Joe Mannion

Dean, College of Education

Remember your favorite teachers? No doubt you can instantly recall teachers who provided something extraordinary for you so that even today the image you carry of them is as sharp as ever.

Velma Fisk, Bob Christian, Bonnie McGinnis are just a few of the names of outstanding teachers I'll never forget. They did more than provide information; each helped me discover the joy and excitement of learning. More importantly, they demonstrated through their actions how much they loved teaching and valued me. They made my small school in the Bronx the most welcoming, safe, and enjoyable place I knew. I teach today because of the love for learning each of those teachers instilled in me during the most formative years of my life.

My journey to Concordia was a circuitous one. After completing my undergraduate work in Chicago, the ONLY place I know of where they cut round pizzas into square slices, I began my first teaching job on a small island in the Pacific called Oahu. Nine years teaching history, and nine more as high school principal, provided an excellent tan as well as the necessary background for my current role here as dean.

I came to Concordia in June of 1991 because I vowed during my own undergraduate years that someday I would prove to the world education courses on the university level DO NOT have to be boring! Currently, you'll find me teaching EDU 201, EDU 501, and EDU 626.

Teaching isn't for the faint of heart, and it's not a profession people should enter because they don't know what else to do. Teaching demands tremendous energy, creativity, commitment, and service. I don't believe any profession is more critical to our society than that of teaching.

If you love children and have decided that teaching is for you, you're on your way to being one of those great teachers your future students will always remember.