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CORVALLIS, Ore. – Anna Marie Gosser, a reading specialist at Mountain View Elementary School in Corvallis, has been named the first recipient in a sabbatical program between Oregon State University and the Corvallis School District.

“We are so pleased to be able to integrate the experiences of one of Corvallis’ jewels into our teacher education program,” said Nell O’Malley, program lead for the College of Education’s Double Degree Program.

Gosser will take a nine-month sabbatical from the district to work in the OSU College of Education.

“Over the course of the past six years, I have had nine student teachers, a couple of cadet teachers from the high school and just about 18 college students doing a practicum to get experience in my room,” said Gosser, who lives in North Albany. “I love working with future teachers and helping them to learn skills to be successful in the classroom.”

At OSU, Gosser’s duties will include student teaching supervision, teaching undergraduate methods classes and helping to develop the mentor teacher program.

“I am excited about the opportunity to teach college courses,” Gosser said. “There are so many application techniques that students need to know to put the theory in practice. Being from the classroom gives me real stories, successes and failures to share with them.”

O’Malley said the new program serves the College of Education and the Corvallis School District equally well.

“The Double Degree Program is growing and having instructors who have recently been in the classroom is helpful for our students. When Anna Marie returns to the school district, she will be poised to take a leadership role and share her new insights,” said O’Malley, who is also a member of the Corvallis School Board.

Gosser, who received her Masters of Education from George Fox University in Newberg, spent six years as a second-grade teacher at Mountain View before becoming the Title I reading specialist at the school. She has also been a first-grade teacher at Carus Elementary School in Canby.

“This is wonderful for OSU students. They will get to work with a person who is coming from the classroom, while the teacher has the chance to think theoretically and reflectively about their experiences,” O’Malley said.

O’Malley said she’d like to see the program grow to include the Albany and Philomath school districts in the future.