Kathy Reimer

My main area of focus is on how people learn to read and write and interventions when they are not progressing in a typical way. I also focus on the material students read: children and adolescent literature. At Goshen College, I enjoy teaching those who plan to be teachers both content and pedagogy.

Teaching includes far more than learning about content, it includes learning about people and understanding how we are formed in our culture. One of the things I have loved about teaching at Goshen College is that faculty lead the Study Service Term abroad, so I get to see, participate in and reflect on education as it happens in other cultures. We have led SST units to the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Tanzania, which is a wonderful way to get to know students and cultures. I’m excited that Goshen College offers this opportunity to every student who comes to GC.

I have also had a chance to do research, reading and writing in other cultures. I spend a year at the University of Newcastle in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in England focusing on children’s and adolescent literature and a semester at the University of Auckland in New Zealand focusing on literacy. These rich, intercultural experiences add depth and breadth to my teaching at Goshen College.

I am happy to be at Goshen College where we work with pre-service teachers who are committed to being good, informed teachers. We prepare teachers who are well-equipped and take content and student relationships seriously in their teaching after they graduate.

Education

PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Illinois
MA in Elementary Education / Reading from the University of Illinois
Linguistics Summer Institute at Georgetown University
License in Elementary Education and Bilingual/Bicultural Education
BA in Elementary Education / TESOL

Community Service

President of Goshen Public Library Board, Goshen, IN
Vice President of Center For Community Justice Board, Elkhart, IN

Professional Memberships

Member, National Council of Teachers of English
Member, Children’s Literature Association
Member, Indiana Association of Colleges of Teacher Education

Co-editor of Primary Voices K-6, a publication of NCTE for 7 years
Review board for Journal of Literacy Research for 4 years

Presentations:

• “What’s New in Literature for Elementary Grades”
• “Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Teaching Children”
• “The Bible in the Church and Family Context”
• “Assessing Teacher Practice”

• Servant Leader Award for department leadership, Goshen College
• Gratitude Award for work with student-athletes, Goshen College
• NCTE Gratitude Award for editing, National Council of Teachers of English
• College of Education Outstanding Doctoral Student Award, University of Illinois

Grant awards to the Education Department

• Community Foundation of Elkhart County Grant for Teach Elkhart County Program
  Lilly Foundation ASRI Grant