The Stevenson University School of Education and the Philip A. Zaffere Library hosted a celebration on February 3 to recognize the release of two of Dr. Beth Kobett’s latest books, “Proactive Mathematics Interventions: Grades 2-5” and “Strengths-Based Teaching and Learning in Mathematics: Teaching Turnarounds for Grades K-6.” The celebration also recognized Dr. Kobett’s large body of published works.
Dr. Kobett is Dean of the School of Education and a nationally-renown mathematics educator who has co-authored numerous books and articles, as well as presenting and serving as a keynote speaker at national conferences and facilitating professional learning workshops in school systems nationwide.
Over fifty people attended, including Dr. Merrie Durmowicz, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs & Provost, fellow Deans and administrators, faculty, staff members, alumni, and current Education students. Elizabeth Fields, Senior Librarian for Research & Instruction, greeted the guests and made introductory remarks. She welcomed everyone to the first book release celebration in the new Zaffere Library, which opened in 2024. She acknowledged Dr. Kobett’s eleven publications with Corwin Mathematics, in addition to books with other publishers and articles in professional journals. She joked it’s probably a good that we don’t throw a party every time Beth publishes something, or we’d be here every year. She also congratulated Beth on having developed and implemented the guiding educational philosophy of strengths-based learning in the School of Education.
Next, Dr. Kobett told a story about how her work in strengths-based instruction began. She asked the audience to imagine capturing all the words that we say about each student in a word cloud that would hover over every student and follow them throughout the school day, continuously accumulating more words as the school year progressed. What would those words look like? She emphasized how the words we use to describe students can begin to represent them and asked everyone to be aware of the impact our words have on our students. She then urged educators to help students identify their strengths, reflect on their progress, think about what they are proud of, and set personal goals. She quoted, “The words you use become the house you live in.” She concluded by stating we should look at the human before us and see brilliance rather than deficits.
Dr. David Nicholson, former Chair of the Education Department and currently an Adjunct Professor, Education, spoke of Dr. Kobett’s strengths and the challenge to plan an event for someone who is by nature an event planner. He called her a detective who has an uncanny ability to sense something is in the air and to skillfully interrogate her subject. Ultimately, however, the team managed to pull off a few surprises, not the least of which included many surprise guests as well as a display of most of her published books.
Another feature of the evening was when Ms. Danielle Newill, Senior Coordinator for Education Placements and Partnerships, read aloud comments submitted by alumni expressing their gratitude for the many inspiring words of Dr. Kobett through the years and the impact her actions have had on them as students and teachers. Common themes were her complete and total devotion to their development and success, her patience and compassion, her valuable advice, her unwavering support, her interest in each of them as individuals, and her belief in their strengths. One attendee recalled BK’s mantra, “Teach kids, not curriculum.”
After the remarks, Dr. Kobett socialized and took photos with guests. It was a spectacular evening filled with warmth and affection, as well as deep respect and genuine admiration. The event did not mark any sort of ending, but simply another milestone in a remarkable career that continues to build community, enact innovation, and inspire current and future educators.
