Newsletter - February 2016
Crystal Kochendorfer: Graduate #1
Remembrances from Year 1: 1967-1968
UCI's Office of Teacher Education, Dr. Kenneth Bailey, Director
By Crystal Kochendorfer
Member of First Cohort of 3 Students
Elementary Level Teacher Credential Awarded in 1968
Remarks delivered February 5, 2016 during "We Salute You!" Reception/Dinner
Honoring Early Faculty and Administrators
MEMORIES OF UCI
Think The Beatles, Bee Hive hairdos, Simon and Garfunkel, the Vietnam War, Dick Dale and the Dell Tones, the beginning of Medicare, miniskirts, transcendental meditation. It’s 1966 in Orange County, the year I graduated from USC, married, moved from LA to Santa Ana, and worked as a social worker for Los Angeles County.
My experiences as a social worker convinced me I wanted to teach children to read so that they could be independent learners and masters of their own fate. There were two schools that offered Credential Programs in Orange County: Cal State Fullerton and UCI.
I was drawn to UCI because it was just starting teacher education, and I wanted to be part of something new. I also had respect and confidence in the University of California even though I was a Trojan grad.
What was UCI like in 1967?
1967, I was a newly enrolled UCI graduate student. The campus didn’t look like any university campus I had seen. It was vast and bare. A hand full of modern, concrete buildings were sprinkled around Aldridge Park, which consisted of grass, walkways, and young trees. Acres of virgin land and the absence of mature trees created a somewhat sterile atmosphere. There were no parking structures, only dirt parking lots, which were located downhill from the new buildings. $18 covered the yearly parking pass, and no one raced for a parking space. There was plenty of room for all.
Memories of the Office of Teacher Education
While the campus seemed sterile to me, the instructors and administrators in those few buildings were warm and welcoming. These UCI pioneers
prepared me to be a classroom teacher and nurtured my passion for education, a passion that remains with me today.
There was psychology professor Alan Gross, who guided me through my first research project and held class in his home and students’ homes.
Also, psychology professor Joe Hart, who led our graduate psychology class through a marathon 24-hour class when we were studying the effects of sleep deprivation.
While I am grateful to these and others, I am most grateful to Dr. Kenneth Bailey, the Director of the Office of Teacher Education. When I went to his office to introduce myself and seek his assistance in registering for classes, I found a large man in a tiny space. He was unpacking cardboard boxes that surrounded him in stacks. He looked up as I entered, smiled, and said,
Dr. Bailey was a visionary and a pragmatist. For the three of us who enrolled in the elementary credential program that year, he developed individualized programs that met the university and the state requirements for teacher credentialing, using all available resources including UCI Extension courses, graduate courses in our graduate majors, and even teaching courses to the three of us. I even had the good fortune to have an independent study class where Dr. Bailey and I would meet every week to discuss the assigned readings.
Dr. Bailey’s efforts to prepare the first three students and all the students who enrolled in the Teacher Education Program, coupled with the years of leadership he provided to the University’s Office of Teacher Education, laid a stable foundation for the leaders and the instructors who followed. They, too, have made their contributions; and today UCI is a highly respected university, covered with endless buildings and parking structures, home to nationally-recognized professional schools, surrounded by a thriving community that provides services and housing to students, and teeming with highly qualified students who do have to race each other to limited parking spaces.
The Office of Teacher Education became the Department of Education and then achieved full status as a ranked School of Education under Dr. Deborah Vandell and her team.
I am grateful to the University for all it has given me, for what it has brought to Orange County, and I treasure my memories of those early days.
About Crystal Kochendorfer
Upon receiving her Teacher Credential from UCI’s Office of Teacher Education in 1968, Crystal Kochendorfer taught first at Top of the World Elementary School in Laguna Beach, where she had completed her student teaching. At Top of the World, Crystal participated in the development of a model program of team teaching and differentiated staffing. Subsequently, she taught Junior First Grade at Van Buren Elementary School in Placentia for one year but then returned to Top of the World, having missed teaching in a program that promoted team teaching, differentiated staffing, and flexible grouping of students.
