EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION: MPS Teachers OF The Year

 

Laura Welden  – MECC

1. What do you teach? I teach kindergarten. This is my 22nd year to teach.2. What is

2. What is you teaching philosophy? My philosophy of teaching is “If a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.” Quoted by Ignacio Estrada. With this philosophy, comes the task of teaching a lesson many different ways and trying to make it as relevant as possible to each of the kids’ lives. The more relevant it is to their life, the easier it is for them to understand it.

3. How does it feel to have such an honor as Teacher of the Year? I am very honored that my peers chose me as Teacher of the Year. I work with great people who are awesome teachers!

4. What is it that you most hope to bring to your students? I hope that I bring excitement to my students each day about something they have learned or mastered.5. At the kindergarten

5. Give an example of a project or activity that your students participated in that supports your philosophy? At the kindergarten level, I te ach a unit about presidents. The focus at this level is mainly on George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. I read books and show short videos that give information about the lives of these past presidents. Different students are able to relate to different things that these presidents have endured and over come throughout their life and still gone on to doing something as important as be the President of the United States. We compare/contrast their childhood with ours; we discuss the jobs they did and share whether we would like those jobs or not; we discuss and locate on maps where they lived compared to where we live; we talk about the character traits that made them individuals that the people of the United States wanted for their president. Students show what they have learned during this time by retelling information, writing information, creating art projects, making clothing to wear like they wore, and making life size models of the presidents.

6. What is the main challenge you face in teaching? What actions do you take to overcome it? The main challenge that I face is having the money to do the things and have the supplies needed to meet ALL my kids needs. I beg, borrow, and use other’s people’s stuff to get things I need to reach all my kids.

7. Describe your favorite part of teaching and your least favorite. My favorite part of teaching is seeing “the light” come on a child’s face when they have worked so hard and finally get IT! My least favorite part of teaching is watching the struggles that so many kids go thru on a daily basis.

LACEY BOUNDY – MES

1.What do you teach? I am so fortunate to be in my third year of teaching 2nd graders at Mannford Elementary. I also served for one year as an AmeriCorps aide at MES. Before that, I completed my student teaching obligations with another amazing 2nd grade teacher at Mannford Elementary, Donna Whittenburg

2. What is your teaching philosophy?  A love of learning is the greatest gift a teacher can give her students. I continuously look for innovative ways to reach all styles and learning levels of my students and provide them with a secure, caring, and stimulating atmosphere in which they can grow and gain confidence. I believe students learn with a secure, caring, and stimulating atmosphere in which they can grow and gain confidence with a secure, caring, and stimulating atmosphere in which they can grow and gain confidence believe students learn more through self-discovery. I act as a guide in my classroom and promote inquiry by allowing the children’s natural curiosities to direct their learning through project-based learning lessons. When a teacher’s role is to guide, providing access to information rather than just being their only source of information, they gain a deeper knowledge by searching for and finding the answers to their questions. I facilitate this in my classroom through hands-on activities and with the use of technology. When my students have some ownership of what they learn, they are more motivated to reach their goals and usually create something way better than anything I could have imagined myself. I implement all of my teaching strategies in a fair, consistent environment where my students feel safe, know what is expected from them, and understand the importance of every activity. By being aware of their individual needs and sharing my own passion for learning, I hope to instill a love of learning to all of my students.

3. How does it make you feel to have such an honor as Teacher of the Year? I used to believe that receiving the honor of Teacher of the Year meant you were the best teacher in the building. After receiving site Teacher of the Year at Mannford Elementary, I now know that’s not the case. I am honored that my peers took the time to nominate me and respect me enough to choose me to represent our building. I am very proud of myself because I know how hard I’ve worked to get to this point where I get to do what I love for a living. But… Teacher of the Year? I am not the best, or perfect by any means. I am a teacher made up of many people that I have encountered throughout my life. I wouldn’t be the teacher I am today without my family, the teachers that inspired me, my friends, the amazing faculty that I have the privilege of working with every day, and most importantly my students. I see this award as a “thank you” to all of you because you have taught me everything I know and helped me develop into an effective teacher

4. What is it that you most hope to bring to your students? I hope to bring confidence, respect, honesty, and a passion for learning to the students in my classroom. I also want to provide each student with an education that fits their individual learning level and style which they deserve. I believe all are needed to have a successful student; however, confidence is the most important in my opinion. Like Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right.” I truly believe in my students and by the end of the year they do too.

