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| Vol. 16, No. 39 | Aug. 21, 1997 |
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| Vol. 16, No. 39 | Aug. 21, 1997 |
You cannot be a good scholar without being a teacher, and you cannot be a good teacher without being a scholar." That is the credo of Donald L. Peters, Amy Rextrew Professor of Individual and Family Studies, director of the Center for Disabilities Studies and this year's recipient of the prestigious Francis Alison Award.
The award, which consists of a $6,000 honorarium and medal and recognizes scholarship, professional achievements and dedication, will be presented at the New Student Convocation, 11 a.m., Tuesday, Sept. 2, on the Mall.
Peters' philosophy also reflects the thinking of Francis Alison, the teacher, scholar and founder of the Academy of Newark, the forerunner of the University of Delaware, he pointed out.
When Peters learned he had received the award, one reaction was to find out as much as he could about Francis Alison and, although their careers are centuries apart, he discovered they both share convictions about the important interrelationship between teaching and scholarship, which made the award even more meaningful.
Peters' initial reaction to the award was surprise. Busy with his academic and professional career, he called the award "a great honor and I am indeed pleased to have been selected."
Peters describes himself as an advocate for young children, including children with disabilities.
"Those first five years are crucial- how children are taught, what they are taught and by whom are all important," he said.
Looking back at his distinguished career in early childhood education and the education of children with disabilities, Peters said serendipity played a role. "I was there at the right time and place, when early childhood studies was a new and emerging field," he recalled.
Graduating with a degree in English literature from Brown University, Peters, who had been in the NROTC followed by a stint in the Navy, was assigned to teach a course in naval weapons systems at Harvard University-a far cry from early childhood studies.
Among his duties, he served as an adviser to NROTC students at Harvard, and some complained about a psychology course they were required to take.
Peters decided to take the course himself to see what was going on. "I loved it," he said, "Looking back, I think it was over the heads of some of the undergraduates, but I had never had a course like it and began to take other courses in psychology and later educational psychology. I became interested in student motivation and then about how children learn and how teachers can be trained to become more effective in the classroom," he said.
This experience opened up a new career field. Peters received a master's degree in educational psychology from Northeastern University and later a doctorate from Stanford University.
While studying at Stanford, his professor suggested he needed more actual classroom experience with children, and he decided to become a teacher's aide at the local Head Start program for the summer.
Once again, fate stepped in. After a few days on the job, the director of Head Start offered him another job. The federal government required evaluations of Head Start programs, and Peters qualified for the position, becoming director of evaluation for San Mateo County, overseeing 19 Head Start programs.
His relationship with Head Start from the local to the national level is still going on, and he is a strong supporter of the program.
"Head Start is very good and could be better, but it has always been run on a shoestring. We now have three generations to study, and in addition to helping prepare children for school, the program has helped kids succeed in life. Head Start children grow up with better socialization skills, are less involved in crime and have fewer teenage pregnancies," he pointed out.
From Stanford, Peters went to Penn State University where he ran a preschool program, a combination teaching and laboratory facility.
"We tried separate methods of teaching and learning as espoused by leading educational psychologists in each classroom. What we discovered was that there are powerful variables in a classroom in terms of temperaments, abilities and interactions, and that no one method but a combination worked out best," he said.
It was at this time, in the early '70s, that mainstreaming children with disabilities into regular classrooms was beginning and the Penn State preschool was including these children. Some children had severe physical problems or cognitive deficits, and carrying out research on how to train teachers to incorporate these children into the classroom was pivotal, according to Peters.
He said all children can be mainstreamed. "You cannot use the classroom as a dumping ground for children with disabilities. There has to be proper training and support to succeed," Peters said.
Peters came to the University in 1985 as chairperson of individual and family studies and served for six years in that capacity.
Under his leadership, UD became the headquarters of a University Affiliated Program with core funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Each state has one of these programs whose purpose is to enhance the lives of persons with disabilities.
The program was under the Office of the Vice Provost for Research. With the recent reorganization of the college, it has become the Center for Disabilities Studies.
The center works with public and private agencies to improve services and support for disabled persons. It offers training programs and seminars for those working with persons with disabilities. A minor in disabilities studies also is offered. The Summer Institute Certificate Program in Quality Services for Individuals with Severe Disabilities offers graduate credit for those who work with individuals with such disabilities as blindness.
Another center project is the Transition Partnership Program, where 18-to 21-year-old students with disabilities come on campus to complete their high school education and learn the skills they need to succeed in an age-appropriate setting, with University students acting as mentors.
In addition to his teaching and research, Peters serves on a number of statewide committees and task forces, including the Interagency Coordinating Council of Infant and Toddler Programs, the Developmental Disabilities Planning Council and the Healthy Start Program. Peters has published more than 60 articles in scholarly journals and has authored or edited nine books. His latest book, written with Alan Pence, is entitled Family Day Care.
For recreation, Peters turns to his woodworking shop. He and his wife, Lynn, who is an obstetrics/ gynological nurse practitioner, bought a house with two double garages-one for the cars and one for his workshop.
He recently has turned to woodcarving and created a rocking horse for his grandson. One of his first carpentry projects when he was an indigent graduate student was a dollhouse for his daughters. Now Peters has come full circle and is planning a dollhouse modeled after his own home for his grandchildren.
As he surveys his busy and fulfilling life and plans a new book based on his course on human services delivery systems, Peters commented, "In a building field, there are always new things to do."
-Sue Swyers Moncure