With the birth of her first child, Crystal combined childrearing, a career in interior design, and extensive volunteering in Laguna Niguel schools. As a school volunteer, she helped to develop and implement a gifted and talented program, taught in the Junior Great Books program, tutored in the classroom, served in PTO and PTA leadership roles, and was the President of a Board of Directors for a pre-school formed to include special needs children.
Crystal’s leadership experience soon led to broader public service. She was an elected member on the Capistrano Unified School District Board of Trustees for 18 years, including three terms as Board President. She served as President of the Orange County School Board Association, two years as the President of the Board of Trustees of the Capistrano-Laguna Beach Regional Occupational Program, and 15 years as a delegate to the California School Boards Association. Crystal was one of the original Commissioners to the Children and Families Commission of Orange County, and served on the Commission for 13 years, including one year as Commission Chair.
During her years of service, Crystal regularly communicated with her state and national congressional representatives. She was appointed by the
President of California School Boards Association to join with their executive committee in representing school board members from California and traveling to Washington D.C., where they met with the Secretaries of Education, Health and Human Services, Labor and Transportation, and the Drug Czar.
As a founding member of the School of Education’s Dean’s Advisory Board and an active member of the Children and Families Commission of Orange County, Crystal continues to contribute important perspectives on preK-12 learning.
Remembrances from Year 1: 1967-1968
UCI's Office of Teacher Education, Dr. Kenneth Bailey, Director
By Crystal Kochendorfer
Member of First Cohort of 3 Students
Elementary Level Teacher Credential Awarded in 1968
Remarks delivered February 5, 2016 during "We Salute You!" Reception/Dinner
Honoring Early Faculty and Administrators
MEMORIES OF UCI
Think The Beatles, Bee Hive hairdos, Simon and Garfunkel, the Vietnam War, Dick Dale and the Dell Tones, the beginning of Medicare, miniskirts, transcendental meditation. It’s 1966 in Orange County, the year I graduated from USC, married, moved from LA to Santa Ana, and worked as a social worker for Los Angeles County.
My experiences as a social worker convinced me I wanted to teach children to read so that they could be independent learners and masters of their own fate. There were two schools that offered Credential Programs in Orange County: Cal State Fullerton and UCI.
I was drawn to UCI because it was just starting teacher education, and I wanted to be part of something new. I also had respect and confidence in the University of California even though I was a Trojan grad.
What was UCI like in 1967?
1967, I was a newly enrolled UCI graduate student. The campus didn’t look like any university campus I had seen. It was vast and bare. A hand full of modern, concrete buildings were sprinkled around Aldridge Park, which consisted of grass, walkways, and young trees. Acres of virgin land and the absence of mature trees created a somewhat sterile atmosphere. There were no parking structures, only dirt parking lots, which were located downhill from the new buildings. $18 covered the yearly parking pass, and no one raced for a parking space. There was plenty of room for all.
Memories of the Office of Teacher Education
While the campus seemed sterile to me, the instructors and administrators in those few buildings were warm and welcoming. These UCI pioneers
prepared me to be a classroom teacher and nurtured my passion for education, a passion that remains with me today.
There was psychology professor Alan Gross, who guided me through my first research project and held class in his home and students’ homes.
Also, psychology professor Joe Hart, who led our graduate psychology class through a marathon 24-hour class when we were studying the effects of sleep deprivation.
While I am grateful to these and others, I am most grateful to Dr. Kenneth Bailey, the Director of the Office of Teacher Education. When I went to his office to introduce myself and seek his assistance in registering for classes, I found a large man in a tiny space. He was unpacking cardboard boxes that surrounded him in stacks. He looked up as I entered, smiled, and said,
- Oh, you’re here. I really didn’t expect you to show. You are the first!
Dr. Bailey was a visionary and a pragmatist. For the three of us who enrolled in the elementary credential program that year, he developed individualized programs that met the university and the state requirements for teacher credentialing, using all available resources including UCI Extension courses, graduate courses in our graduate majors, and even teaching courses to the three of us. I even had the good fortune to have an independent study class where Dr. Bailey and I would meet every week to discuss the assigned readings.
