Teaching & Educational Leadership

Most of my work centers on restoring connections in the American Southwest: teaching low-income minority youth and encouraging professional collaboration. In the classroom experience: while teaching content area in the classroom I do my best to use Restorative Justice philosophy with the high schools student I teach. Even implicit or subtle use and application of this philosophy validates the classroom experience for many who are disenfrancised and experiencing economic, cultural, immigration, literacy and behavioral challenges.

The other part of my work revolves around the Professional Learning Community where I discreetly and diplomatically Restorative Practices techniques and vocabulary to encourage and foster collaboration in the Professional Learning Community (plc) for which I am responsible. The plc is "round-table" team of educators that work together in a flat structure, as opposed to hierarchical, to better serve the needs of their student population.

The 13th IIRP World Conference

SESSION TITLE: Restoring Connections in the American Southwest: Teaching Disenfranchised Youth and Encouraging Professional Collaboration

PRESENTER: Karen Dz. Cox
"Restoring Practices Across Disciplines" featuring Hull, UK, the World's First Restorative CityOctober 13-15, 2010 Hull, England, UK Pre-conference training Oct. 11-12

Supporting Organizations:Family Rights Group (UK), Restorative Justice Consortium (UK), Eigen Kracht Centrale (Netherlands)

Restorative Justice link: http://www.iirp.org/

Educational Leadership, Academy Head recent work includes: Successful educational Health Collaboratives between my Health & Social Sciences Academy and UNM Medical School, Health Sciences Center, College of Nursing and College of Pharmacy.

I teach AP History @ Atrisco Heritage Academy High School in Albuquerque,NM. http://ahahshssa.blogspot.com/

http://www.ahahighschool.com/


Article links:
UNM Medical Students Visit AHA, Saturday, October 10, 2009, By Andrea Schoellkopf, Journal Staff Writer
http://www.abqjournal.com/west/1002226west10-10-09.htm

Local teacher makes contribution to textbook, By Catherine Barnitz, Special to the Rio Rancho Observer, Published on Sunday, August 2, 2009 12:13 AM MDT
http://www.observer-online.com/articles/2009/08/01/news/doc4a73719ee00ea546774532.txt

James Madison Senior Fellow

This fellowship offers intellectually minded teachers the opportunity to explore American Constitution, History and Government. My introduction to JMF was an invitation to participate in a C-Span sponsored development of lessons with other Fellows regarding Freedom of Speech and the Press in the Information Age.
http://www.jamesmadison.com/lessons/freedom_of_speech_and_the_press.pdf

My graduate studies in this area have taken me to the Ashbrook Center @Ashland University in Ohio. My experiences there have been very positive and I look forward to completing the program of study. The most memorable class I've had thus far @ AU has been the Great Statesman-James Madison/John Adams Seminar. The final essay I wrote is still ingrained in my memory because I processed this information in a way like never before; applying constitutional theory to my own real-life professional and personal experiences.
Part of the Fellowship requires a Summer Institute @ Georgetown University, which I am in the process of completing this summer. It appears to extremely challenging academically; however this is balanced with "field trips" to the actual locations our Founding all took place and to our nation's very real places of power.
My "Georgetown Summer" of 2010 has been a life-changing academic experience. The professors are of incredible intellectual calibur; the program is run well; and the experience of staying on a campus that is an historic monument in itself has rounded out the experience. My time in Washinton D.C. has included visits with my senators, a trip to the Supreme Court while handing down decisions, tours w/ lectures @ Monticello, Montpelier, Mount Vernon. The friendships I've made will be cherished for a life-time.

The Dance...

...is a poem of which each movement is a word.

Dancing is silent poetry.

Dancer, choreographer & artist: Foundational training with mentor that was both a Dance Master and a pediatrician, who tailored instruction to capture my creative and intellectual imagination. From him I received a solid classical dance/music foundation with sound physiological training. He planted the seeds that then nurtured into my love of teaching and learning. After many years of ballet (and subsequent recovery from ACL reconstruction) I enjoy teaching flamenco, my way of honoring my maternal Hispanic heritage. http://www.corralesdance.com/

Flamenco at Rio Rancho's Loma Colorado Main Library
http://www.sandovalsignpost.com/dec09/html/real_people.html

Descriptive music: Tapestry, Carole King + Tiny Dancer, Elton John + Dancing Queen, ABBA + Paquebel's Canon + Vivaldi + These Dreams, Heart + Flamenco + I'm a Bitch, A.Morrisette + Just Breathe song + She Will Be loved, Maroon5 + Hey Soul Sister, Train