News 2010: 2009 National Teacher of the Year, Anthony Mullen, will speak at UMass Dartmouth on May 20

News 2010: 2009 National Teacher of the Year, Anthony Mullen, will speak at UMass Dartmouth on May 20
2009 National Teacher of the Year, Anthony Mullen, will speak at UMass Dartmouth on May 20

The Anthony Mullen event at UMass Dartmouth will take place at Woodland Commons on May 20 at 4:00 p.m. Although the event is free, registration is required. Please RSVP by May 7th via email at cusp@umassd.edu or phone (774) 929-3002.

Anthony Mullen, the 2009 National Teacher of the Year, will keynote a special event at UMass Dartmouth on May 20, 2010. The event is being hosted by the Journey into Education and Teaching (JET) program, which helps paraprofessionals (teacher aides) become elementary-level special education teachers. Area educators, including teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals and higher education faculty are invited to attend the event and participate in a question-and-answer session with Mullen following his address on "Recovering Lost Students."

Mullen is a former New York City police officer who turned to classroom teaching in 2001. He teaches ninth through twelfth grade special education classes at the ARCH School, an alternative education branch of Greenwich High School in Greenwich, Connecticut.

Pamela Herrup, director of the JET program, said, "we're very excited to host Anthony Mullen at UMass Dartmouth. Educators in CUSP's licensure programs will have the opportunity to engage with a fellow special education teacher whose work has fallen under the national spotlight. Mullen's background as a career changer will resonate with many in the audience, especially participants in TEACH SouthCoast and UrbanSouth, many of whom are career changers themselves."

Herrup continued, "Mullen has also served in the all-important role of a mentor for new teachers over the past several years. This aspect of his career will stand out to any new teachers who have had the opportunity to be mentored, and of course to experienced teachers who have served in the role of cooperating and/or mentor teacher."

The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) runs the National Teacher of the Year program, with sponsorship from ING. Every year, students, colleagues, and other district personnel nominate State Teachers of the Year. State Teachers of the Year from across the country then submit applications for National Teacher of the Year status. The President of the United States presents the winner to the country. 

The Center for University, School and Community Partnerships (CUSP) at UMass Dartmouth runs the JET program. This federally-funded initiative gives paraprofessionals the chance to become classroom teachers. Many paraprofessionals in the SouthCoast have been in that position for several years without access to the resources that would enable them to receive the degrees and state licensure that are necessary for teaching. JET provides access to those resources with scholarships, mentoring, and a cohort model.

The Anthony Mullen event at UMass Dartmouth will take place at Woodland Commons on May 20 at 4:00 p.m. Although the event is free, registration is required. Please RSVP by May 7th via email at cusp@umassd.edu  or phone (774) 929-3002. More information is available at:
www.umassd.edu/cusp/mullen