Chigee Jan Cloninger – Health & Physcial Education, 1969

Chigee Jan Cloninger
1969 – Health and Physical Education

            I’m Chigee Jan Cloninger, that’s the name on my diploma and the one I still use, even after marriage. In 1969, I graduated with a B.S. in Health and Physical Education & Recreation, and English. After I received my degree and started teaching in a local elementary school, I continued to take classes in Special Education at USL. My experiences as an undergraduate student were different from most students, I was a “local” and had attended Hamilton Training School from kindergarten through eighth grade and knew the campus well. Living at home, about a mile from campus, I commuted to campus, walking, riding my bike or motor scooter, driving my Volkswagen convertible bug, often sharing rides with my two sisters, brother, sister-in-law, or mother, also attending USL, during some of my time there. I had transferred from an out of state college, returning to USL to focus on getting a degree as quickly as possible.

            I remember mostly my academic experiences and related events, such as volunteering to work with children with disabilities in a movement program that occurred weekly in the gym, which included some research by Louis Bowers and helping organize HPER activities at some campus events. Of course, I put in some time at the local hangouts!

            Since I had attended local schools, there were a number of familiar faces who helped with my transition. The President, Clyde Rougeau, was just the father of his son Clyde, who had been a classmate of mine since grade school. Glynn Abel, Dean, was the father of Danny, another longtime classmate. Al Simon, who had been a teacher/coach at Lafayette High School when I was a student, become a supporter. He was a friendly face and frequently offered words of encouragement. Margaret McMillan, who had taught me Red Cross Water Safety Instruction, when I was in grade school and was a friend of my parents’ was another familiar face who believed I could achieve beyond what I was doing. Mary Ducharme, who was probably my advisor, set a standard for professionalism that impacted my continuation in this field. Mrs. Robinette, I knew from Hamilton School; she was a model of “high expectations” for teachers. These and others, Charles Bernard, Vesta Bourgeois, Louis Bowers, were models for good teaching, demonstrating that teaching was hard work, worthwhile, and a very important profession.

My education at USL provided a strong background for my continued education. I taught for a number of years in various classroom settings in Louisiana, Ohio, and Kentucky, worked for the State Departments of Education in Louisiana and Mississippi, and received my Masters and Doctorate from The Ohio State University. After which I was on the faculty at The State University of New York at Geneseo, where I met my husband, and eventually to The University of Vermont, where I am presently a faculty member at The Center on Disability and Community Inclusion ( The University Affiliated Program of Vermont) and College of Education Social Services.  My activities provide varied experiences, including teaching in graduate training programs, directing a team (The I-Team) who provide technical assistance and personnel development in all Vermont schools for teachers and families of students with significant disabilities, doing research with school and other agencies and acting as an associate Director of the Center. I still believe education is a worthy profession; to teach is to make a difference in the lives of others.