Quarantine Book Recommendations from a School Counselor

By Sabrina Bartels

Ever since mid-March, my life (like everyone else’s) has been turned upside down. One day, I was sitting in my office, talking to students about grades and schedule changes; the next, I was sitting at home, trying to figure out how to use Zoom and Google Hangouts to stay connected with my students and their families. Counseling from my living room for the last three months of school was something I never thought I would experience, and it’s definitely different.

However, I’ve been doing my best to find silver linings to this unprecedented quarantine, and one of them is that I’ve had more time to read. If you are looking for something to enhance your counseling practice, or just want an intriguing page turner, here are some of my suggestions.

Books for Work

1. Help for Billy: A Beyond Consequences Approach to Helping Challenging Children in the Classroom by Heather T. Forbes, LCSW. A really great read about the effects of trauma on children. It looks at a “traditional” view of things in the classroom, and then how we can revamp to a “new” view that encompasses ways to care for children who are victims of trauma. I’ve read this book multiple times and find all of the strategies really helpful!
2. Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends, and the New Realities of Girl World by Rosalind Wiseman. This book has been a lifesaver for me. Drama usually peaks in middle school, and this book helps address it. It also looks at some of the potential causes of drama, how to navigate those “tough love” conversations, and offers tips and ideas for parents of all girls, whether their daughter is the queen bee or the victim. There are also stories and quotes from teens throughout the book, who talk about how everything feels from their perspective.
3. Middle School Matters: The 10 Key Skills Kids Need to Thrive in Middle School and Beyond – and How Parents Can Help by Phyllis L. Fagell, LCPC. The book was originally created for parents, but as a counselor, I’ve also found it helpful. This book proves TONS of ideas for how to support middle school students through these transitional years, as well as tips and conversation starters for each important skill. I could see this book being a great book discussion for parents, or even part of a Coffee with the Counselor meeting.
4. Why are All the Black Kids Sitting Together In the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race by Beverly Daniel Tatum, PhD. I just recently started this book, but I already find it very compelling. It starts by talking about what racism is, and then flows into identity and how racial identity can impact our lives. It’s making me consider things in a whole new light. I’ll let you know what I think of it!

Books for Fun

1. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern. I cannot say enough about this book! The writing is so poetic, and the story is intriguing. If you like fantasy, this is a must-read.
2. The Great Alone by Kristen Hannah. Imagine living in a remote town of Alaska, just trying to survive while hiding a family secret. There’s a little mystery, a little romance, and a whole lot of surprises in this novel. It really emphasizes the bonds of family, both the one you are born into and the one you create with friends.
3. Defending Jacob by William Landay. This book is a mystery / thriller / drama all wrapped into one. I can’t say too much without giving something away, but suffice it to say that I thought I knew the outcome of the book … and I was wrong. Multiple times. The twists in this book are phenomenal. (Also, if you like the book, then you can watch the mini-series that is out, starring Chris Evans and Michelle Dockery.)
4. Lethal White by Robert Galbraith. This is the 4^th book in the Cormoran Strike series, written by Galbraith (who is actually JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter). It’s a murder mystery with a detective as keen as Sherlock Holmes, and a partner who shows just how smart, savvy and tenacious women can be. If interested, you would need to start with the first novel to get to know all the characters (The Cuckoo’s Calling).

Happy reading!

Getting to Know Our Students: Meet Andrew Hirsh

We’re excited to continue our series getting to know our students. You can get to know more of our students and our faculty/ staff on previous posts. Read on to meet Andrew, one of our undergraduate students!

My name is Andrew Hirsh, and I am entering my senior year at Marquette. I am studying secondary education and broad field science with a minor in chemistry. I am from Buffalo Grove, IL.

As a student, I had the unique opportunity to get hired by Milwaukee Tennis and Education Foundation (MTEF) to be an Academic Instructor. I was able to rewrite the academic lesson plans across disciplines that are a component of their summer tennis camps. I then got to implement facilitating these lessons to students ranging in age from 6-18. It was amazing to work in a non-traditional environment with such a range of students in regards to their previous knowledge and backgrounds. This year, I am looking forward to student teaching this fall in a chemistry classroom at Central High School in West Allis.

My decision to come to Marquette boiled down to my love of the campus and the strength of the College of Education. It is powerfully unique that we are required to get two majors, gain wide exposure to various educational experiences, and begin our field work right away our first semester. These were highly important to my college decision.

Outside of the classroom, I am involved in a lot on campus. I am a percussionist in the MU Band, have been an RA the past two years (and will be in a manager position this fall) in a residence hall, am a Tour Guide for the University, play volleyball as frequently as I can, and enjoy working with prospective students and curriculum planning for the Honors Program.

