For the past 26 years, English teacher Christopher Sloan has been a role model and mentor to his students at Judge Memorial Catholic High School in Salt Lake City. On Sept. 21, 2011, the Utah Council of Teachers of English recognized Sloan’s devotion and commitment to the field of education by naming him 2011 Veteran Teacher of the Year.
Sloan, who is a candidate for the Educational Psychology and Educational Technology (EPET) hybrid Ph.D program at the Michigan State University College of Education, currently teaches AP composition and English language, digital photography and new media. He is also the advisory and mentor for the Judge Memorial student newspaper and co-editor for Bulldog Press.
Aside from inspiring his students to pursue careers in writing and journalism, Sloan has also opened a door of opportunity for the students in his photography class. Several were able to participate in the Judge Memorial Alumni and Student Art Show, and two received awards at the 2011 Utah State Fair‘s photography exhibit.
As a dedicated full-time teacher in Utah, Sloan said he had difficulty finding an institution that would simultaneously allow him to pursue his doctorate degree. He then found MSU’s online EPET Ph.D. program, and said that it has exceeded his expectations.
“I wanted to be affiliated with an established program that has the capacity to put together a strong traditional research doctoral program in a way that honors the practitioner,” he said. “This program pushes us to find the best solutions to go beyond boundaries of distance (thousands of miles) and time (numerous time zones) to work on real, complex studies that are rooted in our own educational settings … I commend Michigan State for their forward thinking.”