 23rd Annual FDEA Conference
as FDEA's Outstanding Educator of the Year. Ms. Pasapane is a
Reading Learning Specialist in the Center for Personalized Instruction (CPI) at Palm Beach Community College, Lake Worth, Florida.
She hold the rank of Associate Professor. Lois was recognized by FDEA for her committment to the goals of nurturing and caring for students, and for maintaining
a cooperative collegial attitude with staff and instructors.When Ms. Pasapane joined the college, she served as a student counselor. It was in that position that she recognized the correlation between student preparedness and student success. She realized that in order for students to succeed, they need to learn how to learn; therefore, she developed at taught a one-credit college survival skills course. Posessing a sincere love and concern for students, Lois became a Reading Learning Specialist and joined CPI in 1989. This new position gave her an opportunity to work with first time in college students who needed preparatory work in reading. Reading prep classes were refined and improved, and the curriculum was expanded to include accelerated reading courses. She developed a lab program that has served as a model for other campuses, and her survival skills curriculum has developed into a three credit hour Strategies for College Success course that benefits all English and reading college prep students. As a learning specialist, Lois became a licensed trainer for the 4MAT tutorial program; furthermore, she has provided training for over a hundred other faculty and staff members and for local county school teachers, most of whom have become fully licensed in the 4MAT program. Lois hosts at least two training sessions per year. One testament to Lois' strong belief in a curriculum that integrates academics with real life applications came through in the coordinated Reading and English Preparatory Program that she developed in consort with the college's Communications Department. She is also structuring a combined reading and English preparatory curriculum that is intended to fulfill two separate state requirements with one class. Letters of support from students and co-workers cite Lois' dedication and innovation in the classroom. Her creativity and innovative ways to make education fun are seen in her use of contemporary novels, popular songs, television shows and movies, and in pencil gifts and coupon rewards from local fast-food shops. But Lois' accomplishments are also reflected in the gains of her students. One student was a national winner in the 1998 Houghton-Mifflin Master Student Essay Contest. Numerous students have moved through college academics with ease, thanks to the preparation and study skills learned learned in her classroom. Lois has special interest in at-risk populations such as minority populations and displaced homemakers. Lois Pasapane has worked as a counselor, learning specialist, and as a teacher. Regardless of her position, her goal has always been the same---Student Success. She has motivated students, faculty, and staff, and has seen outstanding accomplishments in her students. It is for these excellent efforts that FDEA is proud to recognize Lois Pasapane with the Outstanding Educator Award for the year 2000.  Return to the FDEA homepage.
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