Wesleyan's excellent undergraduate and graduate programs empower young women to become exemplary teachers; teachers who care about creating a wonderful learning environment that prepares children to change the world. Wesleyan alumnae have a great understanding of the important role educators play in not only the lives of their students, but in our collective future.
Wesleyan Women in Education are making a great impact here in Georgia, and across the country. They can be found as far away as Wichita teaching Exceptional Children, in North Carolina serving as a National Teaching Standards advisor to a sitting governor, and in Virginia teaching Math at a private boarding school. They’re winning awards -- like Betsy Bunte ’68 who won the 2002 Milliken National Teaching Award, Andria Magallano '95 who was named 2007 Bibb County Teacher of the Year, and Mary Eager ’72 who was named 2001 Georgia Teacher of the Year.
They’re impacting children’s lives, like Melissa Malone ’92 who is a National Board Certified Teacher for hearing impaired children in South Carolina and Erica Herrmann ’02 who earned her Master of Science in Special Education from Johns Hopkins and now works with autistic children. Lauren Eckman ’04, who currently teaches at the Georgia Academy for the Blind, is pursuing a Master’s in Special Education at the University of Louisville. Ashley Wheelus ’05, who is teaching third grade in Conyers, recently graced the cover of the Professional Association of Georgia Educators New Teachers Guide.
Glena Harkins Glenn '71 wrote an award winning curriculum for entrepreneurship for children that was featured on CNN. She was written up in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and the Atlanta Business Chronicle, plus won recognition from the National Economics Education Group and Johns Hopkins Institute for Policy Studies, and the Leavey Award for Private Enterprise Education. Glena has presented all over the country and taught at Atlanta area colleges as adjunct since 1990. She was even one of the original Blackboard course designers/instructors in Cobb County.
Hale Coble Edwards ’73 of Greer, South Carolina, was recognized as the South Carolina 2006 History Teacher of the Year by the South Carolina Council for the Social Studies. Shortly after receiving that honor, she was selected by the National Council for the Social Studies as the National 2007 Middle Level Social Studies Teacher of the Year. Read her story!
Upon the retirement of one class of 1954 alumna, Glennwood Elementary re-named the street in front of their school to Joyce Paris Drive. This honor was not only in recognition of Joyce Paris' years as principal, but more importantly, for her impact on the community. Read her story! Another Wesleyanne who has excelled in her field is Sharon Dew Andrews '79. She was a music major at Wesleyan, but found a new calling as an educator through her experience of teaching music for nearly two decades. Recently, Sharon was named the 2008 South Dakota Teacher of the Year. Read her story!
Then there are alums, like Jeanne Rollberg '79, who have excelled in higher education. Read about Jeanne and her accomplishments as a professor at University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Dale Clark Farran '65, Professor of Education and Psychology at Vanderbilt University, was awarded the Alexander Heard Distinguished Service Professor Award given to a scholar whose work has and will continue to have wide influence in the solution of contemporary social problems. Farran's passion is improving early childhood education with a focus on issues of poverty and disabilities and their effects on the development of young children. She was director of The Susan Gray School for five years, has been named Professional of the Year by the Mayor's Advisory Council on Disabilities, has coordinated and led the Tennessee Pre-K Summer Institute and is evaluating a preschool mathematics curriculum that is currently implemented in Metro Nashville Public Schools and in the Metro Action Commission Head Start program.
Wesleyan College alumnae consistently are recognized as Teachers of the Year in Georgia. In 2009, for example, six Wesleyan graduates were named Teachers of the Year: Janice Bentley Harris (M.Ed.) at Ballard-Hudson Middle School, Sandra Gordon ‘09 at Barden Elementary, Olena Stadnik ‘05 at Lane Elementary, Christy Simmons ‘90 at Porter Elementary, Rachael Martin ‘06 at Neel Academy, and Chantelle Duncan ‘07 at Union Elementary. In 2011, two Wesleyan grads were named Teachers of Year in Houston County: Kathryn K. Grayson '03 at Lake Joy Primary and Stephanie Griffis Melvin '06 at Lake Joy Elementary.
Meet other Wesleyan Women in Education...
Marie-Asseline Achille ’98
A.B. International Relations, Wesleyan College
Social Studies Teacher (5th year), New York City Board of Education,
Ronald Edmonds Learning Center, Grades 6th and 7th
Although making the transition from earning a degree in international relations to teaching middle school students might seem unusual to some, Achille says it makes perfect sense.
"Majoring in international relations provided me with a solid foundation for teaching social studies," Achille says. "New York City is the immigration nexus of the nation. I have students from various countries. My international relations major has made it possible for me to teach students from all backgrounds. In addition, I am able to analyze and interpret historical documents and events." Read her story!
Andria Magallano '95
A.B. Education, Wesleyan College
Chair, Miller Middle School Language Arts Department
2007 Bibb County Teacher of the Year! Andria Magallano '95 of Macon, Georgia, chairs Miller Middle School's language arts department, leads an academic focus group, teaches gifted students, and has mentored about fifty new struggling teachers. Last year the Georgia Council of Teachers of English named Andria "Middle School Teacher of the Year," and in 2003 she was nominated as "Teacher of Year" for Jones Elementary.
Andria, who changed her major at Wesleyan from English to education after speaking at a school about studying abroad in France, has taught school for twelve years. "As I stood in front of that classroom long ago, something wonderful happened to me. Teaching clicked inside of me and a flame was ignited," she said. "I knew that I had to do that every day of my life."
Stephanie Griffis Melvin '06
A.B. Education, Wesleyan College
3rd Grade Teacher, Lake Joy Elementary
Shaping the minds of tomorrow's youth is, according to Stephanie Griffis ’06, a noble calling and one she embraces fully as a third grade teacher at Lake Joy Elementary in Warner Robins, Georgia. She said simply, “It’s my dream job.” Stephanie was honored as a 2011 Georgia Master Teacher and a top 5 finalist for Houston County's 2011 Teacher of the Year.
After working four years with the children of a local after-school and summer program while earning her undergraduate degree, this magna cum laude graduate was prepared to meet the challenges of her own classroom. “Third grade is actually a critical year in elementary school,” she said. “With Georgia's CRCT testing requirements, students must pass the reading portion of the test to advance to the next grade.” Stephanie transferred from Macon State College at the beginning of her junior year and commuted to school and work each day from nearby Crawford County. Read her story!
Jennifer Perry
A. B. Education and Psychology, Wesleyan College
Consultant with Relationship Development Intervention
Equipped with majors in Early Childhood Education and Psychology, Wesleyan Alumna Jennifer Perry is certified to teach children in the regular education classroom as well as children with a variety of special needs. Her experience working with children who have autism led her to pursue a career opportunity with Relationship Development Intervention®, an innovative treatment program for children with autism. She’s combined a passion for helping others with a Wesleyan education and is one of only two fully certified RDI® Consultants in Georgia. Read her story!
Noelle Goodman '07
A.B. Education, Wesleyan College
She has a voice like a nightingale, the demeanor of Mary Poppins and the stage presence of a Tony award-winning actor – all of this from a Wesleyan College senior who was home-schooled by her mother in Byron, a small town just outside of Macon. Noelle is among the many current and upcoming college students with a non-traditional high school experience. From the time she was in kindergarten, she was home-schooled – an interesting background for someone who is an elementary education major and whose goal is to get her master’s in music and teach. Yet her sunny disposition makes her ideal to teach the age she loves most – kindergarten. Read her story! |
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