LL Spring05.indd - Lehman College

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • ALUMNI • • • • • NEWS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Olive Archer ‘88 and Irene Rabinowitz ‘83, ‘93
Share Friendship, a Love of Teaching
And Now NBPTS Certification
Two Lehman alumnae—Olive Archer ‘88
(M.S.) and Irene Rabinowitz ‘83 (B.A.),
‘93 (M.S.)—have achieved the highest academic
credential a teacher can earn next to the
doctorate.
Both loved working in education so they
decided to take their careers to the next level
by completing the rigorous National Board
for Professional Teaching Standards’ (NBPTS)
certification process. Statistically, NBPTS-certified
teachers are at the top of the profession.
“The process for achieving National Board
certification was grueling, demanding and
required close to 400 hours of work beyond
the time I spent at school,” says Archer.
Applicants complete a four-part portfolio
related to the certificate area. In her case, that
was Early and Middle Childhood Literacy/
Reading and Language Arts. Applicants also
complete a three-hour online exam related to
the certificate area. “I wanted to see if I could
achieve something that I didn’t think I could,”
she says. The certification costs $2,300 and is
valid for ten years.
Archer began teaching after working in
banking for 28 years and went on to earn her
master’s in Early Childhood and Childhood
over 50 nursing alumni put away their
caps and uniforms for a few hours last
fall to enjoy the Nursing Department's Homecoming
celebration. Welcoming them back
was Professor C. Alicia Georges, department
chair, who told the returning graduates about
some new developments at Lehman, including
the Foreign Nurses Program, which helps
nurses from other countries become Regis-
Nursing alumni take the time to relax and catch up
on their professional and personal lives over dinner in
the Faculty Dining Room.
Education from Lehman. She taught elementary
school for 15 years before becoming a staff
developer for the United Federation of Teachers
(UFT) Teaching Center, where she works as a
literacy coach with District 9 and 10 teachers.
“Although I’m not in the classroom, whatever
I do ultimately supports students and
student achievement, and for me, that’s what it’s
all about,” she says.
Archer might not have completed her certification
process were it not for her friend and
fellow Lehman alumna, Irene Rabinowitz. The
two worked together and motivated each other
through the difficult certification process.
Rabinowitz, who has taught for 20 years,
earned both her bachelor’s in Speech and her
master’s in Special Education from Lehman.
She first worked as a speech teacher for the
Board of Education and then as a teacher
trainer with the title of language coordinator.
“I did that for several years, working in
classrooms with teachers to enhance lessons
with language strategies,” she explains. “I began
to need more, so I attended Teacher Center
workshops. They noticed me and the work I did
and I was encouraged to apply by a colleague.
The rest is history.”
Nurses Show Their Pride at Department's Homecoming
tered Nurses in the U.S., and highlighted recent
faculty accomplishments.
Those accomplishments include publication
of an article on teaching cultural competence
to undergraduate nursing students by Professor
Susan Kleiman, which was co-authored with
Professors Keville Frederickson and Theresa
Lundy. Professor Frederickson received the
prestigious R. Louis McManus Medal from
‘I wanted to see if I could achieve
something I didn’t think I could.’
— Olive Archer
Irene works for the UFT Teacher Center as
a field liaison supporting 24 Teacher Centers
in Region 2 of the Bronx. She decided to work
toward the reading and language arts certificate
for Early and Middle Elementary because she
wanted to become better at teaching reading.
“The process was more arduous than I could
have ever expected,” she says. “It was daunting,
rewarding, frustrating and joyful when it was
over.”
She says her certification training has given
her insight into how children learn as well as
methods for teaching them in a different way.
“Had I not received accreditation, I would still
consider myself ahead of the game,” adds Rabinowitz.
“I learned so much in the process.” ◆
the Nursing Education Alumni Association
at Teachers College. This award recognizes
long-standing contributions of a distinguished
nature to the profession.
Lehman's nursing program runs workshops
for local hospitals, covering topics like chemotherapy
(Lincoln Hospital), pain management
(Metropolitan Hospital) and emergency-room
care (Mt. Sinai Medical Center). ◆
(L) Vivette Smitherman, a
registered nurse who's earning
her master’s in music at Lehman,
and Hillary J. White '92 with her
son. (R) Kate Galambos ‘94 and
Harriet Parness ‘77 (B.S.), ‘86
(M.A.).
(L) Wendy Brathwaite, Pearline
Boothe and Nicole Chen, all 2004
graduates. (R) Thelma Arzu and
Rose Clarke from the Class of
1994.
9