classroom environment.

Low engagement students in the in-person environment were easily perceived as low-hope students.

Once these students transitioned to the virtual environment, discussion boards and private messaging during virtual lectures gave them new paths to prove they were high-hope students. With connection at the forefront, she believes the fall 2020 semester is only another opportunity to find new ways to engage students.

Lewis strengthened the connection by sending out care packages to the students to “set the tone that we are part of a hopeful community.”

McKinney focused on using Snyder’s theory with a multicultural lens.

He asked, “How can we use all of

these lenses to help create a sense of agency for the student and help create multiple pathways so that hope is fostered and ultimately goals are generated?” The dialogue happened just a few weeks before the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement sparked up again in response to the death of George Floyd. McKinney felt strongly that Snyder’s Hope theory was relevant and helpful in the context of the BLM movement. As he said, “Instead of the BLM being abstract, I think we can bring it into our program; creating awareness, having conversations, and having action points helps make that sense of agency and change all the more relevant.”

Social justice is intrinsically intertwined with fostering hope for clients and seeing them through a multicultural lens. To become models of hope Lewis concluded, “We need to think about how we can cultivate a society that is hopeful for everyone.”

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Resetting of a Body of Broken Bones As long as we are on this earth, the love that unites us will bring us suffering by our very contact with one another, because this love is the resetting of a Body of broken bones.

-Thomas Merton One way to get a basic understanding of trauma is the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) test which helps teachers identify the types of trauma students have experienced. Traumatic experiences can range from a death in the family, moving to a new place, or substance abuse, to name a few. While the ACE score is not the only way to evaluate trauma, it is a data point for teachers to make more informed decisions on how to react to students and create a plan to address it.

Wissel described the tool “trauma glasses” as a way for teachers to look at the student through the lens of trauma and take a moment to think of three different reasons why the student may be acting out. “When we respond with empathy, we make the students feel like they belong in the classroom,” Wissel said. Taking a pause to think about how to react allows teachers to better connect with students.

This quote by Thomas Merton, American writer and theologian, largely sums up the work that Associate Professor Addy Wissel accomplished while on sabbatical. Wissel, in Counselor Education, hosted workshops and classes for the Catholic Diocese of Spokane, the Archdiocese of Anchorage, and the Catholic Diocese of Boise addressing trauma in the classroom. “It’s not the event that is the trauma, it’s how we respond to and experience it,” she explained. This sentiment echoes Merton’s description of the resetting of a Body of broken bones in which there is a constant battle to heal oneself of the trauma that they experience through love. Wissel trained Catholic teachers on how to cope with both the trauma they find in students and reflect on the trauma they carry within themselves. The workshops involved defining trauma, learning tools for evaluating and responding to trauma in students, and exercises to introduce vulnerability in the classroom.

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The teachers practiced group activities in the workshops that were geared to prompt vulnerability in the classroom.

Starting with surface level accessible activities allowed students to become more comfortable expressing themselves. One popular activity was creating a community circle where a speaking prompt is introduced and each student gets a chance to share. Dr. Wissel also mentioned a prayer wall used by the Catholic teachers who wanted to incorporate their faith to deal with trauma. The prayer wall was a way for students to alleviate any pressure on themselves and pass it to God or the classroom community to pray about.

Wissel was impressed by how open teachers were to these strategies and how committed they were to change the way they do their work. These teachers attended her workshops on their own time and despite having to juggle so many different roles, they continued to make time to learn and grow as educators “because this love is the resetting of a Body of broken bones.”

The Age of Fiber Optic Telecommunication

BY PROFESSOR ANJALI BARRETTO

Around 1999-2000, we conducted the first behavioral assessment using distance technology at the University of Iowa where I was working on my doctorate. The Iowa Communications Network (ICN) was a fiber optic telecommunication system that connected the hospitals with the high schools in the state. We responded to a need where services like those available at the University of Iowa were not easily accessible in rural areas. We used the ICN to conduct functional analyses where our team was present at the hospital and the child and their team were present at the local area education agency. We coached the parents and therapists and achieved successful results which then helped us develop intervention plans for these young children who engaged in severe problem behaviors. This data was published in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis in 2006.

In 2014, my Gonzaga graduate students and I worked with a family in the summer who lived two hours away.

