Bishop's Blog

Education Division Christmas Party We had a special visitor join us at our annual division Christmas party. Santa Claus came delivering good cheer and candy canes to all! He even had an iPad app that scanned our fingerprint to determine if we had been naughty, nice or even an angel. See more pictures from our party below. Scheduling  Our office has been working diligently to finalize the spring 2016 schedule. Thanks to those of you who have offered to teach some classes that need instructors. Kathleen has created a spreadsheet with enrollment numbers over the last two years to help us make decisions about offering some of our courses on rotations rather than offering them every term in an effort to be more efficient. Please understand that some courses that you are used to teaching frequently may not be offered as often. CACREP  We met this week to discuss action items that need to take place as we look toward applying for CACREP accreditation. We are looking at ...

Student Teacher and Field Experience Observations ·          This is the time of the semester when student teacher and field experience supervisors are busy visiting their students to complete the required evaluations. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time visiting my student teacher. It is rewarding to watch him develop and improve in his professional skills as an educator. Thank you for all of the time and energy you invest in your students in practice.   ·          We have been updating many of our paper forms to digital forms. We will be teaching university supervisors how to access, complete, and submit the digital forms on December 15 th at the end of the student teaching orientation. Please bring your personal device, if you have one. We will conduct the training in the computer lab so you can utilize a computer if you don’t have a laptop or ipad. School Partnerships ·    ...

Student Professional Organizations Yesterday we had a Meet & Greet at the Perk for the main campus students interested in participating in SMSTA/SASCD/KDP. Thanks to Ricki Roth and Nichole Dales for their work and leadership with this meeting. We had an excellent turnout with over thirty students in attendance. I am anxious to support the work of this group in the future. The first official meeting will be January 12th at 11:00am in FLD 308.   Abigail Jones, Ricki Roth, and Kyle Benz Mark Engelhardt and Emily Woodall, T/W SMSTA student, went to the MSTA state convention last week in Columbia. Thanks, Mark, for giving your students many opportunities for professional experiences. Mark and Emily General Session Speaker Jack Berckemeyet - middle school teacher, consultant, and author Birthday Luncheon We continued the celebration of Kathleen's birthday at Olive Garden. What a blessing to spend some time fellowshipping with friends. Program Evaluat...

The Leader in Me Presentation Mark Engelhardt and the T/W Student Chapter of ASCD sponsored and organized a fantastic event for his students at the Troy/Wentzville RLC Monday night. Kristi Garland and the Leader in Me Team of Teachers from Elsberry Elementary School shared about their experiences with the Leader in Me program in their school. Feel free to encourage your students (even if not from the T/W RLC) to attend What Pre-Service Teachers Need to Know about District Hiring Practices on November 30th at 5:00. They are also invited on February 8 to hear from MSTA Online Community Coordinator, Aurora Meyer, as she presents Protecting Your Online Reputation . MoPTA Celebration The MoPTA Celebration is one of my favorite events to attend, as I thoroughly enjoy listening to our student teachers discuss their experiences. Although they are overwhelmed with all of the requirements of the MoPTA, they all had wonderful things to say about their student teaching experience...

St. Charles Community College Presentation Every fall I am invited to present to the education students at St. Charles Community College. Three other local universities also share with these students about their education programs. I was very encouraged when I walked into a packed auditorium. We were told to prepare for 75 students and there were about 125 in attendance. I am hopeful that the crowded room is an indication that more students are pursuing the field of education, and possibly joining our program in the coming years. This year I decided to invite one of our excellent graduates who attended at SCC prior to becoming a Spartan. Wally Fergson accepted my invitation and joined me during the presentation.  I interviewed Wally while on the stage and asked him a variety of questions. We did not rehearse his responses and I was so pleased with the way in which he answered the following question, "How was your experience as a student at Missouri Baptist?" Wally related hi...