Dr. Bailey’s efforts to prepare the first three students and all the students who enrolled in the Teacher Education Program, coupled with the years of leadership he provided to the University’s Office of Teacher Education, laid a stable foundation for the leaders and the instructors who followed. They, too, have made their contributions; and today UCI is a highly respected university, covered with endless buildings and parking structures, home to nationally-recognized professional schools, surrounded by a thriving community that provides services and housing to students, and teeming with highly qualified students who do have to race each other to limited parking spaces.
The Office of Teacher Education became the Department of Education and then achieved full status as a ranked School of Education under Dr. Deborah Vandell and her team.
I am grateful to the University for all it has given me, for what it has brought to Orange County, and I treasure my memories of those early days.
About Crystal Kochendorfer
Upon receiving her Teacher Credential from UCI’s Office of Teacher Education in 1968, Crystal Kochendorfer taught first at Top of the World Elementary School in Laguna Beach, where she had completed her student teaching. At Top of the World, Crystal participated in the development of a model program of team teaching and differentiated staffing. Subsequently, she taught Junior First Grade at Van Buren Elementary School in Placentia for one year but then returned to Top of the World, having missed teaching in a program that promoted team teaching, differentiated staffing, and flexible grouping of students.
With the birth of her first child, Crystal combined childrearing, a career in interior design, and extensive volunteering in Laguna Niguel schools. As a school volunteer, she helped to develop and implement a gifted and talented program, taught in the Junior Great Books program, tutored in the classroom, served in PTO and PTA leadership roles, and was the President of a Board of Directors for a pre-school formed to include special needs children.
Crystal’s leadership experience soon led to broader public service. She was an elected member on the Capistrano Unified School District Board of Trustees for 18 years, including three terms as Board President. She served as President of the Orange County School Board Association, two years as the President of the Board of Trustees of the Capistrano-Laguna Beach Regional Occupational Program, and 15 years as a delegate to the California School Boards Association. Crystal was one of the original Commissioners to the Children and Families Commission of Orange County, and served on the Commission for 13 years, including one year as Commission Chair.
During her years of service, Crystal regularly communicated with her state and national congressional representatives. She was appointed by the
President of California School Boards Association to join with their executive committee in representing school board members from California and traveling to Washington D.C., where they met with the Secretaries of Education, Health and Human Services, Labor and Transportation, and the Drug Czar.
As a founding member of the School of Education’s Dean’s Advisory Board and an active member of the Children and Families Commission of Orange County, Crystal continues to contribute important perspectives on preK-12 learning.
Professor Carol Connor Awarded IES Grant for OLOS Assessment
UCI Chancellor’s Professor Carol Connor has been awarded a $2 million grant from IES to lead the assessment team in the development of the Optimizing Learning Opportunities for Students' (OLOS) Early Learning Observation System. Dr. Connor's research grant is part of the newly established Early Learning Network, tasked with developing reliable information and useful tools to improve early childhood education across the U.S.
Over a five-year period, Dr. Connor's research team will capture literacy and emergent literacy, numeracy, math, and science learning opportunities as well as more foundational aspects of the classroom learning environment, including teacher warmth and responsiveness to students, teacher-student interactions, classroom management and organization, discipline, teacher knowledge, and social and emotional climate. Data collected will be used to establish the reliability and validity of OLOS and the training regime required for reliable and valid use of the system by practitioners.
UCI Chancellor’s Professor Carol Connor has been awarded a $2 million grant from IES to lead the assessment team in the development of the Optimizing Learning Opportunities for Students' (OLOS) Early Learning Observation System. Dr. Connor's research grant is part of the newly established Early Learning Network, tasked with developing reliable information and useful tools to improve early childhood education across the U.S.
Over a five-year period, Dr. Connor's research team will capture literacy and emergent literacy, numeracy, math, and science learning opportunities as well as more foundational aspects of the classroom learning environment, including teacher warmth and responsiveness to students, teacher-student interactions, classroom management and organization, discipline, teacher knowledge, and social and emotional climate. Data collected will be used to establish the reliability and validity of OLOS and the training regime required for reliable and valid use of the system by practitioners.
School Celebrates 2016 Homecoming with Activity Booths in Aldrich Park
SoE hosted three activity booths in Aldrich Park in celebration of UCI's 2016 homecoming.
At the UCI Writing Project booth, visitors created appreciation poems on heart-shaped paper and then decorated them with an original design or a
variety of stickers.
