Sherman, Jayne Goal statement for CEHD PhD program: Literacy

As a professional educator, I have always been interested in literacy acquisition especially

with English language learners. Throughout my experiences in teaching children from diverse
ethnic and economic backgrounds, particularly at a Title 1 school, I have had many opportunities
to learn from and reflect upon my pedagogical practices. Throughout my years of teaching, I
have observed the power of writing with regards to strengthening overall literacy skills within
young children, but particularly with English Language Learners (ELL). I am always amazed at
how these students are able to progress in all aspects of literacy, especially when one or no parent
speaks English in the home. I have always implemented a balanced approach to literacy, valuing
the reciprocal processes of reading and writing and how these processes, along with specific
pedagogical strategies, will lead to academic success. Using writing as a means of strengthening
literacy skills has been my focus and passion for many years, especially when for so long writing
has been viewed as separate from reading and taught in isolation and not integrated throughout
the curriculum. This has always concerned me and prompted me to continue to research process
writing as a means of promoting literacy skills and to educate colleagues and parents as to its
value. After meeting Lucy Calkins in 1986 as a graduate student at Syracuse University, I have
been both an advocate and enthusiast for the writing process. I have since made it my mission to
keep current in the literature on strategies for teaching reading and writing in promoting literacy
acquisition. I continue to share my pedagogical practices in writing with colleagues and parents
alike; I demonstrate how incorporating literacy throughout the day by providing daily
opportunities for children to read and write is vital in promoting literacy gains, especially in
struggling students and ELL students.

Two years ago, I was very excited and honored to have Dr. Lois Groth from George Mason
University attend my first grade class during a writing workshop in order to observe a student
intern in her program. Dr. Groth was a gracious audience for my eager writers as they shared
their small moment stories and received such wonderful feedback. Afterwards, I enjoyed a
lengthy conversation about writing with Dr. Groth and shared my favorite resources and
educational goals. I am ever so grateful to Dr. Groth, my administrators, my colleagues, my
student interns, and Claudia Covington, the university facilitator for education interns at George
Mason, for encouraging and supporting me in my decision to apply to George Mason
Universitys doctorate program in literacy. I chose George Mason University to pursue my
doctorate as I have been privileged to serve as both a mentor and site facilitator for students in
the education program at George Mason University College for Education and Human
Development. I am familiar with the intensity and rigorous requirements expected of students in
this program. Last year as a precursor to applying to the doctorate program, I decided to pursue
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in Early-Middle Childhood Literacy
Reading-Language Arts certification so I could continue to grow and learn as an educator and to
reflect upon my teaching. This process has helped to prepare me for the demands of pursuing
my long-term goal of obtaining a doctorate in literacy. It has enabled me to continue to share my
pedagogical practices with colleagues as part of a professional learning community and to
continue to research my passion of literacy acquisition in English language learners.
I believe that a balanced, integrated, and comprehensive approach to teaching literacy is
necessary to serve the many diverse learners in our schools. For too many years, the debate has
continued within the educational community as to how best to teach literacy. It amazes me that
even with the legislation of No Child Left Behind and new teacher standards and evaluation

processes, there are educators who still continue to teach skills in isolation and do not fully
embrace the importance of writing as a strategy for supporting literacy acquisition. When I have
interviewed several educators within my own school district, I was surprised to learn that many
teachers feel that they simply do not have the time to teach writing and cannot fit it into their
already busy schedules packed with curriculum and high-stake testing demands. As professional
educators, we have the responsibility to adequately prepare our learners in all aspects of literacy,
including speaking, listening, viewing, reading, and writing, in order to meet the demands of the
twenty-first century. It is my goal to be a catalyst for change and, through my research and data,
demonstrate how writing is a powerful strategy, and at times, overlooked as a key factor in
promoting literacy among young students, especially ELL students. The importance of writing in
improving reading comprehension and spelling cannot be dismissed. I want to continue to learn
and grow in my profession and have the opportunity to work with other doctoral candidates who
share my passion for teaching literacy. By serving as a mentor to new teachers as well as George
Mason interns, I have had the opportunity to share my philosophy and teaching methods along
with engaging in thoughtful conversations involving current trends and best practices in
education. I have enjoyed my role as a clinical faculty member through George Mason
University and assisting the interns with planning for instruction using a comprehensive
approach to literacy. Most importantly, I enjoyed having thoughtful conversations about literacy
and teaching children using developmentally appropriate strategies. Having had many
experiences mentoring George Mason interns and becoming familiar with the teacher preparation
program, I believe that George Mason University will provide me the experiences and excellent
educational opportunities I desire along with expert and knowledgeable faculty to guide me in
pursuing my doctorate in education.