Their child had autism and engaged in very severe aggressive and selfinjurious behavior. This meant that the drive to Spokane was a stressful event for the family. We conducted the assessment and tested intervention in our on-campus lab. However, we were able to generalize the intervention to work in the home via Skype. The parents were incredible; we would not have achieved success this quickly if we did not have access to this distance technology. This data was published in 2016 (with the parents as co-authors) in International Journal of English Education.

In summer 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic we were forced to be creative in providing our students these types of hands-on experiences.

We partnered with SOAR Behavior Services and worked remotely via Zoom, with one family every day

for a week. The child we worked with engaged in severe problem behavior and our role was to conduct a functional analysis and develop an intervention in consultation with the parent, our team and the SOAR team.

Our five graduate students, Lecturer Jennifer Neyman, adjunct faculty in Special Education, the family and I logged on via Zoom and coached the mother through the entire functional analysis. We were successful in completing the assessment and demonstrating intervention. Again, this would not have been as effective or efficient had we not conducted this in the home. We are grateful to the family and to SOAR for working with us and giving our students this opportunity to learn. It certainly is timely!

So 20 years later I was informed that the data we collected for the 2006 article was the first in our field using distance technology. I still have a lot to learn, but we may be doing this for a while so we might as well get good at it!

Care, Competence, Commitment Anjali Barretto, Ph.D. Professor, Special Education The Early Childhood and Special Development classes were greatly impacted when Gonzaga was forced to go virtual. Barretto’s students who were observing preschool classes and set to have student teaching placements had their requirements waived and emergency certifications issued in lieu of the in-person experiences. Despite this extreme change to the requirements, Barretto said, “We know our students well, kept in touch and had confidence in them.� Barretto and other faculty felt confident in their decisions because the students had already completed four or five field placements before student teaching and had verified their success in the field.

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Grace and Blazer Bound for Teaching Post This Fall

BY HARRY SMITH (’21)

Grace Meno, a May graduate of Gonzaga University’s Master in Initial Teaching program for secondary education, persevered through a student-teaching experience cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now Meno and Blazer, her service dog, have a teaching job lined up for the fall.

Five-year-old Australian labradoodle, Blazer, is a seizure alert service dog.

Care, Competence, Commitment

Karen Rickel Ph.D. Chair and Associate Professor, Sport and Physical Education All students have to participate in an internship, and at the eighth week of the spring semester, internships for students were in one of three stages: completed, started, or not secured for fall of 2020. Most students in the process of completing their internships when the pandemic struck worked with their organizations to find remote ways to complete their hours. Students who had not started or did not have an internship secured for fall 2020 were given an extension through spring of 2021.

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He went to every Gonzaga class with her and accompanied Meno at her student-teaching assignment at Central Valley High School in Spokane Valley.

“My peers and the GU faculty were very receptive to him and respected his ‘on duty’ time,” said Meno. “He fell in love with my cohort and became ‘one of us’ very quickly. During his break times, there often would be four to five people sitting around petting and loving on him.”

Meno earned a bachelor’s degree in history with a minor in religion from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma,

Washington. Intending to teach, she decided to get her master’s degree at Gonzaga. Gonzaga’s MIT secondary teacher emphasis is typically a twoyear program but Meno opted to complete her work in one year.

“It was a lot at times, but it is very doable if you have strong time management skills,” said Meno, who chose Gonzaga’s School of Education because the community made her feel at home. “I applied and interviewed at several other university programs before selecting Gonzaga and none of

the others compared to the way I felt about GU,” said Meno. The best part of the program, she said, was the faculty and staff, whom she felt truly cared for her success and well-being.

“They honestly made the whole experience 10 times better,” said Meno. “I felt all of the classes were very applicable to teaching and were designed for reality.” A positive attitude helped her through the coronavirus-shortened studentteaching experience, she said. “I did learn a lot about myself and what

I want to do and not do in my own classroom.”

Despite the trials and tribulations, Meno is confident she will succeed in teaching, thanks to the support from her professors in Gonzaga’s School of Education. She is teaching sixth-grade social studies at Lake Stevens Middle School in Lake Stevens, Washington.

“We aren’t sure what the year looks like yet, but I am excited to have my own classroom and students!”

