Elliott Judd Award 2015

Dr. Theodora Helene
Bofman

ITBE is proud to award the 2015 Elliott Judd Outstanding Teacher Award to Dr. Theodora Helene Bofman from Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU). Dr. Bofman has had a distinguished career as a linguist, a teacher trainer, and a language instructor.
During her time at NEIU, Dr. Bofman, or "Teddy," has been involved in numerous projects, programs and initiatives to improve the educational experiences for undergraduate and graduate TESL students, foreign language students, adult learners, and immigrants.

Dr. Bofman's many achievements include:

Writing and publishing books, articles, and websites about the study of language
Being part of the creation and ongoing maintentance of an online Kirundi/English learner dictionary to help Burundian immigrants improve their English
Helping with the development and creation of a community-based ESL program at NEIU's El Centro campus
Maintaining her development as an educator by taking part in local, state-wide, and international conferences, workshops, lectures, and institutes as a presenter and participant

Perhaps Dr. Bofman's most singular achievement is her outstanding teaching and mentoring of our field's newest members. Students and colleagues alike praise Dr. Bofman's work inside the classroom as a creative, energetic teacher and outside of the classroom as a caring, patient mentor and generous colleague. Dr. Bofman's integrity and commitment to her students, to her institution, to the field of English language instruction, and to our state are truly worth celebrating!

Did you know that Teddy was also once the ITBE Newsletter Editor? She says:

I don't think I got involved in ITBE until I was hired at NEIU in 1985. Don Siegel, my colleague, urged me to get involved. I guess he put me in touch with Mary Potocki, who was the newsletter editor but ready to move on. Those two were wonderful mentors, along with Marcia. That's when I took over the newsletter. My husband is a writer/editor, and he helped me learn the ropes of putting a newsletter together. This was way before computers came into the picture. I felt so lost being back in Chicago, 30 years ago. I was a stranger professionally, but I feel very connected now. It's been a wonderful, deeply satisfying career.

Most recently, she also served as the book review editor for the Link from 2010 until 2014. Many thanks to her contributions! Hopefully, this will inspire our readers to become involved in ITBE.

Read more on our website about Elliot Judd and this award given in his honor, as well as listings of past recipients.

Back to the Link front page


Elliott Judd Award 2015 Back to the Link front page Dr. Theodora Helene Bofman ITBE is proud to award the 2015 Elliott Judd Outstanding Teacher Award to Dr. Theodora Helene Bofman from Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU). Dr. Bofman has had a distinguished career as a linguist, a teacher trainer, and a language instructor. During her time at NEIU, Dr. Bofman, or "Teddy," has been involved in numerous projects, programs and initiatives to improve the educational experiences for undergraduate and graduate TESL students, foreign language students, adult learners, and immigrants. Dr. Bofman's many achievements include: Writing and publishing books, articles, and websites about the study of language Being part of the creation and ongoing maintentance of an online Kirundi/English learner dictionary to help Burundian immigrants improve their English Helping with the development and creation of a community-based ESL program at NEIU's El Centro campus Maintaining her development as an educator by taking part in local, state-wide, and international conferences, workshops, lectures, and institutes as a presenter and participant Perhaps Dr. Bofman's most singular achievement is her outstanding teaching and mentoring of our field's newest members. Students and colleagues alike praise Dr. Bofman's work inside the classroom as a creative, energetic teacher and outside of the classroom as a caring, patient mentor and generous colleague. Dr. Bofman's integrity and commitment to her students, to her institution, to the field of English language instruction, and to our state are truly worth celebrating! Did you know that Teddy was also once the ITBE Newsletter Editor? She says: I don't think I got involved in ITBE until I was hired at NEIU in 1985. Don Siegel, my colleague, urged me to get involved. I guess he put me in touch with Mary Potocki, who was the newsletter editor but ready to move on. Those two were wonderful mentors, along with Marcia. That's when I took over the newsletter. My husband is a writer/editor, and he helped me learn the ropes of putting a newsletter together. This was way before computers came into the picture. I felt so lost being back in Chicago, 30 years ago. I was a stranger professionally, but I feel very connected now. It's been a wonderful, deeply satisfying career. Most recently, she also served as the book review editor for the Link from 2010 until 2014. Many thanks to her contributions! Hopefully, this will inspire our readers to become involved in ITBE. Read more on our website about Elliot Judd and this award given in his honor, as well as listings of past recipients. Back to the Link front page
ITBE Link - Spring 2015 - Volume 43 Number 1