August 22, 2005
College Gives Coveted Faculty Award to Dr. Irma Woods During 2005 Convocation
Annual Dr. Aileen Creighton Award recognizes faculty member’s mastery
of teaching
Del Mar College’s annual Convocation marks the beginning of the coming
academic year and a time to reflect about successes during the past 12 months.
On Monday, Aug. 22, DMC faculty and staff assembled to hear President Dr. Carlos
Garcia give the State of the College address, “Maintaining Our Momentum,”
and to recognize fellow employees’ accomplishments.
In front of her peers, the College surprised Dr. Irma Woods with the Dr. Aileen
Creighton Award, which Del Mar initiated in 2002. Honorees must emulate the
teaching mastery of the educator for whom it’s named, Dr. Aileen Creighton,
who received the very first award three years ago.
The Dr. Aileen Creighton Award acknowledges a full-time, tenure track faculty
member’s teaching accomplishments and places special emphasis on student
learning and impact, instruction and assessment and nominee’s professional
growth as a member of the College’s teaching community.
Dr. Woods, professor of child development/early childhood in the College’s
Department of Human Services, is one such faculty member at Del Mar.
She joined the College’s faculty in fall 1990. The Corpus Christi native
earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in English and history from Texas A& I University
in Kingsville in 1972 and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction–early
childhood from Corpus Christi State University. In 1997, she completed a Doctor
of Philosophy degree in curriculum and instruction–early childhood from
The University of Texas in Austin by commuting between Corpus Christi and the
state capitol while maintaining her teaching responsibilities at the same time.
“Teaching is my calling, and I view it as my mission in life,” Dr.
Woods wrote in a personal statement this spring for the Professor of the Year
nomination for the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education. “A
key contribution I believe I have made as an undergraduate teacher is instilling
in the students a positive sense of self and self-respect. I strive to bring
about a positive change in the way students view themselves. I work hard to
help create a caring community of learners in the classroom by guiding students
to reflect and discover their abilities and potential. I then work with them
to think critically and analytically. I want students to feel the power of their
own learning that will continue beyond their years at Del Mar College.”
Dr. Woods’ key focus is Early Childhood Education, especially literacy.
“She sets high standards for her students as they prepare for multiple
careers in the field, ranging from PreK to middle school teaching to administration,”
observes Dr. Lee Sloan, dean of the College’s Division of Occupational
Education and Technology, in his nomination letter. “Student evaluations
reveal that [Dr. Woods] is considered an outstanding professional role model
and the ideal teacher. Her passion for issues related to children and learning
is infectious within the nearly 600 majors of [the College’s] large program.”
Dr. Sloan notes that he was “inspired by [Dr. Woods’] commitment to
student learning and her efforts beyond faculty expectations to facilitate student
success.”
One former student, Pamela Forni, who earned her associate’s degree in
child development administration from Del Mar, agrees. She writes, “As
we travel through life, there are very few people who leave an indelible mark
on our futures. Dr. Woods is one of those special people in my life.”
Forni recalls not only her experience as an undergraduate student with Dr. Woods
by writing “she kindles the enthusiasm for learning within her students”
but adds that as a graduate student seeking advice from a former professor,
“I knew [Dr. Woods] would devote her time to critique my work honestly.”
Forni notes that she has seen and spoken with many former students of Dr. Woods.
“Without exception, their encounters with her are filled will celebratory
conversation. They, too, have accomplished what they have because of [Dr. Wood’s]
encouragement and her confidence in them,” writes Forni.
As an active supporter of creating learning communities at Del Mar, Dr. Woods
has team-taught with colleagues in the Psychology and English Departments. She
has served on several college-wide instructional committees and was elected
Vice Chair of the Development Education Council this spring. The Council coordinates
the developmental courses in three departments and works to improve instructional
resources for under-prepared college students.
Dr. Woods collaborates with local childcare and Head Start agencies, public
and private schools, other higher education institutions in the area as well
as professional groups. In the last five years, she has presented 82 speeches,
workshops and training sessions–ranging from giving the keynote address
at the Texas Association of Young Children to talking with middle school parents
about family literacy to making puppets with caregivers during local childcare
meetings.
Dr. Woods also currently serves as the Vice President of Elementary/Middle School
for the Texas Association for Childhood Educational International (ACEI) as
well as on the association’s Executive Board. Dr. Anna McArthur, president
of the Texas ACEI, credits Dr. Woods with being “instrumental in reviving
the Texas branch [of the association].”
Among Dr. Woods’ other affiliations, she supports the Bay Area Association
for the Education of Young Children and presents at workshops and conferences.
She is also a regular presenter at the national levels of ACEI and the National
Association for the Education of Young Children.
Dr. Woods works closely with the Department of Human Services at Texas A&M
University-Kingsville. She serves as a member of their Advisory Council for
the major in Human Development and Family Studies. Dr. McArthur credits Dr.
Woods’ work with the Advisory Council and her communication with professors
among faculty at both schools in making the articulation agreement between Del
Mar and A&M University-Kingsville a positive transitional experience for
students.
Dr. Woods began her teaching career in San Juan, Texas, as a first grade teacher
for migrant children for three years. She also taught first grade for four years
in San Antonio.
Additionally, Dr. Woods worked for 17 years as a Child Development Specialist
for the Texas Department of Human Resources, where she taught as a trainer in
child development and early childhood education for teachers in early childhood
programs throughout Texas and for Child Protective Services staff, foster parents
and adoptive parents.
She is well-known among local, state and nation professional organizations as
an advocate for families and children. She serves as a consultant and resource
for community agencies and organizations and serves on numerous local boards
and advisory committees. Dr. Woods has also published several articles and chapters
in her areas of interest.
Among her volunteer projects, Dr. Woods is involved with Family Literacy Night
at one of the local public libraries. Every Thursday evening, she and one of
her students engage in literacy activities with parents and their children.
To sum up Dr. Woods’ work at the College, Dr. Sloan says it best, “Dr.
Woods is the best example of the faculty at Del Mar College who have led the
transformation of the institution into a ‘Learning College.’ [She
has] emulated educational excellence for her peers and students and is recognized
within the community and the profession as a model educator.”
-DMC-mce