SoE hosted three activity booths in Aldrich Park in celebration of UCI's 2016 homecoming.
At the UCI Writing Project booth, visitors created appreciation poems on heart-shaped paper and then decorated them with an original design or a
variety of stickers.
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At the 100 Tiny Hands STEM Education booth, visitors experimented with superhydrophobicity by bouncing water off different surfaces.
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At the third booth, visitors put on one of Samsung's state-of-the art Virtual Reality headsets and experienced clips from Jurassic Park "up close and personal".
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Visitors during the afternoon events included not only UCI alumni, but also young children, K-12 students, current UCI students, parents and grandparents, and other community members.
Awarded 2016 LaVerne Noyes Fellowship
Alison Hensley, Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) Candidate, has been awarded the 2016 LaVerne Noyes Fellowship by UCI Graduate Division.
About Ms. Hensley
I graduated from Westmont College in 2014 where I fell in love with and majored in two foreign languages: mathematics and Spanish. Although I pursued other vocations throughout college years, by the time I had become a senior, I knew teaching was the career path for me. I have always had a passion for learning and mentoring youth, so education was a perfect fit.
When it came time to apply for schools to obtain my teaching credential, UCI was number one on my list. I had heard amazing things about the education department through relatives and friends who were teachers, and it offered a Master of Arts in Teaching as well, a chance for me to become the best teacher I could be before entering the field. After being accepted into the program, I deferred my enrollment for a year so that I could spend a semester working as the director’s assistant on a study abroad program in Mexico, as well as teach elementary school Spanish at a local charter school in Orange County.
Currently, I am in the middle of getting my secondary mathematics credential and am student teaching at Valley High School in Santa Ana where I am blessed to be able to combine both my passions for Spanish and mathematics, and learn from an incredible mentor teacher.
As part of my research for the Master of Arts in Teaching program, I am studying the application of Krashen’s Theory of Affective Filter to mathematics education, a subject that has long been colloquially considered a foreign language.
As for the future, I hope to one day be in the same position my mentor is, working in a low-SES, Spanish-speaking area to provide the safe community, encouraging environment, and academic rigor that pushes students to be the best person they can be. I also foresee a lot of traveling, out-door adventuring, and perhaps some soccer coaching in my future, but I do not see myself leaving the education field anytime soon because there really is no feeling like helping young men and women develop their natural talents, curiosity, tenacity, courage, responsibility, work ethic, interpersonal skills, and leadership skills, not only in the classroom, but in life.
About the LaVerne Noyes Scholarship
The scholarship is awarded to a recipient who is a United States citizen and is a blood descendant of a United States Army or Navy World War I veteran. The veteran, whose military service was terminated by death or an honorable discharge, must have served for at least four months prior to November 11, 1918.
About LaVerne Noyes
LaVerne Noyes was born on January 7, 1849, to Leonard R. and Jane Noyes of Genoa, New York. Noyes enrolled at Iowa Agricultural College (Iowa State University) in 1868 and graduated with a B.S. (1872) in general science as a member of Iowa State's first graduating class. He was awarded an honorary Doctorate in Engineering from Iowa State for the success of his inventions and the promotion of higher education.
Ida Noyes was born Ida E. Smith on April 16, 1853, to Joel W. and Susan M. Smith in Croton, New York. Ida received her B.S. (1874) from Iowa Agricultural College (Iowa State University). Following her graduation Ida became a teacher. Ida and LaVerne married on May 24, 1877. She and LaVerne moved to Chicago where Ida was able to pursue her interests in the arts. Ida was an active member of the Chicago chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, president of the North Side Art Club for many years, and studied art at the Art Institute of Chicago. Ida died on December 5, 1912.
In 1879, LaVerne sold his hay‐tool business and started a book holder manufacturing company. He continued to patent farming machinery, which he
sold to implement manufacturers, and his Noyes Dictionary Holder sold modestly well. However, he became interested in manufacturing windmills and in 1887 he started the Aermotor Company in Chicago, Illinois. The Aermotor Company manufactured some of the first steel windmills and became the leading manufacturer of windmills in the country. The company also manufactured the first steel towers used for electrical transmission lines.
