Elementary Education
Huling is College of Education’s ‘Instructor of the Year’
Heather Huling, clinical instructor of elementary education, has been named the recipient of the Georgia Southern University College of Education’s (COE) 2022 Non-Tenure Track Faculty Award in Teaching and Service.
Huling joined the College in 2015, and serves as the coordinator for Curriculum and Internship I blocks, where she works to ensure comparable quality in all sections of the courses, engages in training new and returning faculty, and revises and updates course materials related to practicum courses.
“Mrs. Huling’s service to the BSED Elementary Education program through her coordinator role is tremendous,” said Yasar Bodur, interim associate dean for curriculum, instruction and initial educator preparation. “We rely heavily on the program directors and block coordinators in implementing this program, and Mrs. Huling has been an essential part of this team.”
As a clinical instructor, Huling has a significant role in supervising Georgia Southern teaching candidates in their senior semesters in field experiences. Over the last three years, she has also led course revisions due to COVID, the removal of the edTPA requirement, and the rising need for technology integration. Huling has also incorporated certifications that grow and enhance the skill set of the seniors in her seminar course including Google Level 1 Certification, dyslexia training, and mandated reporter training.
Earlier this year, Huling was named a University Award of Excellence recipient in the area of academic excellence, recognizing individuals who promote educational opportunities or resources that stimulate students’ academic progression and graduation.
In a support letter written by former student Emily Bannister, Huling was described as teaching “one of the most influential lessons” Bannister had ever been taught.
“Mrs. Huling modeled what it is like to be a flexible, understanding and kindhearted teacher,” wrote Bannister. “Now being a first year teacher, Mrs. Huling continues to be an influential person in my life. She is someone I can always count on being there to listen and give me advice, no matter if it is about the good, the bad or the ugly. Being a new teacher, I have been very thankful to have a support person cheering me on each step of the way. Heather Huling is the true definition of a good, dedicated, and impactful teacher and leader. She not only wants her students to succeed during the time in her class but in life.”
Huling is a current doctoral candidate in the Ed.D. Curriculum Studies program at Georgia Southern, where she is focusing on multicultural education and social justice.
The Instructor/Lecturer Faculty Award in Teaching and Service Award, created in 2020, recognizes and rewards non-tenure track faculty who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of teaching and service. Non-tenure track faculty who have completed at least three years of service in the College are eligible for consideration. Evaluation criteria include consistent, successful service activities, diverse service, uncompensated service, evaluations of teaching, evidence of professional development, engagement in curricular activities, and collaborative work with P-12 educators.
The Instructor/Lecturer Faculty Award in Teaching and Service Award is funded by donor support to the College of Education. Donations can be made to the COE Instructor/Lecturer Faculty Award in Teaching and Service Award by designating donations to fund GS4502.
‘I don’t like quitting’: Dual certification major beats Hodgkin lymphoma to walk across the commencement stage on May 10
Kimberly Dawn, or “Kimmy” as her friends know her, started her journey at Georgia Southern University because it was a place of comfort. A native of Ellabell, Georgia, Dawn grew up only 25 miles from the Statesboro Campus. When her stepmother suddenly passed away during her senior year of high school, Dawn’s decision was final. She would stay close to family and attend the university she always cared for as an almost local.
It was during her first school observations that are required of Georgia Southern’s education students that Dawn met a paraprofessional who inspired her to pursue a dual certification degree in both elementary and special education.
“I watched as she addressed students in the classroom who were struggling with techniques I had never considered,” said Dawn. “Her experience in both general and special education classroom settings gave her different strategies to utilize with all students. That’s when I knew I wanted to have that knowledge and be able to do the same.”
A member of the Chi Omega sorority on campus, Dawn’s college experience was “amazing,” even though her junior year brought a new and difficult challenge. At 21 years old, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of cancer that develops in the lymphatic system.
“I found a lump in my neck,” she explained. “It didn’t go away, and even the doctor said it was probably nothing. Then everything moved really fast from there.”
After a biopsy on her birthday in February, Dawn was faced with a decision. Treatment would need to begin the Friday before spring break. Should she medically withdraw?
“I kept thinking I was halfway through the semester, and a secretary of an organization, and I don’t like quitting,” said Dawn.
With the support of her community, including her family, sorority, education cohort and professors, Dawn made it through the semester and today, proudly can say she is in remission from cancer and graduating this week.
“My professors were so flexible and supportive during treatment,” she explained. “In the dual certification program at Georgia Southern, you grow close to your cohort and your professors, as you spend four years with them and grow with them.”
Dawn has accepted an elementary teaching position in Columbus, Georgia, where she will relocate this summer.
“I am very excited to be in my own classroom and shaping the foundation of students’ knowledge,” she said. “I cannot imagine doing anything else.”