On November 9, 2018, Dr. John T. Spoede, Jr., LPC-S, LCDC, NCC, CSC (Licensed Professional Counselor- Supervisor, Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor, National Credentialed Counselor, Certified School Counselor and the director, Center for Research and Doctoral Studies and assistant professor of Education) and Dr. Elizabeth (Polly) Trevino (assistant professor of Education, ADELANTE project director, program coordinator, Elementary Education (EC-6) with Bilingual Certification, program coordinator, Master of Education in Bilingual Education) were invited presenters at TEACH!:Houston-Area Teacher Center Conference & Student Teacher Job Fair hosted at the University of Houston by the College of Education. This event occurs on a biannual basis in the fall and spring each semester.
The Houston Area Teacher Center (HATC) is a cooperative effort of the University of Houston College of Education and Houston-area school districts whose major purpose is to improve students’ education through strong preparation of educators working in preK-20 schools. Founded in 1970, HATC includes roughly three dozen districts and is believed to be the nation’s oldest and largest teacher center. Dr. John T. Spoede, Jr. and Dr. Elizabeth (Polly) Trevino presented several times. Their session was entitled, “What to Do When You Don’t Know What to Do: Ethical Decision-Making for Teachers.” The session abstract stated that, “From grades and testing to parent interactions and social media, teachers face difficult situations in which they must make ethical decisions. What do you do when you don’t know what to do? Use an ethical decision-making model as a framework for gathering information, documenting your decision-making process and implementing a plan of action. Come learn about ethical decision-making models and practice applying them in educational dilemmas.”