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She’s Back!

Where has Avis been for almost 3.5 years?  Yes, its been that long since I’ve made a post to this blog.

Well, after returning to the United States after my 3.5 year stint in Africa, I took time to enjoy my family, continue several writing projects, reflect, and eventually obtain the certifications required to teach at the secondary level.  The latter was birthed out of my teaching and administrative opportunity in a developing country.

Upon return, I was overwhelmed with the need to do something different, even something more daring.  But ultimately, I felt compelled to give back and share the tremendous opportunities I have had professionally, culturally, and educationally.  Though, I am still and will always be a learner at heart.  Consequently, public education supports the student in me through its never-ending opportunities to grow, give, and refine areas of interest and expertise.

As a case in point, and in just two and a half years, I have taught senior English, SAT Prep, Creative Writing, Dual Credit English, Reading II, and I am currently preparing a Literary Genres course.  I also have a course I look forward to eventually proposing and then teaching. Furthermore, I have coached UIL Literary Criticism, served as the Student Council Sponsor, mentored a new faculty member, and planned events like the Fall Festival, a Janitor Christmas Gift Explosion, and developed a curriculum that combined English IV and STAAR Review for seniors who still required a passing EOC English I and/or English II score.  The latter resulted in some students improving their EOCs by some 300 to 700 points and my students receiving some of the top writing scores among re-testers.

In summation, I love the path that has lead to my present;  I love what I do, and I love the impact I am having on my students.  However, to be completely honest, my students are helping me become the educator I have always dreamed of becoming.  We, teacher and students, are partners in learning–exactly the way it should be.

Life is just as rich as ever!

By Avis Winifred Rupert, Ph.D.

Dr. Rupert has a 20-year teaching/leadership track-record in education. She is a native of Texas but has relocated to the East Coast where she is the Associate Dean of Arts & Humanities at Bristol Community College. Her background includes both teaching and administrative positions in the university and community college, international contexts, and secondary and dual credit experience in both the rural and urban high school setting. Rupert has traveled to 21 countries to-date, partnered with populations from diverse ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds; and achieved an 8-year management career complemented by four levels of management with the largest retailer in the world. Dr. Rupert’s education is complementary to her professional and personal growth and interests. She has a BBA in Business Administration with a minor in Marketing, an MA in Composition Studies, an MA in Organizational Management with an International Focus, a PhD in Rhetoric and Writing, and she is presently working on an MA in Biblical Studies and Theology. Rupert’s profile gives her a unique way of at looking at opportunities in education and beyond that often escape others. She contributes her success to self-awareness, an unparalleled drive to grow and develop in varying ways, and a tenacity for leadership. Finally, her dissertation which required the exploration of ethnography requires mention, for it too has added to her unique perspectives and accomplishments.

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