BETSY A. FERRER

2320 Marguerite Ave. Apt. 7  Lansing, MI 48912

517.455.5681 

EDUCATION

UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME Notre Dame, Indiana

Master of Arts in Educational Administration (M.A.), July 2009, GPA 3.98

Participant in the Alliance for Catholic Education Leadership Program, an intensive 26-month experience, encompassing the dispositions of becoming a professional administrator, fostering school community, and ongoing spiritual formation.

Action Research Project: “Suit the Word to the Action”: Shakespeare in Performance

UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME Notre Dame, Indiana

Master of Education (M.Ed.), July 2002, GPA 3.89

Participant in the Alliance for Catholic Education teacher education and service program, a two year

experience encompassing the dispositions of becoming a professional educator, living in community,

and ongoingspirituality.

UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO Chicago, Illinois

Master of Arts Program in the Social Sciences (M.A.), June 2000

Master’s Thesis: Small Christian Communities and Human Rights: A Case Study of the Pandipieri

UrbanApostolate, Kisumu, Kenya

Participant in a one year program of graduate studies offering a wide variety of disciplinary and

interdisciplinary opportunities from the full range of regular doctoral and graduate professional

offerings of theDivision of Social Science and other divisions and professional schools of the University.

UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME Notre Dame, Indiana

Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Sociology, May 1998, GPA 3.72

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITYEast Lansing, Michigan

Course Instructor, TE 407/408September 2011 – May 2012

  • Teach English methods course for seniors
  • Design course around planning and meeting the needs of diverse learners

MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITYEast Lansing, Michigan

Course Instructor, TE 802/804September 2010 – April 2011

  • Taught English methods course for interns
  • Developed online learning modules for hybrid course
  • Planned and taught field lessons for small groups of interns in local schools

MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITYEast Lansing, Michigan

Field Instructor, Secondary EnglishSeptember 2009- April 2011

  • Observed interns teach middle and high school English
  • Conferenced with interns about observations
  • Provided feedback on instruction
  • Co-planned lessons with interns
  • Collaborated with coordinating teachers to support intern progress

UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAMENotre Dame, Indiana

Clinical Faculty, Middle School Language ArtsJune-July 2009; June-July 2010

  • Present on special topics for beginning ACE teachers
  • Lead workshops on using theater pedagogy to teach language arts
  • Co-teach methods course
  • Oversee and grade unit plans
  • Oversee and assist students with their poster projects for their master’s degree

Practicum SupervisorJune-July 2010

  • Observed Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) teachers teach high school courses
  • Conferenced with teachers about observations
  • Provided feedback on instruction
  • Evaluated progress and performance
  • Taught weekly reflective seminar course

SAINT AUGUSTINE CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOLTucson, Arizona

Teacher – Theology and EnglishAugust 2008 – June 2009

  • Taught Freshmen Theology – Catholic Foundations and Hebrew Scripture.
  • Taught Sophomore Theology – New Testament and Church History.
  • Taught Senior English – British Literature.
  • Assisted planning and leading class retreats.
  • Assisted overseeing community service.
  • Served on Curriculum Committee to write and oversee curriculum of the school.
  • Conducted action research on the impact of the Shakespeare performance.
  • Wrote, directed, and collaborated with students on the Senior Shakespeare Play.

SAINT LOUISE PARISH SCHOOL Bellevue, Washington

Teacher and Head of Junior HighSeptember 2004- June 2008

  • Taught Seventh and Eighth Grade Literature and Language Arts.
  • Taught Spanish elective to Eighth Grade students.
  • Taught Study Skills elective to struggling Seventh Grade students.
  • Chaired Junior High by planning for and running team meetings, handling schedule changes, and maintaining records of student needs and concerns.
  • Co-Chaired of Language Arts Curriculum Committee by planning for and running departmental meetings, evaluating textbooks and resources, writing curriculum for the school, and evaluating curriculum.
  • Moderated the Junior High Speech Teamby assisting parent coaches and attending three Archdiocesan speech tournaments.
  • Served as a representative on the Finance Committee by assisting with budgets and awarding tuition assistance.
  • Wrote, directed, and collaborated with students on the Eighth Grade Shakespeare Play.
  • Planned and led the Seventh Grade Leadership Retreat.

SAINT THOMAS MORE CATHOLIC SCHOOL Decatur, Georgia

TeacherAugust 2003 – June 2004

August 2001 – June 2002

  • Taught Seventh Grade Literature and Language Arts.
  • Taught Sixth Grade Social Studies: Asia, Africa, and the Pacific.
  • Created Bridge to Middle School Program where seventh graders mentor fifth graders to ease school transition.
  • Moderated Student Council by overseeing meetings, assisting with planning and service, and chaperoning events.
  • Created curriculum for elective classes including a Model United Nations, a girls’ running for fitness class, and a creative writing class.
  • Wrote and directed the seventh grade students in a Shakespeare play.