During his successful career as an inventor and businessman, Noyes was able to acquire a modest fortune. Using this money, Noyes created a scholarship fund for World War I veterans and their descendants and he also funded the construction of a hall at the University of Chicago, which he named after his late wife, Ida. Noyes enlisted the help of landscape gardener O.C. Simmonds to help beautify the campus of his alma mater. This project resulted in the creation of Lake LaVerne on the Iowa State campus. LaVerne Noyes died on July 24, 1919.
[LaVerne Noyes bio courtesy of University of Illinois at Chicago]
Alison Hensley, Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) Candidate, has been awarded the 2016 LaVerne Noyes Fellowship by UCI Graduate Division.
About Ms. Hensley
I graduated from Westmont College in 2014 where I fell in love with and majored in two foreign languages: mathematics and Spanish. Although I pursued other vocations throughout college years, by the time I had become a senior, I knew teaching was the career path for me. I have always had a passion for learning and mentoring youth, so education was a perfect fit.
When it came time to apply for schools to obtain my teaching credential, UCI was number one on my list. I had heard amazing things about the education department through relatives and friends who were teachers, and it offered a Master of Arts in Teaching as well, a chance for me to become the best teacher I could be before entering the field. After being accepted into the program, I deferred my enrollment for a year so that I could spend a semester working as the director’s assistant on a study abroad program in Mexico, as well as teach elementary school Spanish at a local charter school in Orange County.
Currently, I am in the middle of getting my secondary mathematics credential and am student teaching at Valley High School in Santa Ana where I am blessed to be able to combine both my passions for Spanish and mathematics, and learn from an incredible mentor teacher.
As part of my research for the Master of Arts in Teaching program, I am studying the application of Krashen’s Theory of Affective Filter to mathematics education, a subject that has long been colloquially considered a foreign language.
As for the future, I hope to one day be in the same position my mentor is, working in a low-SES, Spanish-speaking area to provide the safe community, encouraging environment, and academic rigor that pushes students to be the best person they can be. I also foresee a lot of traveling, out-door adventuring, and perhaps some soccer coaching in my future, but I do not see myself leaving the education field anytime soon because there really is no feeling like helping young men and women develop their natural talents, curiosity, tenacity, courage, responsibility, work ethic, interpersonal skills, and leadership skills, not only in the classroom, but in life.
About the LaVerne Noyes Scholarship
The scholarship is awarded to a recipient who is a United States citizen and is a blood descendant of a United States Army or Navy World War I veteran. The veteran, whose military service was terminated by death or an honorable discharge, must have served for at least four months prior to November 11, 1918.
About LaVerne Noyes
LaVerne Noyes was born on January 7, 1849, to Leonard R. and Jane Noyes of Genoa, New York. Noyes enrolled at Iowa Agricultural College (Iowa State University) in 1868 and graduated with a B.S. (1872) in general science as a member of Iowa State's first graduating class. He was awarded an honorary Doctorate in Engineering from Iowa State for the success of his inventions and the promotion of higher education.
Ida Noyes was born Ida E. Smith on April 16, 1853, to Joel W. and Susan M. Smith in Croton, New York. Ida received her B.S. (1874) from Iowa Agricultural College (Iowa State University). Following her graduation Ida became a teacher. Ida and LaVerne married on May 24, 1877. She and LaVerne moved to Chicago where Ida was able to pursue her interests in the arts. Ida was an active member of the Chicago chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, president of the North Side Art Club for many years, and studied art at the Art Institute of Chicago. Ida died on December 5, 1912.
In 1879, LaVerne sold his hay‐tool business and started a book holder manufacturing company. He continued to patent farming machinery, which he
sold to implement manufacturers, and his Noyes Dictionary Holder sold modestly well. However, he became interested in manufacturing windmills and in 1887 he started the Aermotor Company in Chicago, Illinois. The Aermotor Company manufactured some of the first steel windmills and became the leading manufacturer of windmills in the country. The company also manufactured the first steel towers used for electrical transmission lines.
