A bachelors degree in social work led me to a seventeen year career working with individuals with disabilities. Although I always wanted to pursue additional learning, there were many barriers—home, family, job, responsibilities, and distance from a university. An unexpected move to central Indiana made me start to think about pursuing more education and I discovered the Master of Science in Adult Education program.

My background teaching adults with disabilities along with a part-time job in a GED classroom provided a perspective for my work in the MSAE program. One of the projects I pursued proposed a portfolio project for GED students. After completing that project, Henry Merrill, my advisor, asked me to consider an independent study project to assist in developing a capstone portfolio project for the MSAE program. I completed this project and enrolled in the pilot class.

Since graduating in 2005, I have been a facilitator for the Capstone Portfolio Class. It’s interesting to see how the class has evolved as we have tweaked it every semester. I love facilitating the class because I have the opportunity to learn so much from reading everyone’s work.

Since graduating, I have taken a new job as a trainer with the partnership between the IU School of Social Work and the Department of Children’s Services. The thing I like the most about it is the chance to learn about both social work and adult education. I currently teach Engagement, Teaming, Planning and Intervening, Assessment, and the Effects of Abuse, Neglect, and Separation to new and/or experience DCS caseworkers. The training unit is very dynamic and helps satisfy my love of lifelong learning.

Janet co-teaches ACE-D 640 and teaches one module of New Student Orientation