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Corinna Lee-Hathuc: Impacting Educators

October 04, 2019 - 4 minute read


Corinna Lee-Hathuc

For as long as she can remember Corinna always wanted to be an educator. But growing up as the daughter of a teacher, it wasn’t always easy to distinguish between where her mother’s dream ended and hers began. It wasn’t until she stepped out of classroom teaching and into Administration that this calling became her own. Today Corinna works at the District Office of a large urban school district impacting teachers and administrators to impact students. She credits Concordia with giving her the tools to successfully make this transition which she says has solidified why she chose to be an educator. “This work is good food for the soul.”


Please tell us about what you consider to be one of the biggest impacts you are making/have made in one of your respective communities.

Corinna loves her work providing Professional Development for District elementary teachers. She views her role in Curriculum and Instruction, from choosing curriculum, to training teachers and sharing best practices as very significant. Corinna says that while 99% of interactions are with adults, 100% of her job impacts the kids as it impacts both the curriculum in the classroom and the instruction. Corinna is impacting adult leaders, both teachers and administrators, to impact students.

What have you learned about the diverse needs of this community?

Corinna oversees 48 administrators. One of the things she has learned in this job is that while they may all be in similar roles they have very diverse needs. "Administrators are all so different. Every school is also different." She says that she assumed when she started that all administrators were strong leaders but now she sees that they are all individuals and they have different strengths. I am learning to see the strengths of each administrator that I work with.

How was your research/study as part of CUI’s EDD program helped you address the needs of this community?

Corinna started her Concordia journey and her career in Administration at the same time and she says, Concordia has been with her every step of way. What she was learning in our classroom was what she was actually doing in her job at the time. Classes seemed in “lock-step” with what was happening at work. She found the leadership course especially helpful as a new administrator and she’s used every assignment at least in part in her work. Even after moving from an AP to District Office, Corinna still finds that what she is learning in our program is still very relevant.

How have you used your research or experience to develop strategies to meet these needs?

When Corinna started to work on her dissertation she was an AP at a Jr High dealing with lots of discipline issues.She was looking at other means of correction seized the opportunity to focus on Restorative Justice, both in her work and in her research. When she was promoted to the District office Corinna had a heart to heart with her committee chair. Does she keep RJ or switch to something that would have more relevance in her new position? After some consideration they made the decision for Corinna to change topics. Now she is researching Tier 1 Mathematics Practices and asking the questions, “What concepts are students struggling with? What evidence-based practices may help this?”

Having a strong dissertation committee chair who was flexible and willing to work with her was very important. Corinna’s new dissertation topic ties in beautifully with her work providing professional development to help teachers in Common Core Math. Now she is researching for Dissertation and job at the same time.

How has your involvement with this community impacted other areas of your life?

“Doing this work (with this community) has solidified why I chose to be an educator. The reward is nice. I am in the right field. As a first generation Chinese-American my culture taught me to take care of future generations and leave them a better world. This is good food for the soul. I want to raise up more productive members of society. To leave the world a better place.”

Corinna your CUI family is so proud of the work you are doing. Thank you for making an impact on our future!

Additional responses from Pre-Interview Survey

In what ways, if any, has the Ed.D. program enhanced your ability to assess and develop positions/programs/interventions to respond to the needs of this community?

The classes have broadened my perspective on the responsibilities that fall at the district level. I feel I have a better understanding of how systems work at a larger scale beyond a school site.

Presentations

"Next Generation Science Standards Training and Sample Lesson Design" Presented by Corinna Hathuc to all elementary teachers in Chino Valley Unified School District, Chino, CA, January, 2019.

"Number Talks and Standards for Mathematical Practices 1, 3, and 8" Presented by Corinna Hathuc to new teachers in Chino Valley Unified School District, Chino, CA, December 2018.

"Classroom Management" Presented by Corinna Hathuc to new teachers in Chino Valley Unified School District, Chino, CA, December, 2018.

"Differentiated Small Group Instruction" Presented by Corinna Hathuc to new teachers and instructional coaches in Chino Valley Unified School District, Chino, CA, October 2018.

"Using Data from Running Records for Differentiated Instruction" Presented by Corinna Hathuc to Kindergarten through Second Grade Teachers in Chino Valley Unified School District, Chino, CA, September 2018.

"Differentiated Instruction with Wonders" Presented by Corinna Hathuc to administration at Chino Valley Unified School District Leadership Charge, Chino, CA, July 2018.

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