Zeisner Goes Viral

BY DANNY PALOMBA (’17)

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be an elementary teacher during recess? Gonzaga Assistant Professor Catherine Zeisner knows exactly what it’s like, and, thanks to her, now more than a million people on a popular social media platform have a small taste of the hilarity that can ensue during these playtime breaks.

In May, Zeisner posted a video on a social media platform parodying the life of elementary school teachers and principals during recess. The video was shot selfie style while she acted out imaginary scenes. From telling kids multiple times to get out of the trees, to discussing line leader statuses, she makes light of it all. Zeisner’s follower count is over 200,000 and rising. In fact, both the video and her account are so popular that the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation wrote a story about them, as did Gonzaga, which is posted on the News, Events, & Stories website.

Before coming to Gonzaga, Zeisner taught and was a principal with the Thames Valley District School Board for 20 years in Ontario, Canada. She also taught Classroom Management at Western University (also located in Ontario) for two years. Zeisner accepted a position at Gonzaga in 2018 and currently teaches master and doctoral students in the Department of Educational Leadership and Administration (DELA).

It’s not every day that you see college professors sharing their talents on social media platforms, but Zeisner says there’s a reason she does it. “I always like to know what our students are interested in so I can speak their language. When I heard

this was the new platform, I joined so that I could understand what they have been doing while in quarantine,” said Zeisner.

During this unprecedented time for us all, teachers have been affected in unique ways. Because many classes have not been held in person, teachers have had to learn how to work with their students through online means. “This is our opportunity to rethink how students are engaged, what active participation looks like, how home support affects learning, and if technology is an answer for all students,” said Zeisner.

And being the great instructor that she is, Zeisner says that many things can be learned and brought into the classroom from her experiences. “The power of social media, being vulnerable, telling your truth, and having fun” are just a few things she says are important things to take away.

Although making entertaining videos may be a fun pastime for her, Zeisner says her favorite aspect of teaching is the students. “I learn a lot more from them than I will ever impart on them. Their experiences, opinions, world views and passion drive me to become better for them.”

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Faculty Responses to COVID Questionnaire In April, faculty were asked to respond to a few questions on the resources, transition and strategies they used for the online delivery of courses in the spring semester. Faculty responded with thoughtful answers on the experience and identified areas that worked and those that were challenging.

SOCIAL WHILE DISTANT I had them in smaller break-out chat rooms so they could see each other and just talk about anything in the first five minutes of class. It seemed like the students were more focused, engaged and happy after they could see their classmates.

– NICOLE LUSTIG

I offered continuing office hours - and had the same 6 students show up every week. Some of them said that kept them going. It was the only thing they got up and showered for.

VULNERABILITY IN THE VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT This has required a great deal of time and effort to do it the way I chose to do it. I am in constant contact with my students as I realize most of them are isolated/alone and in need of connection. I would say, ironically, that this has drawn our small group closer to one another and deepened my already-deep love for my students...who’da thunk?

– ELIZ ABETH BENNETT

I was able to work with the students on completing the courses I was teaching. We covered the material in several ways (i.e., discussion boards, Zoom lectures with group breakouts), but I think it is less about continuity for our situation and more about integrity of the course, survival, stability.

– JIMMY SMITH

– SUZ ANN GIRTZ

I met one-on-one much more often, which seemed to help students. Lots of individual questions that a conversation on Zoom could answer. I used Zoom more than email.

There is a degree of vulnerability when you invite someone into your personal space (that’s what happened this semester as we all connected from our homes) and I was mindful of that when interacting with the students.

– ANJALI BARRETTO

– MARTHA SAVAGE

Care, Competence, Commitment Joe Engler, Ph.D. Associate Professor and Director, School Psychology Program With the uncertain situations at the schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Engler confirmed the program and students were well equipped for the change as school psychologists are flexible and expect the unexpected. When University directives were to pull Gonzaga students from their practicums at the school sites, students met via Zoom one day a week with their supervisor and with the families, mostly working on assessments during the transition.

Engler is examining new strategies to cope with the new reality students have to face.

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COMMUNICATION WAS KEY The Dean’s office was great during the first week or two when we were still making decisions on what this new phase would look like. We had several meetings with the dean, associate dean and budget officer, which helped establish our standards and what we would do with our interns.