I think that working in education is such a crucial role for people to fill in society. My opinion is that educators are perhaps the most important profession as they lay the groundwork for any career path that people may take later on in life. Everything any person learns come from a teacher, be it in school or in general, and without them no one would be able to achieve anything in any field of work/study.

Want to learn more about our undergraduate or graduate programs in the College of Education? Visit us online today!

Getting to Know Our Students: Meet Rory Ravenscraft

We’re excited to continue our series getting to know our students. You can get to know more of our students and our faculty/ staff on previous posts. Read on to meet Rory, one of our undergraduates!

I grew up in a small town known as Lexington, Kentucky. This would be my third year living in Milwaukee and my third year living in Chicago since we moved from Lexington. I have a very closeknit family! We spend time together by watching classic movies such as Road to Bali starring Bing Crosby and Bob Hope or going for an adventure outdoors. Our favorite place to vacation is Montana where we stay at hot springs and love to go white water rafting down the Yellowstone river, venture to the Livingston rodeo or horseback ride through the mountains.

I am a teaching assistant (TA) for Marquette Universities Physics courses ARSC 1020, ARSC 1021 and PHYS 1009. I love getting to know the students and being able to both teach and support them throughout the semester both inside and outside the classroom. I have had the opportunity to grade papers, exams and worksheets while also having the opportunity to lead a lab section. My main challenge that I have faced as a TA is not being able to give everybody a 100%.

My favorite educational experience was my field placement my sophomore year at Milwaukee Academy of Science which allowed me to accompany my class on a field trip to a nature preserve where I helped several students catch bugs. This was a lot of fun because it reminded me of my childhood in Kentucky when I would do this and I got to face my fear of bees and wasps by catching over 20 of them for their class project.

I am very excited for this upcoming year because I plan to be extremely involved on campus. I am helping co-lead Recruitment and Candidate Day Away for my sorority Alpha Omega Epsilon. I also plan to be the Vice President of the Physics club and continue teaching second grade at the Sunday School of Gesu Parish.

I was drawn to Marquette for several reasons one of which was the feeling of home I felt on campus. My parents and grandfather all went to Marquette, so I felt at home knowing that they had taken some of the same courses and lived in the same residences or walked the same halls as I do today. I felt a strong connection to the College of Education because they offer amazing opportunities and a wonderful support system that other schools cannot even comprehend. I loved that I would start working in schools my freshman year and slowly build up to student teaching through my service learning experiences and field placements. I also loved how small the community within the College of Education is because I felt I could really connect with the faculty, staff and students which has been one of the best parts about choosing Marquette.

I am very outdoorsy and have had horseback riding lessons for nine years, so whenever I have the opportunity to be around horses or ride one I always take the chance. My family used to be a part of the horse racing industry and growing up in Kentucky I was always able to spend time at horse farms so being around horses or riding them makes me feel both free and at home. I am a huge coffee lover and I like to believe I am a fairly talented photographer. I love to sing in the car on my way to Starbucks and I am an avid photographer too! I love practicing photography because I love to capture the beauty in the world and share that beauty with others. A couple of tips: bring your horse some peppermints or carrots so you can grow a closer bond! Make a budget for Starbucks so you don’t blow all your money away (like me) and take pictures of the moments that make you happy so you can keep them forever.

My grandparents and my parents inspire me everyday. My mom is literally a superhero and my father is my rock in my life. I look to them for guidance and support and they give me both in ten fold. My grandparents have always taught me to smile, stay positive and do my best. I take this inspiration with me when I teach and I try to inspire my students to do the same. My parents and my grandparents mean the world to me and they inspire me every day to be myself and be the best that I can be.

Never forget to think positively and be yourself!

Want to learn more about our undergraduate or graduate programs in the College of Education? Visit us online today!

RAD Self-Care

By Dr. Karisse Callender

We spend a lot of time checking in with others around us as our loved ones, friends, colleagues, and community may need us for emotional and physical support. I’m also here to remind you that you need yourself. When you take the time to check in with yourself, you allow yourself to do what is best for your mental and emotional health. What do you need right now? What would help you to feel better? I came up with the RAD approach to help me navigate the start of the year and I continue to find it useful, especially during these challenging times. Here’s a little more information about RAD:

• Regulate: what is one thing you can adjust or change?
• Adopt: what is one thing you can add or include?
• Drop: what is one thing you can remove?

Let’s take a closer look at how you can implement the RAD approach using an example. Let’s say you are feeling increased anxiety and not able to sleep at night, so instead of going to bed you stay up late scrolling online and watching tv. Here’s the RAD approach:

Regulate: “I want to increase the hours I sleep so I want to adjust my sleep time.”

