Awards

CALL for CEL Award for Exemplary Leadership

This award is given annually to an NCTE member who is an outstanding English language arts educator and leader. Please nominate an exceptional leader who has had an impact on the profession through one or more of the following: (1) work that has focused on exceptional teaching and/or leadership practices (e.g., building an effective department, grade level, or building team; developing curricula or processes for practicing English language arts educators; or mentoring); (2) contributions to the profession through involvement at both the local and national levels; (3) publications that have had a major impact.

Your award nominee submission must include a nomination letter, the nominee’s curriculum vitae, and no more than three additional letters of support from various colleagues. Send by February 1, 2010 , to: Patrick Monahan, 4685 Lakeview Dr., Interlochen, MI 49643; pjmonahan1@gmail.com (Subject: CEL Exemplary Leader).

Carolyn Phipps – 2009 CEL Exemplary Leader Award Recipient

The 2009 CEL Exemplary Leader Award Recipient is Carolyn Phipps. Phipps, a member of NCTE since 1972, is the Director of Studies at St. Mary’s Episcopal School in Memphis, Tennessee. She started work there after teaching English in the Memphis City Schools for 34 years, including time at Southside High School, Oakhaven High School, and as English supervisor for the district. In 1995, she decided to return to the classroom at Wooddale High School. There she was Instructional Facilitator, AP English teacher, and coordinator of the Optional Aviation Program. Mrs. Phipps attended Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, and holds a Bachelor of Science and Masters of Education from the University of Memphis. She is a Career Ladder III teacher. In 1996, she was selected as a Rotary Teacher of Excellence. In addition, she was selected as Tennessee English Teacher of Excellence by TCTE.

Believing that professional affiliation improves teaching, Mrs. Phipps has served educational organizations in various capacities on the local, state, and national levels. She recently retired as Executive Director of the Tennessee Council of Teachers of English. She has been a member of the Secondary Section of the National Council of Teachers of English Steering Committee and served on NCTE’s Editorial Board. Knowing that affiliates are the life blood of NCTE, she was Region 3 director and then SCOA chairperson. Because she knows that new teachers need support, she began the Mentoring program for the Shelby-Memphis Council of Teachers of English and was instrumental in the revision of the Tennessee Literary Map. She also served on the Language Arts Advisory Council for Tennessee. Mrs. Phipps has been a member of the Association of Secondary School Curriculum Development, Tennessee Middle School Association, Adolescent Literature Association, American Literature Association, Conference on English Leadership, Delta Kappa Gamma, and International Reading Association. Mrs. Phipps also has served on the state committee for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI).

Carolyn Phipps embodies all the values and ideals of leadership that qualify her to receive this year’s CEL Exemplary Leader Award.

Call for Proposals: NCTE Theory and Research into Practice (TRIP) Book Series

The NCTE Books Program invites proposals for its TRIP series (Theory and Research into Practice). These books are single-authored and focus on a single topic, targeting a specified educational level (elementary, middle, or secondary). Each book will offer the following: solid theoretical foundation in a given subject area within English language arts; exposure to the pertinent research in that area; practice-oriented models designed to stimulate theory-based application in the reader’s own classroom. The series has an extremely wide range of subject matter; past titles include Genre Theory, Unlocking Shakespeare’s Language, Code-Switching , and Writing about Literature . For detailed submission guidelines, please visit the NCTE website at http://www.ncte.org/write/books. Proposals to be considered for the TRIP series should include a short review of the theory and research, as well as examples of classroom practices that can be adapted to the teaching level specified. Proposals should be submitted through NCTE’s Web-based manuscript submission and review system, Editorial Manager, at http://www.editorialmanager.com/nctebp/.