STAFF

The writing consultants at Write for Vermont are highly skilled professionals. They are former Vermont teachers who are knowledgeable in the Vermont Framework of Standards, the GLEs, curriculum development, local and state assessments, and writing across the curriculum. They will be able to assist you in supporting your teachers of all content areas, all grade levels.

Joey Hawkins, Writing and Assessment Specialist

Joey has been with Vermont Institutes since 2000. She has been teaching for thirty years in rural schools, first in Minnesota as a special educator and then in Vermont as a middle school history, English, and Latin teacher. In 1984 she was the Teacher of the Year for the Strafford district; in 1995 she was the Vermont PTA Teacher of the Year. Joey has served as a Writing Network Leader since the inception of the writing portfolio program and leader of the Summer Scoring Institute. She has worked in schools across Vermont at all grade levels helping with writing curriculum development. In addition, she has been deeply involved in the development of Vermont's GLE's and the Tri-State GLE's, and has worked with national test developers in reading and writing.

Joey has been a presenter at several conferences, including the ASCD national conference in 2001, and the New England Educational Research Conference in 2004.

Joey can be reached at 802-828-1304.

Karen Kurzman, Writing and Assessment Specialist
Director of Writing Initiatives

A National Board Certified Teacher, Karen has had over 20 years of experience in all grade levels. She began her career as a primary teacher and was Canaan teacher of the year in 1984; she then taught middle school and high school and was North Country Union High School's teacher of the year in 1997. She has been very active in the development of Vermont's GLE's and the Tri-State GLE's, and has worked with national test developers in reading and writing.
GLEs. She is a member of the High School Task Force and the K-12 benchmarking committees. She is a leader at the Summer scoring Institute.

In addition, Karen is tireless in her participation in professional organizations. She is a member of the Executive Board of the New England Association of Teachers of English (NEATE) and is the Region 1 Representative for the National Council of Teachers of English Standing Committee on Affiliates, representing 13 states. She has had articles and poetry published in both the NEATE and NCTE journals.

Karen can be reached at 802-828-1311, or 802-873-9003.