Adopt: “I want to get to bed at an earlier time. Instead of going to bed at 1 am to get up at 6 am, I want to go to bed at 11 pm. I will try to do this, 2 nights a week – Sunday and Monday”

Drop: “I probably should stop watching tv and scrolling online right up until bedtime. I can turn the tv off, or close off social media 5 minutes before bed and sit quietly in my room.”

Remember, self-care is not a selfish act. It is an intentional lifestyle to help you nurture and nourish your body, mind, and soul! It’s flexible and unique to your needs. Take care of yourself. We need you.

Be well.

Dr. Karisse Callender is an Assistant Professor in the Counselor Education Counseling Psychology department within the College of Education. Her research focuses on how mindfulness based interventions may improve wellbeing and quality of life. You can follow her on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Dwyane Wade LIVE TO DREAM Summer Reading Program: Reflections from Courtney McNeal

Courtney McNeal has served as the Program Coordinator in the Hartman Literacy and Learning Center since 2015. This summer would have been the fifth iteration of the summer reading program in the Hartman Center. We caught up with Courtney to share some insights on this milestone anniversary.

The Dwyane Wade “Live to Dream” Summer Reading Program improves our students reading and writing abilities through intensive small-group instruction. Outside of the classroom environment, the students who attend our program gain an understanding of the Marquette University campus. The students are comfortable being on campus and interacting with their instructors, the professors, and the undergraduate students that the work with on a daily basis.

It’s undeniable that the small-group and individualized attention possible in the Hartman Literacy and Learning Program because of the Wade Program improves students reading abilities but it also gives them a sense that they are welcome on a college campus.

My favorite part of the program is watching the students on their final day of the program celebrate their progress with their classmates and instructors.

Interested in learning more about how you can support the Hartman Center’s programming? Visit us online today! 

Getting to Know Judith Romelus

Ms. Judith Romelus has recently been named the interim Director of the Institute for the Transformation of Learning. Read on to get to know her better! And, you can get to know more of our students and our faculty/ staff on previous posts. 

I grew up in Chicago! I have been in Milwaukee since 1995, when I first came as a student to Marquette. My family is best described as the Haitian version of the family in the movie, My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

During the pandemic, the Institute for the Transformation of Learning is working with community and current partner organizations to support families and students with challenges around e learning. I believe that we have the power to improve the education outcomes of our most needy students if we are willing to come together and focus our commitment and efforts. However, that can be challenged by the willingness for us to put our differences aside and work together toward a common goal. This year is going to offer a unique opportunity for us to be more innovative in our ideas, strategies and solutions to our current world’s social, political and economic issues.

My favorite educational experience was sitting in my MU philosophy class and learning about Kant’s Categorical Imperative and its four formulations. This is only second to me being in fourth grade when my teacher took us outside to look up at the sky while we learned about the various types of clouds.

I love to travel. I try to visit a new country every year. Traveling forces you to see the world through a different lens. Most importantly, it allows you to see our interconnectedness. In my spare time, I am a foodie and would like to encourage as many I can to join me on my foodie journey.

I want my life and legacy to be one of service and to know that I have made a positive mark, no matter how small, on the lives of those that I encounter.

 

 

Happy Independence Day

“One flag, one land, one heart, one hand, one nation forevermore!”

— Oliver Wendell Holmes

Dwyane Wade LIVE TO DREAM Summer Reading Program: Reflections from Christine Reinders

Christine Reinders holds a Master of Arts in Literacy and Director of Instruction license from the College of Education. During the academic year, she is the Literacy Specialist at Lake Shore Middle School in the Mequon-Thiensville School District. Since 2016, she has worked with Dr. Kathleen Clark as the Director of Curriculum and Professional Development for the Dwyane Wade LIVE TO DREAM Summer Reading Program in the Hartman Literacy and Learning Center. Although the Center is not running this summer due to COVID-19 restrictions, we asked Christine to share some insights as the LIVE TO DREAM reading program hits its fifth anniversary.

Marquette Educator: What do you see as the benefit to the community (students, children, leadership team)?

Christine Reinders: The Dwyane Wade “Live to Dream” Summer Reading Program is a tremendous gift. The program gives young children, who often feel challenged in the area of literacy, the opportunity to grow in their reading and writing achievement, but also feel success. For many children, our program is the first time they’ve felt success in their academic journey. Once students feel success, they grow more self-confident and more willing to take on new academic challenges. While our program grows students’ reading and writing achievement, which is crucial for success in the 21-century, it also plants the seed of life-long learning.

