Since my previous blog entry (February 28, 2025), a lot has changed and a lot of change is on the horizon. As such, I want to take this opportunity to share the news of a personal change that lies ahead for me as part of my professional advancement. At the conclusion of this academic year, I will be leaving Summers-Knoll School to step into my new job as a full-time faculty member of Elementary Teacher Education in the Department of Teaching and Learning at Oakland University in Rochester Hills, MI. I will be ever grateful for my time at Summers-Knoll, for all that I’ve learned, the rich learning experiences we created together, and the relationships built along the way. Although my departure coincides with the news of the SK-Greenhills evolution, my decision to move on from SK was not in response to the pending changes but rather the emergence of an ideal opportunity for me to step back into teacher education at the university-level.
As many of you know, prior to assuming my position as Executive Director of Teaching and Learning at Summers-Knoll in Fall 2022, I was an assistant professor in the Department of Teacher Education at Michigan State University for seven years. At MSU, I taught literacy and language courses across the undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral programs. From 2016 to 2020, I was the Subject Area Leader (SAL) for Elementary Literacy in MSU’s Teacher Preparation Program. As the SAL, I led instructor teams to design and enact evidence-based, literacy methods curricula, including the development of rubrics and key assessments to gather data for ongoing program improvement and the Teacher Preparation Program’s accreditation.
In addition to my instructional and administrative responsibilities at MSU, as a community-engaged scholar, I partnered with the Refugee Development Center (RDC), a local nonprofit, grassroots organization whose mission is “to cultivate a welcoming, thriving community that collaborates with refugees and newcomers through education, engagement, and support.” My scholarship was published in journals such as Pedagogies: An International Journal, English Journal, Linguistics and Education, Journal of Research in Childhood Education, and Learning and Instruction and was featured in MSU’s Engaged Scholar E-Newsletter and MSU Today: Voices and Viewpoints. My research was funded by the American Educational Research Association, the International Literacy Association, Michigan State University’s Diversity Research Network, and the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities’ Network for Global Civic Engagement.
My commitment to social justice, teachers, and teacher education stem from a long legacy of educators on my father’s side of the family. My father (Jim Symons) was a beloved educator, scholar, and performing artist. He passed away just last month on Thursday, March 6, 2025 at the age of 87 after a valiant, four-month battle with pneumonia. His passing inspired an article in the Denver Gazette, James Symons: A Jacobean of All Trades, written by Denver theatre critic, John Moore, as well as an ode to a legendary library appreciator in the Boulder Public Library Foundation’s April Newsletter written by Chris Barge.
As the youngest of three daughters, I adored and admired my father. While earning my PhD at the University of Michigan, I called on him almost daily for support and advice. He was not just my father—he was my mentor, a trusted guide with precious insight and wisdom. But until his passing, I did not know the depth and breadth of the lives he touched. My sisters and I have been showered in notes and emails from former students, colleagues, and collaborators who deeply appreciated him. He made a profound impact on so many people’s lives, including mine.
As accomplished as my father was, his passion for learning and thirst for knowledge never ceased. In his and my mother’s (Judith Symons) honor, I carry forward an unwavering commitment to my own growth—personal and professional—as well as the growth of the students and teachers with whom I work along with the recognition that who we are, and how we treat one another, matters more than what we accomplish.
May we each continue to evolve into the people we need to be to create the kind of world we want to live in.