*STAR* Teacher--Jean Bland

Norman Elementary's new *STAR* Teacher is...

Jean Bland

3rd Grade

How many years have you been teaching?

30 years (I can’t believe it, but it’s true).

What is your best memory?

Along time ago, my 5^th graders had a surprise birthday party--they invited Dynomite the Clown to perform.

What is the funniest memory?

When I took my class out for a fire drill, I was so proud to be the first class out in a straight, quiet line. Then , Erv Jones came outside to tell me it’s a tornado drill and that my kids would be half-way to Big Rapids.

Can you share a writing strategy?

A writing strategy I use is to put clear page protectors over a final draft and have peers proofread with markers (not permanent) or crayons. Student proofreaders also write helpful suggestions on the page protectors. This is a peer edit and final edit.

Student sharing Proofreading Marks with peers

Students proofreading

Students with their final Writing Project--Well done!! 

What advice do you have for teachers just coming into the field?

Don’t give up! Find a colleague you admire, and imitate their teaching practices.

Classroom Pictures

Jean-

Thank you for the opportunity to observe your class. I was able to observe the editing process-- what hard workers you have! I love the ABC books (final project). It is obvious the amount of time  and effort that you and your class put into this project, they turned out amazing. 

Thank you for sharing your memories, strategies and advice.

Vicky

Literacy Stations- April Cole's video

During Norman Elementary's "Professional Learning Communities," the entire building participated in a study with Debbie Diller's Literacy Stations books. These books were a great motivator to many of our teachers.

The video below is from our 2nd grade Teacher, April Cole. She is new to 2nd grade this year, and although Literacy Stations were a little scary & overwhelming to her, she has managed to implement them into her classroom routine very successfully. 

I had the pleasure of visiting her room and taping April and her students in action.

Great job April--your students were all on task, learning and having fun.

Thanks for sharing your classroom,

Vicky

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1icdToWoWxQ&feature=youtu.be

*STAR* Teacher--Doug Emington

Norman Elementary's *STAR* Teacher is....

Doug Emington

Physical Education

  How many years have you been teaching?

      In all, I have been in the profession for 28 years.  I taught in Toledo, Ohio at Sherman Elementary for three years, at Father Gabriel Richard High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan for five years, and now I am completing my 20th year in Reed City.

 What is your best memory?

     Among my favorites is when we questioned a 5^th grade student with a mature crawl stroke about where he learned to swim and who taught him and he answered proudly, 

“You guys did.”

 What is the funniest memory? 

     Over the years, a number of humorous incidents have happened to me including splitting my pants from seam to belt while attempting to show the kids a low slide position last year.  Fortunately I was able to keep my front side to the students until Mrs. Emington who was subbing for the next class of the day could run home and get me another pair of slacks.

     I thank God for a position working with the youngest students.  As Art Linkletter used to say: “Kids say the darndest things!”  After hearing me use the expression “Oh, my Word!” a number of times, one student finally asked me 

“What is your word Mr. Emington?”

     When I first started teaching, my Kindergarteners at Sherman Elementary  used to think my name was Jim.  The students would come in to my class greeting me with a big smile and saying, “Hi, Jim.”  After a while, I figured it out.  Their teachers would say to them, “We’re going to gym now,” so they assumed that was my first name.

     Just this year on the way back to a class, we stopped at the drinking fountain for water.  One of Mrs. Kailing’s kids informed the group with a glimmer in her eye that our water comes from Paris.  I wondered about where she got that idea until I saw her pointing to the button on the side of the fountain marked “Press” and realized she was sounding it out.

Can you share a P.E. best practice. 

     One teaching practice that seems to work is instilling the importance of never giving up.  In every endeavor from learning to tie shoes, to riding a two wheeler without training wheels, to learning to play a musical instrument, from success in the classroom to success on the athletic field,  a Try, Try, Try attitude is Key.  When a student perseveres to experience success where they had once failed, the lesson learned will have a lasting effect on their attitude and confidence.   We make a big deal of this in gym, and I feel so blessed to be one of the agents whereby kids learn this secret of success.

Can you share another best practice.