UNITED STATES PEACE CORPS Tuba, Benguet, Philippines

Peace Corps VolunteerJune 2002 – March 2003

Primary Education Teacher Trainer

Acted as a resource for elementary school teachers and occasionally provided classroom instruction.

  • Conducted workshops for teachers in the district of Benguet.
  • Created and demonstrated the use of locally available instructional materials.
  • Co-planned and co-taught English lessons with elementary school teachers.
  • Observed elementary school teachers and provided feedback.
  • Developed and created a reading comprehension packet based on Bloom’s taxonomy.

SAINT THOMAS MORE CATHOLIC SCHOOL Decatur, Georgia

TeacherAugust 2000 – June 2001

  • Taught self-contained Second Grade.
  • Prepared second graders for First Reconciliation and First Communion.
  • Represented St. Thomas More on the Archdiocesan Social Studies Curriculum Committee.

GOVERNANCE PROJECT, UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO Chicago, Illinois

Graduate Student ResearcherSeptember 1999 – June 2000

  • Observed Language Arts and Math classes in a Chicago public high school.
  • Interviewed teachers of Language Arts and Math.
  • Transcribed interviews and observations.

PRESENTATIONS AND PUBLICATIONS

Presented at the Association for Integrative Studies October 2011 Roundtable: The Scholarship of

Interdisciplinary Teaching and Learning: Graduate Education and the Pedagogic Imagination

Presented at the Narrative, Arts-Based, and “Post” Approaches to Social Research 2011 Arizona

State University – Yearning to Let Slip the Yoke of Convention’s Keep: A Performance

Ethnography

Presented at the National Association of Multicultural Education 2009 Stealing Perspective:

Empowering Educators to Rethink Dominant Historical Narratives

Presented at the 2nd Annual ACE Leadership Conference 2009 University of Notre Dame– Suit the

Word to the Action: Shakespeare in Performance (action research project)

Ferrer, B. A. (2012) Yearning to Perform. In R. Ewing (Ed.), Performing Scholartistry. Nova Scotia:

Backalong Books. (forthcoming October 2012)

Ferrer, Betsy (2008). Studying education and social policy: Theoretical concepts and research methods

Book review. Catholic Education: A Journal of Inquiry and Practice, 12, 119-122.

Ferrer, Betsy (2010). Yearning to let slip the yoke of convention’s keep: A performance ethnography

Under review. Submitted to NAPAR Edited Volume.

LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE and SERVICE ACTIVITIES

Committee member for CITE Mentoring Committee – Paired incoming PhD students with mentors and planned orientations activities to welcome new students.

Team member for San Miguel High School Accreditation – Evaluated San Miguel based on the criteria for accreditation by interviewing staff, faculty, and students, observing classroom instruction, and evaluating curricular documents

Leadership Team Member of Arizona Fellowship – An organization of alumni from the ACE

program who gather for Mass and service to Catholic schools, August 2008 - present

Member of SCAN (Seattle Catholic Action Network) – An organization of alumni from the

ACE program who gather together for Mass and to provide service to Seattle Catholic

Schools, 2004 – June 2008

Workshop Presenter – Presented workshops on English instruction as a United States Peace Corps volunteer in Tuba, Benguet, Philippines, 2002-2003

Runner and Fundraiser, RACE for Catholic Schools – Ran the LA Marathon and helped raise

money for Mother of Sorrows School, March 2002

Volunteer Tutor at Theresa House – Tutored children at a Catholic shelter for homeless families, 1999-2000.

Fundraiser and Interviewer, East Africa Program, University of Notre Dame – Raised money for and interviewed candidates to participate in an eight week immersion service experience, April 1998.

Participant, East Africa Program, University of Notre Dame – Taught and lived in a Catholic

mission in a shantytown in Kisumu, Kenya for eight weeks, Summer 1997.

HONORS and FELLOWSHIPS

Nominated for an MSU Excellence in Teaching Award, 2011 (awaiting notification)

Dissertation and Research Practicum Support Fellowship, 2011 Michigan State University

Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship, 2011-2012 Michigan State University and the U.S. Department of Education

Summer Research Renewable Fellowship, 2011-2012 Michigan State University

Interdisciplinary Inquiry and Teaching Fellowship, 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 James Madison College, Michigan State University

College of Education Urban Retention Fellowship, Summer 2010 Michigan State University

College of Education Urban Recruitment Fellowship, 2009-2010 Michigan State University

Teacher/Staff Excellence Grant Recipient, Fulcrum Foundation

National Service Act Grant Recipient, Americorps National Service Program

Graduated Notre Dame Magna Cum Laude

Lambda Alpha, Anthropology Honor Society

REFERENCES

Suzanne Wilson

318 Erickson Hall

Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI 48824

517.353.9150

Kristin Phillips

116 N Erickson Hall

Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI 48824