– MARK YOUNG

Retirement Paul Hastings, Ph.D. Associate Professor Emeritus Counselor Education

In May 2020, after 40 years of distinguished service in the School of Education Paul Hastings was awarded Associate Professor Emeritus upon retirement. He was an instrumental leader in the department’s development, teaching thousands of graduate students on-campus and in the master’s degree program offered in Canada. It is important to note the impact Hastings has had on the profession of counselor education, the Spokane community and, even more so, the students. He contributed to and mentored numerous students, most of whom have gone on to doctoral programs and are now psychologists or counselor educators themselves.

“What most sums up Paul for me, is that he is a consummate educator. In the classroom, hallway conversations, or even meetings at his home, you were never free of the push to grow – as a student, future educator, clinician, or as a person.” MEGHAN BUTLER, ‘12

“The strength of Gonzaga’s counseling program is the ability to create a family-like environment in a rigorous academic setting. At the center of this culture is Paul – his warm heart, empowering approach and care for the whole person. He embodies the Jesuit mission and is a true blessing to his students.” DORI SONNTAG, ‘04 Hastings served as department chair for many years, and on almost every possible formal committee at the university, school and department levels, and in his last few years on the senior advisory board for President Thayne McCulloh. As a community member, Hastings was a major contributor and provided an active consultation service for decades, spending a good portion of that time serving the mental health needs of the local police department.

Martha Savage, Ph.D. Associate Professor Teacher Education

Martha Savage has worked in the Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (MA/ TESOL) for 20 years and we are

grateful for her dedicated service and offer her our congratulations on her retirement. Her experience was transformative to her own professional career, which centered around immigrant refugee, and K-12 English language learners. Through the program she has been pushed to teach deeply rather than broadly by seeing the whole person. Her students challenged her to think in new ways and listen more carefully, and she believes the position she and others like her hold offers “an understanding of others.” In 2016, the Department of Teacher Education became home to the MA/TESOL degree program in the School of Education (SOE).

Savage has served on numerous University, SOE, and state committees.

As chair of the SOE Diversity and Social Justice committee, she has been integral in the SOE’s annual Refugee Parent Night, and in 2020 collaborated with GU’s Director of Indian Culture and Education, the SOE, and the Spokane School District and presented a workshop to work through questions on Native American identity and how race can impact the classroom.

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School of Education Announces 2020 Wardian Award Recipients It is with great pleasure that the School of Education announces the 2019-2020 student recipients of the Jeanne Foster-Wardian Leadership Education Award.

Congratulations to these outstanding students!

This award honors of Jeanne FosterWardian, who served as dean of the School of Education from 1974-1989.

She lived her personal and professional life supporting and encouraging the potential for leadership that she believed was in everyone.

• Sydney Lowe B.Ed. in Special Education

The Jeanne Foster-Wardian Leadership in Education Award is bestowed each year to students who demonstrate evidence of excellent scholastic achievement, disciplinary competence, commitment to education through service, and integrity of character.

• Jenna White Ed.S. in School Psychology

• Arianne Delos Reyes M.A. in School Counseling • Angel Knoles M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling • Natalie Clayton M.A. in Marriage & Family Counseling • Madeline Marshall B.Ed. in Sport Management • Mikaela Perry B.Ed. in Kinesiology & Physical Education

• Courtney Fairhart M.A. in Sport & Athletic Administration • Delainey Boyes Secondary Certification • Josh Kranick Master in Initial Teaching • Analee Scott M.A. Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages Because we could not be together for the normal ceremony due to the coronavirus, our faculty members recorded videos to present the awards to our students.

Chi Sigma Iota, the honor society for Counselor Education hosted an online induction ceremony, and inducted 29 new members and recognized eight new student executive board members. Kappa Delta Pi, the honor society for Teacher Education inducted five new members in Fall 2019-2020.