     Another important lesson I have learned through my training is that there needs to be something for a student who “gets it” right away as well as for the student who needs extra help.  In my graduate work, we learned about extending tasks.  These can be tasks that simplify or restate the work for the struggling student, or tasks that add challenge for those who immediately excel at the task.  For example, an extending task for catching fly balls may be to bounce it to a student to make it easier to track, but for those who are good at it, we extend the task by tossing a smaller ball or making them run to catch.

     I feel that many times we teach to the middle and try to help those who are challenged, but neglect those who we could challenge further.  

I also have found that each student, depending on the task, may find themselves in the gifted or challenged category.  Some excel in rhythmic activities but struggle in sports skills, a kid who is gifted in gymnastics may struggle in overhand throw for example.  This is good in that it teaches them to be humble in accepting help when they struggle and helping others when they are excelling.  

Our challenge is to keep all students on task and ever reaching to become their personal best.

  What advice do you have for teachers just coming into the field?

      My best advice to new teachers would be to learn and spend quality time on classroom management techniques. Time spent on rules and procedures is never wasted.   I also suggest that you borrow techniques from experienced teachers.  In time you will discover what works best for you.  Get to know your students.  As the axiom says:  “They need to know that you care before they will care what you know.”  I personally take the time to learn the names of and pray for the 250+ students that I see each day.

  Anything else you would like to add?

     I want my colleagues and administrators to know how blessed I feel to work at G.T. Norman.  Our Physical Education team is proud to serve our kids and community and is grateful for the support and flexibility of our staff.  The people at G.T. Norman make a great Team!

Doug's pictures

Doug-

I've had the pleasure of knowing Doug for many years---our Sons (now 25!) went to elementary school together. This was an awesome interview---I love your stories, I love your advice, and I love that you pray for all of your students. 

Thank you for being part of the great Team at Norman!

Vicky

   

     

*STAR* Teachers--Evelyn Webster & Tracie Koopman

Norman Elementary's new *STAR* Teachers are...

Tracie Koopman & Evelyn Webster

Team Teachers

5th Grade & RTI

How many years have you been teaching?

Evelyn- 33

Tracie-  23

What is your best memory?

Evelyn-  Some of my best memories are spending a day at our cabin with my students at the end of every year.  Along with swimming, students have an opportunity to ride in a boat, sail, and go tubing- and these experiences are often new ones for many of the kids.  It’s always a highlight of the year and a wonderful time for us to just be ourselves before the students leave elementary school!  At the end of the day, no one wants to leave.

Tracie-  Some of my best memories involve student writing.  Although I don’t directly teach writing here at Norman- it’s in my blood!  I love seeing how students can use writing to connect what they are learning about to their life experiences.  I am amazed at students’ creativity. 

*Both of us also have favorite memories of students who return long after they have been in our class to tell us about what they remember learning and how we have influenced them in ways we didn’t realize.  What can be better than that?

What is the funniest memory?

*We both think that funny things happen every day.  We like what we do and our students make us laugh all the time.

Evelyn-  I remember one time that I handed out science books and asked students to read from the text.  One student kept telling me that he couldn’t read the book.  After encouraging him several times to just try, I noticed he had a Spanish textbook and he was not Spanish speaking!  

When he said he couldn’t read it- he wasn’t joking! J

Tracie-  I remember a time when I was teaching middle school and I heard someone’s beeper go off.  I told the students that I didn’t know who had the electronic device that was making the noise, but I didn’t want to hear the sound again as we had lots of work to get done.  After hearing it a few more times and feeling myself starting to lose my patience, my students and I realized it was a little bird making beeping noises outside our classroom window.  We all had a good laugh! 

Can you share a reading strategy/best practice?

Evelyn-  I think Reading/Writing Workshop is a best practice.  The best thing about Reading/Writing Workshop is it gives students choices when it comes to reading and writing.  They have more of an opportunity to read and write about what matters to them rather than if it were all teacher directed.  

Choice = love of reading and writing!

Tracie-  I think best practice is writing across the curriculum.  Students should be writing in all subjects, not just during writing!  I think when students write about what they are learning, they form a deeper connection to the topic.  Instead of just reading about what slavery was like in America, students can write from the perspective of an African slave.  Instead of learning a new math concept, students can write about the procedure and explain the process.  