What is your favorite part of the program?

I love being a part of the ​Dwyane Wade “Live to Dream” Summer Reading Program for many reasons and I cannot identify just one aspect as my favorite. Working alongside my mentor and Director of the Hartman Center, Dr. Kathleen Clark has been very rewarding. Dr. Clark possesses a wealth of knowledge and I continue to grow from her year after year. Additionally, educators participating in the summer reading program are eager to grow in their professional practice, and I love that I am able to share my knowledge and experiences with them. The children are always amazing. Many of the students participating in the Dwyane Wade “Live to Dream” Summer Reading Program feel challenged in the area of literacy. I love and cherish the days when our students begin to feel success as a reader and writer. Suddenly there are more smiles and bouts of laughter, and soon their self-confidence begins to shine through. It’s the most rewarding aspect of the entire summer and I am so fortunate to be a part of it.

What opportunities do you see for the future of the program?

Honestly, the future of the program is contingent on funding. With continued funding, we can continue to strengthen the literacy achievement of children living in the City of Milwaukee. In the future, I would love to use students’ growing strengths in reading and writing to foster learning and growth in other content areas. I dream of developing a social studies and socio-emotional hybrid curriculum that would give students the opportunity to learn about strong leaders and provide them with ways in which they can use their literacy prowess to become a successful leader. I want students to feel that they are valuable members of society that have the power and knowledge to make the world a better place.

Thank You, Faculty

Stephanie Ganoe graduated this spring with a Master of Science degree in counseling from our Counselor Education Counseling Psychology department. In gratitude, she shared the words below.

Marquette Faculty:

In my two short years being a part of the Marquette family I learned a lot from each and every one of you. I learned various therapeutic theories, counseling skills, ethical guidelines to adhere by, statistics and research methods, how to differentiate between diagnoses, and so much more. While I’m forever thankful to have had the opportunity to learn these essential skills that will carry me through my career, I am writing to thank you for teaching me so much more.

Thank you for teaching me how to be a upstanding member of my community and larger society. Thank you for teaching me to be an ally to those facing injustice and an advocate for change. Thank you for teaching me to speak up for those without a voice and amplify the voices of those not being heard. Thank you for teaching me how to shut up and listen. Thank you for pointing out my privileges and teaching me how to use them to help others. Thank you for teaching me to find the root cause of injustice and providing me with the skills to make change, even if that change is within myself.

I know that because of what you all have taught me that no matter what job I hold or where my career takes me, I will always be able to help others and fight to make the changes that our world needs. Our world desperately needs more people like all of you right now and I will never be able to thank you all enough for giving me even the smallest amount of your knowledge and skills to pass on to others. I will always try my best to carry what you all have taught me to help make this world a better place for everyone.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

Stephanie Ganoe
Class of 2020

Distinguished Professor of Education Dr. Howard Fuller to Retire

The College of Education celebrates the work of Dr. Howard Fuller, Distinguished Professor of Education and the Director of the Institute for the Transformation of Learning at Marquette University. This summer, Dr. Fuller will be retiring from the university after a storied career as an academic, education reform advocate, civil rights activist, and author of several books.

A staunch promoter for school choice and a passionate champion for the equitable education of African American children, Dr. Fuller has held positions as Senior Fellow in the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University, Associate Director of Marquette University’s Educational Opportunity Program, Secretary of Wisconsin’s Department of Employment Relations, Director of the Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human Services, and the Superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools. His educational background includes a Bachelor of Science degree from Carroll College, a Master’s degree from the School of Applied Social Sciences at Western Reserve University, and a Ph. D. in Educational Policy and Leadership from Marquette University.

In addition, Dr. Fuller has served as the Chair of the Board for Black Alliance for Educational Options, Alliance for Choices in Education in Milwaukee, CEO Leadership Academy, and Quest Milwaukee.  Moreover, he has chaired the Charter School Review Committee for the City of Milwaukee and served on Boards such as Transcenter for Youth, the Johnson Foundation, the Joyce Foundations, School Choice Wisconsin, and Advocates for School Choice.  As a fitting tribute, a Milwaukee-area charter school, the Dr. Howard Fuller Collegiate Academy, is the namesake of this extraordinary educator.

Dr. Bill Henk, Dean of the College of Education, commented: “The professional journey of our valued colleague, Howard Fuller, has been truly remarkable. From humble beginnings, he embraced the formidable challenges of civil rights, and then ascended to several noteworthy leadership positions, finally emerging as a nationally recognized figure in American education. His tireless and effectual advocacy for the equitable schooling of children of color situates him historically as a true champion of social justice. The College of Education wishes him the very best.”