The newly appointed director of the at 91短视频 says some of the key insights that inform her philosophy of classroom teaching date from her earliest experiences responding to medical emergencies.
, a product of Harrisonburg鈥檚 public schools who started answering calls with the city鈥檚 all-volunteer rescue squad when she was still a teenager, says that, through those experiences and similar ones, she came to realize that 鈥渆vents that are critical in the moment can have long-lasting impacts.鈥�
As director of the MA in Education program, Sander will help teachers earn master鈥檚 degrees 鈥� in most cases as they continue to work full-time in the classroom. She is responsible for about 75 students on 91短视频鈥檚 Harrisonburg campus and nearly 100 more at its site in . She will teach three classes this year.
A passion for teacher preparation
Each day, Sander says, students arrive at school fresh from life-events that in some cases are positive, and in others quite traumatic. On any given day, she says, a teacher likely won鈥檛 know with any certainty what sorts of experiences underlie a child鈥檚 readiness to learn.
Sander compares the challenges confronting the classroom teacher with those an emergency medical technician faces. A first responder must always be ready, she notes, to provide whatever it is that a person calling 911 may need.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the same for the teacher,鈥� Sander says. 鈥淣o matter what needs a child brings to the classroom, it鈥檚 a teacher鈥檚 obligation to be prepared to meet those needs before the child walks through the door.鈥�
Sander鈥檚 own classroom-teaching experience came working with special education students in Virginia.
鈥淪erving those students is the reason teacher preparation is so important to me,鈥� she says. 鈥淗igh quality preparation is clearly of benefit to the teaching professionals themselves, and through them we serve the children.鈥�
Legal training a unique qualification
Sander鈥檚 doctorate in education with a concentration in special education and disability leadership was conferred in 2008 by Virginia Commonwealth University. She is also a cum laude graduate of the University of Richmond鈥檚 School of Law, where she received the Orrell-Brown Award for Clinical Excellence from the school鈥檚 Children鈥檚 Disability Law Clinic.
From 2008 to 2015, Sander was an associate at several Richmond law firms, with a practice focused on education law. During this same period, she was an adjunct faculty member at both Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Richmond.
Dr. , dean of graduate and professional programs, cites Sander鈥檚 experience as a lawyer as an aspect of her background that set her apart from other candidates for the job.
鈥淚t shows she is an agent for change, and is effective in important settings outside of the classroom,鈥� Cockley says.
Cockley adds that Sander鈥檚 24-year involvement with the Harrisonburg Rescue Squad 鈥渋ndicates how much she understands and values the commitment to a team,鈥� also noting that Sander鈥檚 rescue squad experiences have 鈥渟ensitized her to the realities of how many students live.鈥�
Additional growth projected for restorative justice specialization
Sander assumed her new duties on July 1, succeeding Sarah Armstrong, who died unexpectedly in August 2016. Armstrong had emphasized the role of restorative justice in the MA in Education program鈥檚 overall offering, and was instrumental in the launch of a in the discipline.
Sander says that, like her predecessor, she regards restorative justice as an important component of the MA in Education curriculum, and is working to develop an additional course on the topic, which she herself may teach.
Dr. , associate professor of special education, says she is particularly hopeful that Sander鈥檚 background working with special-needs students will promote a greater understanding within teacher education of the intersections between restorative justice and special education.
鈥淪he鈥檚 enthusiastic about supporting new initiatives and seeking creative ways to promote 91短视频 programs with area schools and districts,鈥� Evans says. 鈥淚 look forward to working with Meg as we continue not only to build the restorative justice in education program, but also to develop other creative ways of connecting with local educators.鈥�
Sander herself says that, in all aspects of her life and work, she seeks to be of service to others.
That鈥檚 true, she says, when she鈥檚 in the back of an ambulance helping a patient, just as it was true when she stood before a classroom of special education students. She now carries that service ethic into her new job leading the MA in Education program at 91短视频.
Sander resides in Harrisonburg with her husband, a flight paramedic, and their five-year-old son.
This is just marvelous. Working as a first responder heavily influenced my work as a minister. In fact, they really went hand in hand. Getting up in the middle of the night to be with a parishioner at the ER was no different than driving the fire engine to a house full of terrified people and pets.