Best practice:  write, write, write!

Can you share a math strategy/best practice?

Evelyn-  I feel it is very important to build students’ number sense.  The way to do that is by doing lots of hands on activities, which allow students to explore the concepts before jumping to the abstract.

Tracie- I think a best practice is to have students keep math journals.  This is a place for students to take notes about the current topics, draw pictures to show math ideas, explain their understanding, and summarize their learning. 

What advice do you have for teachers just coming into the field?

Evelyn-  Teaching is a great job because it keeps you young.  Through your students you will find out the latest and greatest, from books to movies to electronics.  In addition to learning from your students each day, I think it’s very important for new teachers to find a great mentor teacher, one they can lean on and trust.  Finding a teacher like that will make you a better teacher and make the learning process a lot more enjoyable!

Tracie-  My advice is just to enjoy your students each and every day.  Sometimes we get so caught up in curriculum and where we need to be by when, that we feel that we don’t have the time to stop and have that conversation with the student who really wants to tell us something or play the game that makes students laugh.  All that “curriculum stuff” is obviously important, but what’s most important is connecting with your students and making them feel valued.

Finally, we both think that it’s very important to read aloud a great poem or from an exceptional book every single day!  This broadens students’ perspective of the world!

Other:  We think this is one of the best jobs in the world!  What other job do you have where you can start fresh every year and laugh every single day?  Even though there are many other jobs out there, neither one of us can imagine doing anything different!

Pictures from their classroom

Evelyn & Tracie-

I love the way you two work together as a TEAM. You both always wear a smile and have a great attitude regardless if you're running to the other end of the building to "push-in" to kindergarten rooms, leading a small   

1st grade reading group or working with your 5th graders.

Thanks so much for sharing your strategies, advice and classroom.

Vicky

*Teacher Workshop*

Norman Elementary's 
Teacher Workshop
Focus: Literacy

March 19th

We had our 2nd Teacher Workshop last night which had a focus on Literacy.

Twenty-One Teachers from Norman Elementary spent an hour networking with their colleagues, making literacy games and enjoying snacks.

The next Teacher Workshop will be Tuesday, April 23rd and the focus will be WRITING.

Formative Assessment Video

This video is 14 minutes long and worth watching. It goes through the principles of formative assessment.

It touches on:

*Getting students talking
*Giving students feedback
*Peer Assessment
*Self Assessment
*"Comment Marking" and how it's more rewarding
*Giving students "response time"

http://youtu.be/gXOMbXeQNNA

*STAR* Teacher--Lia VanScoyoc

Norman Elementary's New *STAR* Teacher is...

Lia VanScoyoc

5th Grade

*How many years have you been teaching?

I have taught for nine years.  My teaching experience has included many grade levels.  I was hired in at the Middle School for 7^th grade Language Arts and the following year I  was transferred to the Elementary.  In the Elementary I have taught 2^nd, 3^rd, and 5^th grades. I feel that teaching various grade levels has helped me expand my teaching strategies and have a deeper understanding of the curriculum.

*Will you share one of your best memories?

One of my best memories is when I was pregnant for my son, Liam. I was teaching 3^rd grade at the time, and my students were very excited.  I had the pleasure of my sister (Ms.Erbes) taking over during my maternity leave.  The month before I was due, she and I would collaborate and team teach. The students enjoyed our “sisterly” teaching, and benefited from our positive teamwork.  Before I left, they had a party for me.  One young girl brought in stuffed animals that she loved to give to my unborn little boy. I was moved by her unselfishness to give up favorite toys for an unknown child. It made me realize that I am more than a teacher to my students. I am a important person in their life.

*Can you share one of your funniest memories?

  Funny happens weekly when you are a teacher.  Sometimes daily. One of my funniest memories includes the Lost and Found.  A student was returning with a group from RtI when they saw a pair of rollerblades on the Lost and Found table. Unsupervised, this child decided to put them on and rollerblade around the hallway.  Other students that had been with this child returned and I was wondering what was taking this other child so long.  I asked a little girl that had been with this child and she said, “Oh, he is rollerblading the hallways.” Shocked, I ran to see.  As I opened the door he walked in. I later found the rollerblades in his locker and we had a stern chat. In my head, I was laughing at his opportunistic choice.

