ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA - Winthrop University recently selected Crystal Glover ’97, ’99 for the Bank of America Professorship so the education faculty member can develop an early childhood curriculum that centers on the humanity and joy of children of color and their families.
The Bank of America award, which was first given in 2006, is presented in the Richard W. Riley College of Education to a faculty member to enhance the scholarly explorations within the professor’s research interests. Glover is an associate professor in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy.
She said her primary goal for the Bank of America professorship is to develop a comprehensive, integrated, instructional curriculum that celebrates the humanity, identities, lived experiences, and joy of Black, indigenous, children of color and their families.
Associate Dean of Education Beth Costner said teacher education students and programs have benefited from Glover’s work with culturally responsive, relevant and sustaining practices. “The BOA Professorship will provide her further opportunity to expand her outreach and efforts," Costner said. “This distinction is well deserved and speaks to the Educator Preparation Program’s commitment to practices that promote cultural competence among our students and partners.”
A former elementary teacher who holds two degrees from Winthrop, Glover joined the faculty in 2014 and was selected as the university’s Outstanding Junior Professor in 2020.
With this new award, Glover plans to anchor her curriculum design using state standards for math, science, social studies, visual and performing arts, and English-Language Arts for students in kindergarten through second grade.
“I aim to counter one-dimensional perspectives of the Black experience that couch Blackness in stories defined by pain, suffering/trauma and oppression,” Glover said. “In contrast, the integrated early childhood curriculum will showcase the joy that Blacks have experienced in every point in history.”
She added that her intent is not to erase the reality of Black history or the Black experience, but rather to provide balance in how the pain, atrocities and oppression have counterparts in achievement, victory and joy as reflected in the stories of people of color.
As part of this endeavor, she plans to collaborate with classroom teachers across the state to research, develop and share units of study that contain elements of joy, ingenuity, artistry, excellence and celebration.
Glover said she views this project as the culmination of her work as an educator and scholar. “For the past seven years, I have extensively studied the impact of culturally relevant, responsive, and sustaining practices on the growth and development of preservice teachers,” she said in her application. “It is through this lens that I have worked to ‘distinguish myself as a teacher, scholar and service provider.’”
Black Joy is a natural outgrowth of the ongoing theme of the culturally relevant, responsive and sustaining practices that have come to characterize her work, Glover said. Developing an integrated, early childhood curriculum that centers on Black Joy will provide renewed interest, support, academic achievement and nurture critical consciousness among young children.
“These pillars of culturally responsive teaching have historically led to improved educational outcomes for students in schools across the country,” Glover said.
For more information, contact Judy Longshaw, news and media services manager, at longshawj@winthrop.edu or 803/323-2404.
