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Ron Wilhelm: Learning more about different kinds of
people
Ron
Wilhelm, associate professor of teacher education and administration,
did not take the summer off like many of his students. Instead he wrote
an accreditation report for the National Council for the Accreditation
of Teacher Education and consulted with the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston
on a project to educate school children about contemporary Latin American
artists.
Wilhelm first became interested in teaching while in the Dominican Republic shortly after he received his undergraduate degree in social science from Southern Methodist University in 1969.
"The
peasant adults had a new world open up once they learned they could read
and write," Wilhelm says. "It allowed them to take charge of
their lives in ways they had not been able to before."
He
taught a course in adult literacy while there and ever since has been
"hooked on teaching. I learned that the power of teaching and the
learning experience opens up many possibilities," he says.
After two years in the Caribbean, Wilhelm returned to Texas and to school to study special education, receiving his master's degree in 1978 from North Texas. He enjoyed studying special education at UNT so much that he decided to work here. After earning his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin in curriculum and instruction in 1991, he returned for a job at UNT.
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"Teachers
need to prepare themselves to know how to meet the learning needs
of a wide variety of children. That means looking for opportunities
that will expand their own monocultural awareness and lifestyle."
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As a result of a Fulbright senior lecture/research grant to Chile in 2000, Wilhelm helped establish formal relations with the Universidad de Concepcion in Chile, an important step for UNT's international education exchange. The rector of the Universidad de Concepcion and UNT President Norval Pohl signed an agreement last summer that included an invitation to UNT College of Education faculty to serve as visiting professors in Chile.
They would
teach graduate courses in their areas of expertise and evaluate master's
theses and doctoral dissertations. The initiative will also create opportunities
for joint research projects between the two universities.
Wilhelm never forgot his Caribbean experience, so he organized the Texas
chapter of the National Association for Multicultural Education and currently
serves as its president. Members of the group believe that multicultural
education promotes equity for all people regardless of culture, ethnicity,
race, class, language, age, gender, sexual orientation, disabilities or
religion.
Wilhelm does not have a lot of time for leisure, but he enjoys hiking and backpacking, especially in the Gila Wilderness Area in New Mexico. In the past he has taken Dallas children ages 12 to 15 to New Mexico to teach them about environmental education and ancient and modern Pueblo cultures.
Wilhelm speaks fluent Spanish and some Kachiquel, one of the 21 Mayan languages spoken in Guatemala. He is learning French on his daily commute to and from work.
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WILLIAM ABERCROMBIE paiswri2@unt.edu |
Other featured articles in this issue:
- UNT opens research park facility
- Food and fun: Howdy Week welcomes students back to campus Aug. 25-31
- Exhibit of folk art, textiles marks SOVA 10th anniversary
- Talent Search funded for five more years
- Incoming UNT chancellor calls for ideas from faculty, staff to build UNT partnerships
- Stressful life events linked to injuries in football players, according to UNT study
- Faculty members honored at annual convocation ceremony
- National science grant puts students on fast track
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In every issue Spotlight on the Counseling and Human Development Center Board of Regents Meeting, May 17, 2002 View recent achievements of UNT faculty and staff Learn helpful hints for UNT faculty and staff |