*Can you share a reading strategy or best practice?

 I enjoy Writing and Reading Workshop. We make time for it each day. I think it is so important to remember the connection between reading and writing.  In order for students to be better readers they need to be writing.  Better writers make better readers. Research has shown the correlation between successful readers and the act of writing.  With this in mind, during both reading and writing workshop I use mentor texts. I believe that to make better readers and writers, we need to show them well crafted books through professional examples.

When teaching students about crafting “grabber” leads in Writing Workshop, I read aloud and show them the first sentences from books like  Charlotte’s Web , Shrek , Because of Winn Dixie, The 39 Clues: Book 1, and other well crafted leads in books.  We discuss what makes them “grabber leads”.  Students then research through chapter and picture books to find other examples of “grabber” leads. Students choose a favorite and put it on an index card.  They share and we help decide what type of lead it is.  I then pull out a story that I have been writing on the overhead and rewrite my lead using what we learned.  Student then go to a story they are working on and craft three different possible “grabber” leads they could use to start their story.

In Reading Workshop, I use mentor texts to help teach comprehension skills/strategies as well as word knowledge. One comprehension strategy that good readers actively do is to make connections.  I model for students how I draw connections while reading by giving an example using our mentor text.  Students then use this strategy while reading their book during independent reading time.  They use  yellow sticky notes to write down connections while they read.  At the end, we share our connections as a class.

In both Reading and Writing Workshops, students are motivated by choice. They chose books at their level to read, and are writing on their chosen topic.

*Can you share a math strategy or best practice?

In Math, I believe students should be actively engaged. When practicing concepts, one way I do this is by each student using a whiteboard and marker. For example, after taking notes on the different methods of multiplication , I model each method.  I give a practice two or three digit multiplication equation. Students first work with a partner using one of the multiplication methods.  After I think most understand the different methods (Place Value Method, Algebraic Method, and Expanded Notation Method), I put a multiplication equation on my whiteboard or overhead projector. I ask students to show me how to find the answer to the equation using one of the methods independently. After a few minutes of working, I walk around and can access who is understanding and who is struggling with the concept.  I then say, “One, two, three, share.” Students know that this means to hold up their dry erase boards with their work and answers.  I check to see their answers. I choose a person who has it correct to explain how they did their work. This is a way for student to stay actively involved, learn from their peers, and a great way for me to find those who need intervention or those that need enrichment. An added bonus is that students love writing on whiteboards and are motivated to do the work.  :-)

*What advice do you have for new teachers coming into the field?

My advice for new teachers is simple. Be humble. Soak up the wisdom from veteran teachers, and mentor teachers. If you have the opportunity, observe many different classroom and reflect on how the teacher is being effective. Realize that teaching is an art that is perfected over time.  Be patient with yourself and see the things you are doing well and remember them.  Find the areas you want to grow, and actively seek out other teachers that have effective strategies.  Find your strength for each day in yourself and your colleagues.  Take all your knowledge, combine it with wisdom, research, and personal passion, there you will find your teaching identity. I am still honing my craft.

*Other:

     I try to build a community of learners in my classroom.  One way I do this is through interactive literacy boards.  Students can chose to read a book and give their opinion on it by moving their picture to “yes, I would recommend this book to others” or “no, I would not recommend this book to others”.  Of course there is no right or wrong answer.  Students get to know each other by talking about books. This helps to them to feel apart of a community, and encourages them to grow as readers.

Pictures of Lia's Classroom & Student's

Classroom Library

Student's Reading

Reading Chair

Science

"Good Readers"

Phases of the Moon

Lia-

Wow! 

     What an awesome interview! You have shared some great Reading & Math Strategies/Best Practices. I love your Readers & Writers Workshop and the detail that you shared with us. I really like the advice that you gave to new teachers, 

                      "Find your strength for each day in yourself and your colleagues"

     I had the pleasure of working with you for a short time last year and it didn't take me long to see your passion for teaching and the love that you have for your students.

     Thanks for sharing your memories, advice and students.

     Vicky