College of Education

5/4/2020

Dear members of the College of Education Community,

My name is Dr. James O’Meara, and I am the Dean of the College of Education. I want to start by saying how proud I am of you for all you have accomplished during these challenging times. Your perseverance and resilience, in conjunction with the efforts of our faculty and staff to support you during our time in a virtual learning environment, show that we really are TAMIU Together.  Juniors and graduating Seniors, once again it is time to RISE to the challenge of being ‘clinical’ and ‘classroom’ ready for Day 1 in the classroom.

Graduating Seniors: While graduates across the State can take the whole year to move from probationary to full certification, we want to give your the opportunity to be fully certified on Day 1. This means passing your Representative and TExES PPR exam by August. Avoiding the need to apply for a probationary certificate will save you money and may increase your employability.

Juniors and Seniors Applying for Block III: We aim to ensure you have the opportunity to be clinical ready by July 31^st . This means passing your representative and TExES Content exam by July 31st. Candidates who are clinical ready by July 31^st will avoid the need to delay their clinical experience until the Spring 2021 semester.

In order to achieve these goals we must continue to work as TAMIU Together.

• The College of Education will provide you with the opportunity to take the Representative Exam from home at no additional cost to you.
• Dr. Jesse Salazar, our Certification Exam Coordinator, will be reaching out to you this week with information about testing dates and protocols. If you do not hear from him by Friday, please do not hesitate to reach out to him at jesse.salazar@tamiu.edu. 
• Dustdevils, your role is to prepare daily for your exams to give yourself the best chance of passing the Representative Exam first time, so you can be classroom ready on-time for Day 1 in the classroom. Please keep monitoring the TEA website to ensure you are up to date with the latest information on graduation, clinical teaching and testing guidelines. 

Members of the College of Education family, now is the time to continue caring for and supporting each as we RISE to meet these important goals - and rest assured, we are here to help you. I look forward to the day we can all reconnect in person. In the meantime, I continue to wish health and safety for you and your family.

Be well.

3/27/2020

Dear member of the College of Education community,

Let me begin by saying how much we miss seeing you on campus. Our concern for your well-being and that of your family is why our wonderful faculty are working this week to transfer your classes to a virtual environment. We are committed to ensuring you can safely access the classes and support you need to be successful.

We have updated the College of Education website to provide you with a central location to access updates on policy, response, and procedures regarding COVID-19 from TAMIU, the Texas Education Agency, and other key organizations. These guidelines provide current information and practical steps for reducing risk for ourselves and for each other.

We have also updated the College directory. If you have concerns about a course, please reach out to the relevant faculty member. If you need answers about testing, blocks, or advising, please contact the relevant team member listed on our webpage.

We have also updated our advising website with information on virtual appointments that reflect our compliance with CDC guidelines for gathering and social distancing.

In closing, let me reassure you that we are here for you, and we will get through this together.

Be well,

Dr. James O’Meara
Dean, College of Education 

Greetings,

 My name is James O’Meara, an Australian by birth and a resident of Laredo by choice. I serve at the Dean of the College of Education at TAMIU and the President of the International Council on Education of Teaching. I am the son of parents who never finished high school and wanted something better for their children. I represent a success story of my teachers who challenged me to ‘Go Beyond’ and supported me to make it happen. I am a member of the we Teach Texas Family who believes every success starts in a classroom. I am the leader of the We Teach Laredo family who wants every child to have has access to an educator who is ready to teach from day one in the classroom.

For every child in Laredo to have has access to a classroom-ready educator we must

1. Recruit candidates who represent La Cutura (culturally-based leaders) by celebrating their culture and modeling ‘Respect, Integrity, Service and Excellence (RISE)’ as described in the dichos of their abuelos .
2. Prepare educators and leaders who can model Juntos (community leaders) by sharing the vision of ‘a quality teacher for all’ and recognizing the importance of a paso a paso approach when realizing this vision.
3. Provide international opportunities for educators to develop Adelante (globally-minded leaders) by forming the international connections required to prepare graduates for leadership roles with local, state, national, and global settings.
4. Support our Alumni to be Si Se Puede (social justice leaders) who RISE above their daily challenges and connect with local groups to make a difference in the communities they serve.

Members of the South Texas community, if you are someone who wants to be a professional who RISE’s daily to shape the future of Laredo by teaching the future of Laredo, then we want to hear from you. If you want to support a future teacher of Laredo by contributing to our We Teach Laredo Fund, then we want to hear from you. If you want to partner with us to provide a quality teacher for every child in South Texas and Beyond then we want to hear from you.

Colleagues, friends and families, now is the time to make a difference for if not now, when will begin to deliver on our commitment of quality teachers for all. Together we can make a difference for if not us, who will recruit, prepare and support the future educators of South Texas. We cannot wait for the perfect time to provide quality teachers for all, the 50th anniversary of the College of Education in Laredo,is the perfect time to ensure we are providing quality teachers for all. I invite you to join us in this important mission because the families of South Texas deserve nothing less!