Faculty Recognition Suzann Girtz, Ph.D., Teacher Education, was promoted to the rank of Professor Kathy Nitta, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, 2019 STaR Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators Fellow; CEL Faculty Fellow Jimmy Smith, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Sport and Physical Education was awarded Tenure –

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John Traynor, Ph.D., was awarded a Faculty Scholar for Mission, a fellowship program sponsored by the University Mission and Ministry office Addy Wissel, Ph.D., Associate Professor in Counselor Education was awarded the 2019-2020 Gonzaga University Faculty Award for Collaborative Work Deborah O’Brien, Ed.D., was hired as an Associate Professor for Educational Leadership and Administration to begin in Fall 2020

Father Hess Reflection The statue of Aloysius Gonzaga in front of St. Al’s Church is a poignant reminder of the compassion Aloysius showed toward all people, especially as he ministered to victims of a serious epidemic. Let us pray to Aloysius and ask him to watch over us as we begin a new academic year when we are

called to serve and show compassion to each other and our students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits, found it helpful to pray with all of our senses and our whole selves. In this spirit, let us ask God to bless all parts of our being.

BLESSING We ask you to bless our eyes so we can claim the power of vision – so we can see clearly the goodness and talents of our students and each other.

We ask you to bless our minds as we claim the power of wisdom – so we may be open to new insights in our work, teaching and research.

In blessing our ears, we claim the spirit of God, as he speaks to us within – to help us listen to voices and experiences that may be different than our own.

We ask you to bless our lips as we claim the power of truth – may we speak to each other with authentic respect, and courageously speak for the voiceless of our world.

In blessing our hands, we claim the power to create an inclusive community – free of fear, ignorance, and marginalization. A place where all feel welcome.

We ask you to bless our hearts as we claim the power of unconditional love – embracing our students in their struggles and joys as they develop their imaginations and intelligence to transform the world.

In blessing our feet may we claim the power to walk with each other as companions – ready to forge new paths for our shared mission, supporting one another as a learning community.

May our lives be a blessing to each other as the lives of many have already been a blessing to us.

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From the Editor I am very proud to serve as editor of the School of Education’s 2019-2020 Year in Review (YIR) publication.

This is my third year working on the YIR and I am interested in telling the stories about the amazing work that is being done in the SOE. In January, my typical day on campus was attending classes in Paccar then riding my scooter to my job as editor in Rosauer.

I never thought that my routine would suddenly be flipped upside-down and I would be attending classes, interviewing faculty, and compiling articles all from my computer in Northfield, Minnesota.

During the two weeks when university wide decisions were being made, we anxiously waited for what came

next. Suddenly many of the stories we had planned for the YIR became stories of personal perseverance. I conducted one interview with a faculty member over the phone while I was hiking in Tettegouche state park near Lake Superior in Minnesota. These interviews were my lifeline to the Gonzaga community. Now looking back at the months from March through November, I am proud that we were able to compile an entire publication remotely.

As a remote student, even into the fall semester, I found purpose in my life beyond walking to and from class. In the 10 minutes I have between Zoom meetings I can make a mug of tea, hug

my mom, or enjoy the last few rays of Minnesota fall sunshine before winter really begins. The small moments in my days are beautiful reminders to be grateful I can spend such an uncertain chapter of my life with my family while still making an impact in Spokane.

This publication encapsulates a moment that we will not soon forget.

While the future is still uncertain, I know that if we continue to do the work, our hopes for a connected and safe community will be realized.

ANGELA GEORGE (’22) Editor YIR

Contributors

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EDITORS: ANGELA GEORGE (’22) AND CAROL BRADSHAW

DESIGNER: HENRY ORTEGA

ADDITIONAL WRITERS: ANJALI BARRETO, FR. STEPHEN HESS,

PHOTOGRAPHY: ZACK BERLAT (’11), DANIEL PALMOBA

HARRY SMITH (’21), AND DANIEL PALOMBA (’17),

(’17), AND ARMANDA DUPONT

PROJECT MANAGER: CARA HOAG (’04)

REVIEWERS: YOLANDA GALLARDO AND DALE GOODWIN

B.Ed. in Kinesiology and Physical Education

Master of Counselling (British Columbia site-based)

B.Ed. in Special Education

M.Ed. in Educational Leadership (online)

B.Ed. in Sport Management B.Ed. in Community, Culture, and Language Education

Master of Initial Teaching (Elementary and Secondary Certification)

M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Doctor of Educational Leadership

M.A. in Marriage and Family Counseling

Education Specialist in School Psychology

M.A. in School Counseling M.A. in Sport and Athletic Administration

Elementary and Secondary Certification

M.A. in Sport and Athletic Administration (online)

Principal / Program Administrator Certification

M.A. in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

Certificate in Behavior Analysis

Master of Counselling (Alberta site-based) 22