Sheri Langendorf wins state faculty member award

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Sheri Langendorf, winner, 2011 ICCTA Outstanding Pt-Time Faculty Member Award

CHAMPAIGN, IL (07/06/2011)(readMedia)-- Parkland College Adult Education instructor Sheri Langendorf recently won the 2011 Outstanding Part-time Faculty Member Award from the Illinois Community College Trustees Association.

The ICCTA honors college educators across the state each year, and the Outstanding Faculty Member Award recognizes the high achievement of the state's full-time and, more recently, part-time community college instructors. Langendorf was one of three part-time faculty members selected in June to receive the prestigious annual award among a list of statewide nominees.

Having taught a variety of adult education classes for more than 50 semesters including GED, pre-GED, and family literacy, Langendorf has taught English as a Second Language exclusively for the last 10 years. Her teaching philosophy recognizes that adult ESL students must become acclimated, not only to a new language, but to a new environment and different culture as well, so each day in her classroom "is a new day, designed so that each student can learn one new skill in a comfortable and accepting environment and can feel closer to achieving his or her long-range goals.

"As students become acclimated, I also strive to be a community resource for them," Langendorf, a resident of Urbana, said. "I try to instill confidence in each student's ability to learn."

Outside of the classroom, Langendorf has served as the Family Literacy Coordinator for her department; with the help of a state Leadership Grant she sought and received, she developed Health Literacy curriculum materials that were distributed to all adult education programs in Illinois. She has worked extensively with the Project Read program and received a Reading is Fundamental Grant to distribute books to children and provide family literacy activities to communities in Parkland's district; the RIF Program distributed more than 30,000 books to area youth. In addition, Langendorf serves as planning committee co-chair for Parkland's local Read Across America Community Celebration, which has distributed more than 10,000 new books to children in District 505. Her work has garnered multiple statewide awards.

According to Tawanna Nickens, Parkland Adult Education director, "Sheri is dedicated to teaching literacy as a tool that improves the lives of her students and their families. I have seen firsthand her diligence in ensuring that each class session provides a stimulating learning environment where students are fully engaged and eager to embrace the unknown."

A former student also attests that Langendorf's commitment to her students is "not just about teaching English, but enabling her students to build confidence for a smooth integration into the community."