During his successful career as an inventor and businessman, Noyes was able to acquire a modest fortune. Using this money, Noyes created a scholarship fund for World War I veterans and their descendants and he also funded the construction of a hall at the University of Chicago, which he named after his late wife, Ida. Noyes enlisted the help of landscape gardener O.C. Simmonds to help beautify the campus of his alma mater. This project resulted in the creation of Lake LaVerne on the Iowa State campus. LaVerne Noyes died on July 24, 1919.
[LaVerne Noyes bio courtesy of University of Illinois at Chicago]
Text Commemorating School of Education Founding Dean Deborah Lowe Vandell
Deborah Lowe Vandell
Professor and Founding Dean
UC Irvine School of Education
Dr. Deborah Lowe Vandell served as the Chair of the Department of Education from July 2005 to July 2012 and as the Founding Dean of the School of Education from July 2012 to July 2015. Concurrently, as Professor of Education she held an appointment in the UC Irvine Department of Psychology &
Social Behavior.
Professor Vandell started her career as an elementary school teacher and later received a Ph.D. in Psychology from Boston University. Prior to joining UC Irvine in 2005, she was the Sears Bascom Professor of Education at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Dr. Vandell's research is focused on the effects of developmental contexts (early child care, schools, after-school programs, families, neighborhoods) on children’s social, behavioral, and academic functioning. As one of the principal investigators with the NICHD Study of Early Child Care & Youth Development, she has conducted an intensive study of the development of 1,300 children from birth through the end of high school. This work is viewed by many social scientists as one of the most comprehensive studies of the short-term and long-term effects of early childcare and the family to date.
Amongst her many accolades, Professor Vandell is a member of the National Academy of Education, serves on the Governing Council for the Society for Research in Child Development, and is a Fellow of the American Educational Research Association, the American Psychological Association, and the American Psychological Society. She served on advisory boards and panels for the National Academy of Sciences, the National Institutes of Health, and the U.S. Department of Education. In 2014, she was named one of the 25 Most Influential People in the After School Community by the National After School Association.
Of note, during Dean Vandell’s tenure,
Deborah Lowe Vandell
Professor and Founding Dean
UC Irvine School of Education
Dr. Deborah Lowe Vandell served as the Chair of the Department of Education from July 2005 to July 2012 and as the Founding Dean of the School of Education from July 2012 to July 2015. Concurrently, as Professor of Education she held an appointment in the UC Irvine Department of Psychology &
Social Behavior.
Professor Vandell started her career as an elementary school teacher and later received a Ph.D. in Psychology from Boston University. Prior to joining UC Irvine in 2005, she was the Sears Bascom Professor of Education at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Dr. Vandell's research is focused on the effects of developmental contexts (early child care, schools, after-school programs, families, neighborhoods) on children’s social, behavioral, and academic functioning. As one of the principal investigators with the NICHD Study of Early Child Care & Youth Development, she has conducted an intensive study of the development of 1,300 children from birth through the end of high school. This work is viewed by many social scientists as one of the most comprehensive studies of the short-term and long-term effects of early childcare and the family to date.
Amongst her many accolades, Professor Vandell is a member of the National Academy of Education, serves on the Governing Council for the Society for Research in Child Development, and is a Fellow of the American Educational Research Association, the American Psychological Association, and the American Psychological Society. She served on advisory boards and panels for the National Academy of Sciences, the National Institutes of Health, and the U.S. Department of Education. In 2014, she was named one of the 25 Most Influential People in the After School Community by the National After School Association.
Of note, during Dean Vandell’s tenure,
- The Department of Education became the School of Education.
- The School’s national ranking advanced 53 places to 31st among U.S. Schools of Education in 2015.
- The School introduced a Ph.D. in Education with three areas of specialization: Learning, Cognition, and Development; Educational Policy and Social Context; and Language, Literacy, and Technology.
- The Cal Teach Math & Science program for undergraduates was established as a cross-university collaboration among the School of Physical Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, and School of Education.
- The Cal Teach program initiated a 4-year STEM degree plus California Teacher Credential, which garnered #1 ranking in California and # 8 in the U.S. among teacher education programs.
- The School introduced a Bachelor of Arts in Education Sciences, the first undergraduate major in the U.S. to study education as an academic discipline.
- The School created a Certificate in Afterschool Education, the first such program in the U.S.
- Faculty established 10 research and learning labs.
