Reflections
Spring 2009
Alumni Spotlight: Connie Milliken and Katie Peffer
by Janet Caruso
Connie Milliken and Katie Peffer have been a collaborative teaching team at Maywood Hills Elementary in the Northshore School District since 1994. It would be impossible to honor one and not the other, given the remarkable, enduring partnership they have shared. Indeed, they are so in tune with each other's thinking and work that they can "finish each other's sentences." Their similar backgrounds, teaching philosophy, and dedication might have predictably drawn these two together, but their unique personalities, contrasting teaching styles, and different professional paths toward self-improvement have brought richness, depth, and synergy to their special relationship.
Connie Milliken
As a young girl, Connie knew she wanted to be an educator. Her father had been a teacher, principal, and superintendent, and she enjoyed working with children. Because college in the 1960s channeled women toward nursing or teaching careers, Connie chose teaching because she thought it would be more interesting.
Upon graduating from college, Connie briefly taught elementary education before she left for 17 years to raise her family. During that time, she also operated a state-licensed daycare, worked as a school volunteer, and held leadership positions in school, district, and state PTAs.
Eventually Connie returned to her first chosen profession in the 1990s, taking classes to update her credentials and skills. She loved these classes, especially teacher courses for developing mathematical ideas.
In 1993 she began teaching in the Northshore School District at Maywood Hills Elementary. The following year she and Katie were assigned fourth grade classrooms in side-by-side portables.
Katie Peffer
Katie was determined not to be a teacher. Both her parents were full-time teachers, and she observed firsthand the long hours and consuming workload. So she pursued a college degree in marketing, only to change her mind as her graduation date approached. Business seemed too tedious, stifling, and isolating. A career in education seemed more challenging, social, creative, and positive. She changed her major.
for teaching had changed. Now, the greater reward for Katie rested in the achievement of her struggling learners. Because of their many challenges, she realized that their success was more directly affected by her instruction than more capable students
Even as Katie and Connie began to work together, planning curriculum and sharing students, they each started a personal quest to seek a master's degree in education. Katie started first, by entering the University of Washington Bothell Master of Education Program in 2002. The questions of her first UWB teaching intern during her tenth year of teaching made Katie reflect and question her own teaching practices. She decided she needed to interact with other educators and examine current research to understand and apply the best teaching practices. Once in the program, she elected to complete the National Board Certification.
For Connie, the love of learning, rejuvenated by her continuing education courses, motivated her to find better ways to share lifelong learning with her students. Fearful of the GRE entrance exam, Connie decided to first complete the National Board Certification. Her success bolstered her confidence, and she next applied (and gained admission) to the UWB graduate program.
Though Connie and Katie completed their graduate degrees and National Board Certification asynchronously, they chose the UWB graduate program for similar reasons. Both were impressed by the quality of their UWB teaching interns, who brought so much knowledge and skill into their classrooms. The interns' preparation and questioning suggested a rigorous program full of professional interaction. As a research-based institution, the UWB Education Program could provide the resources and methodology for the study and application of best teaching practices.
During the completion of the graduate program, Connie and Katie gained many key insights. One insight particularly resonated with them as individuals and as a team-the importance of teacher leadership. Since their graduations, the two have worked as leaders, trainers, and facilitators in their district, especially on curriculum development (math, literacy) and teacher training. Often the two work jointly on such assignments. Both credit the UWB graduate program for giving them the confidence, skills, and "voice of authority" to participate in these leadership roles.
Today, Katie and Connie continue their successful teaching collaboration. The self-described "Odd Couple" (disparate ages, appearance, and temperaments) value their 15-year partnership. Katie admires Connie's willingness to take risks and her "good energy." Connie says they "get more work done" because they "work well together" and generate more ideas as a team. Both believe their collaboration has been shaped and enhanced by their common-and uncommon-UWB experiences and education.
