Edd6

= = EdD 6 Directions: To enter text click Edit this Page, enter text, and Save. I will create additional pages as needed. Please start your entry with the following information. I am honored and privileged to add to this wiki in support of Dr. Vivian Johnson’s tenure application. I have known Vivian for almost eleven years, first having met her when we both served as reviewers for the Minnesota Board of Education. That first “chance” meeting helped me decide to pursue my doctorate at Hamline. When Vivian introduced herself as being from Hamline, I mentioned looking at the doctoral program. Through lunch, Vivian discussed the uniqueness of Hamline’s program. She spoke with such passion and conviction that it swayed my decision. Little did I realize then how that decision would result in my transformation.
 * Name and job title: Dr. Leslie A. Crabtree, Department Chair, English, North Central University, Minneapolis, MN
 * Graduation Date or Anticipated Graduation Date: May 2005
 * Name of Course(s) for which I was your teacher: I know it was our first course, and from there . . . I don't remember! They call kind of blur! However, Vivian was my dissertation committee chair.
 * Title of Dissertation/Capstone: An Exploration of the Literary Histories of University Freshman Composition Students with Dispositional Writing Apprehension.

This transformation began with Vivian as one of the facilitators in my first core course. Vivian’s question “What do you think?” in response to my questions was the first time that a teacher had ever asked me to reflect. Vivian’s requiring us graduate students to reflect on our beliefs and practices reminds me of something William Butler Yeats once said: “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” Up to the time I had Vivian as a facilitator, most of my education had been the filling of a pail, but Vivian lit the fire. Yet there were challenges along the way. Because of my past history, I felt incredibly inadequate and decided to withdraw from the doctoral program. However, on the Saturday following my starting the withdrawal process, Vivian called and spent an hour and a half talking me through my concerns. It amazed me that a graduate school professor would take that kind of time out of her own schedule to help a struggling student. The personal attention that Vivian gave me so clearly supports one of the core values of the Graduate School of Education: “providing a distinctive learning environment __with personal attention__ and exceptional experiences to prepare our students to contribute and prosper in a changing world.”

That personal attention was also evident in the feedback Vivian gave on assignments and on the amount of time she spent with me when she was the chair of my dissertation committee. At the beginning of my doctoral studies, the first feedback on my writing came from Vivian. The paper, about twenty pages long, was __covered__ in marks! It was even color-coded with a key to the colors in the corner. Because I am a writing professor, I know it takes a REALLY long time to give that kind of detailed feedback. As a result of that feedback, I grew as a writer, more so than any other time in my writing life. Eventually, many of the students in our cohort recognized the extent and quality of Vivian’s feedback, and many times comments were made in the community to the effect that we hoped Vivian would be the one responding to our assignments because her feedback was so thorough.

That kind of feedback and personal attention continued with Vivian as my dissertation chair. I chose Vivian for two primary reasons: first, her high expectations, and second, her understanding of me as a student. Whether I e-mailed Vivian or left her a voice message, she was always quick to get back to me. And whenever we met in person, it never felt like Vivian was rushed or had other things to do, even though I know she has many other responsibilities. When I was with her, she made it apparent that my needs were of the utmost importance. There were times when we met for up to three hours, and she obviously spent even more time outside of our meetings preparing because the feedback on my chapters drafts was always extensive.

Vivian’s work with me on the dissertation, as well in coursework, speaks to another value of the Graduate School of Education: “facilitating innovative, challenging educational opportunities for all learners.” Throughout the dissertation process, Vivian challenged me to make the dissertation my own. For example, when I wanted pictures to illustrate concepts but found no other dissertations that did so, Vivian reminded me that it was __my__ dissertation. Vivian also challenged me in the methodology for my dissertation. Who would have ever thought that I, someone who despised theory, would choose grounded theory for my dissertation? Vivian encouraged me to pursue the best technique for my study. At times it was incredibly difficult, but Vivian directed me to resources and people and eventually I became passionate about my choice.

My professional life is also a testimony to the doctoral program at Hamline and Vivian’s involvement in my life throughout the program. While studying with her, I twice applied for promotion, and in three years was promoted from assistant professor to associate and then to full professor. As of this writing, I have been a new department chair for just one week. It is because of Vivian—her belief in me and her challenging me beyond anything I thought I was capable of—that I have now been put in a position “to contribute and prosper in a changing world.” The caliber of faculty members such as Dr. Vivian Johnson makes Hamline’s graduate programs in education successful.