CHS Teachers Chosen to Present at Two National Conventions
Community High School teachers Patti Kozlowski and Judy Minor have been selected to present their award-winning integrated curriculum on Child Abuse at two national conventions: the National Council of Teachers of English Conference in San Francisco, California in November and the Association for Career and Technology Conference in Orlando, Florida in December. The curriculum, which focuses on Child Abuse, combines English and Child Development in a cross-curricular connection. Child Development teacher Patti Kozlowski won the DuPage Area Education to Careers Award for Outstanding Curriculum in 2001 for this program.
For the last several years, Minor and Kozlowski have collaborated on a unit which culminates in a day-long Child Abuse Seminar. Both the English and Communications III students and the Child Development students read the book The Child Called "It," by David Pelzer. Class projects and discussions stimulate further interest in the subject and prepare students for the seminar. During the Child Abuse Seminar, area professionals provide a panel discussion for the classes. Some of the professionals include social workers, school counselors, police officers, criminal investigators for the DuPage Children's Center, medical professionals and members of the State's Attorney's Office. Students also have the opportunity to have lunch with one of the professionals to continue the discussion. The seminar is open to the public.
By the end of the class, students prepare reports on how to recognize and report child abuse and where to go for help. The next seminar will take place on January 7, 2004 at the American Legion Hall in West Chicago.
"The Child Abuse Forum allows students to make real-life connections with professionals in the field," said Minor, "not only to discuss the issue of child abuse and prevention, but also to learn what it takes to become a future professional." "We are proud of this innovative program," said CHS Principal John Highland. "It focuses on an important issue, and this kind of integrated curriculum is very helpful to our students."