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University of Wyoming

Parkinson joins Ellbogen role models as teaching honoree

Deb Parkinson recalls first learning about the Ellbogen Awards as a newcomer to the University of Wyoming community in 1998. 

At the time, she was a K-1 teacher in the university’s Lab School.

“I remember the high esteem in which the Ellbogen winners were held—these college professors were the best of the best,” she recalls.  “I never dreamed that one day I might be an Ellbogen winner myself.” 

Yet two years later, as a graduate student working on her Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction, Parkinson was awarded the Ellbogen Graduate Student Outstanding Teaching Award.

After earning her Ph.D. and teaching at Southern Oregon University, Parkinson returned to UW in 2002 to join the faculty of the College of Education.  Four short years later Parkinson, an assistant professor of elementary and early childhood education, received word that she was a 2006 recipient of the John P. Ellbogen Meritorious Classroom Teaching Award.

“I really don’t have words to express my gratitude to the Ellbogen family for their foresight and generosity in establishing these teaching awards,” she says.  “Teaching is inherently gratifying, but institutional recognition for that work is both humbling and deeply appreciated.”

Parkinson’s career in education has spanned the age spectrum.  Early in her career she worked with developmentally disabled children and adults, and also taught in a Head Start program.  After retuning to school and earning degrees in early childhood education from the University of Iowa, she directed a public school-based preschool program and taught in a child development center at Portland State University.  Later assignments included college teaching at the University of Oklahoma, directing a high school educational program for teen parents, and several years of teaching at the elementary school level.  

Deb has always enjoyed working directly with children, but she has found that preparing new teachers and working with currently practicing teachers can be equally gratifying. 

“I really believe that I may be able to reach more children if I help to prepare their teachers,” she says.  “If I have even a small impact on new teachers, who each then assume responsibility for approximately 25 students in their own classrooms, then it may have a far-reaching impact.  It’s an awesome responsibility, but also an opportunity to give back to the profession in a way that touches many children’s lives.”

Parkinson’s classroom style is caring, student-centered, and focused on equipping both her undergraduate and graduate students with the tools and inspiration they will need to succeed as educators. 

“All students, no matter what age, deserve a teacher who is knowledgeable in the content areas in which he or she teaches,” Deb says. She also emphasizes the importance of building strong and supportive relationships with students.  “When you have those relationships, students are willing to work harder for you because they don’t want to let you down.  They know that you expect a lot of them because you believe they’re going to succeed.”

One of Parkinson’s areas of research is teacher education.  She is currently examining the work taking place in the College of Education’s four professional learning communities (PLCs) around the state of Wyoming, where pre-service teachers fulfill their residency requirements and have the chance to participate in partnerships with mentor teachers, school and district administrators, and College of Education faculty.

Parkinson, who has presented her work at international conferences in China and England, has discovered that Wyoming’s PLCs already have drawn national and international interest.

“Because we’re in a very rural and sparsely populated state, we have something unique to contribute to the body of knowledge in the area of teacher education, particularly when we are venturing out into the school systems with active partnerships and collaborative relationships.” 

Parkinson says that “people around the globe are very interested in what we are doing, how we’re succeeding, what challenges we encounter, and what kinds of things we’re doing to address those challenges.” 

Of particular interest are the lessons learned about establishing and maintaining relationships from a distance.  Two of the four groups of education faculty members working in PLCs must fly by chartered plane to reach their respective sites.  Another group spends a fair amount of time in an automobile, regularly driving over and 8,600-ft. mountain pass in all types of weather.

In addition to its contributions to international scholarly research, Parkinson’s work on collaboration in the PLCs has important impacts at a much more local level. 

“Being a regular participant out in the field—in the public schools—enriches and informs my university teaching so much,” she says.  “It brings the content to life.  When I’m teaching a particular concept, I can draw on a wealth of current field experiences.  I can provide my university students real, authentic examples that illuminate concepts from the course materials that could otherwise be difficult and somewhat abstract to explain.  It helps me to ensure that my preparation of the next generation of teachers is realistic and meaningful.”