5. Give an example of a project or activity that your students participated in that supports your philosophy? This year my class, along with the rest of the 2nd grade, participated in a project based learning unit called Discovering Dinosaurs. We started the unit off by giving the students a driving question, “How can you as a paleontologist create an Adobe Voice presentation to teach others about a dinosaur?” They were put into groups and were able to dig up dinosaur fossils thanks to Mannford PTO! We created a dinosaur museum and each 2nd grade class put in a different exhibit. My class made papier-mâché dinosaur eggs. They researched different dinosaurs by using our iPad minis. They measured out how long the dinosaurs were with yarn. They wrote amazing stories in their journals. They built dinosaur habitats. I was there to guide them and keep them on track… but they took charge of their learning journey. We sang dinosaur songs and ate dinosaur snacks. At the end of the unit, the students created an Adobe Voice presentation which they showed to the class to teach them about what they discovered. If you would like to see first-hand what this project looked like check out the video I created on YouTube, search for “Discovering Dinosaurs Mannford Elementary”.

6. What is the main challenge you face in teaching? What actions do you take to overcome it? The main challenge that I face in teaching is finding ways to reach each student’s learning level in the same classroom. This year I have 22 students in my class and I want each student to succeed. I have learned a lot in my short teaching career and I know many strategies to teach different levels at the same time… but that wasn’t always the case. Luckily, I work with a great team at MES. I turn to the teachers I work with if I ever have a question. I’m so fortunate because most of these teachers have 20-30 years of teaching experience. They are amazing and never make me feel foolish for asking a question. We share ideas and work as a team.

7. Describe your favorite part of teaching and your least favorite. My favorite part of teaching is seeing the look on my students’ faces when they finally understand something or when they finally reach a goal. I don’t care what’s going on in my life or how tired I am… I show excitement every single time! My least favorite part of teaching is not getting to work one-on-one with my students as much as I would like. With such large class sizes in the 2nd grade, it is hard to find the time to give extra support to the students that are struggling. It is hard for me to watch students choosing to give up their recess on their own because they know they need extra help.

 

LANE ANDERSON – MUE

1. What do you teach? My name is Lane Anderson and I was selected Teacher of the Year at Mannford Upper Elementary. I was given a list of questions for your paper. I am providing those answers below. Please let me know if something is unclear or if you need additional information. 1. What do you teach? I currently teach 5th grade social studies and this is my 23rd year of teaching.

2. What is your teaching philosophy? My teaching philosophy is that ANY student can learn when a teacher builds a good relationship with students and has a passion for the subject they teach. The relationships I have built with my students coupled with my students seeing the love I have for America’s history has created an environment for learning.3. How does it feel to have such an honor as Teacher of the Year? I am very honored to represent MUE as teacher of the year. I know that I would not be able to what I do each day without the amazing group of teachers and principal that I work with. 4. What is it that you most hope to bring to your students? My biggest hope for my students is that they will develop a love and respect for our great country. I also hope that I have a part in helping to make them good citizens. 5. Give an example of a project or activity that your students participated in that supports your philosophy? The living wax museum is an activity where my students creatively show a little of what they have learned in class. Each student uses information from class along with their own research to become a historical person that we have studied during the school year. They bring the historical person to life with the way they dress and the biography they present. 6. What is the main challenge you face in teaching? My biggest challenge I face in my profession is keeping up with the

3. How does it feel to have such an honor as Teacher of the Year? I am very honored to represent MUE as teacher of the year. I know that I would not be able to what I do each day without the amazing group of teachers and principal that I work with.

4. What is it that you most hope to bring to your students? My biggest hope for my students is that they will develop a love and respect for our great country. I also hope that I have a part in helping to make them good citizens

5. Give an example of a project or activity that your students participated in that supports your philosophy? The living wax museum is an activity where my students creatively show a little of what they have learned in class. Each student uses information from class along with their own research to become a historical person that we have studied during the school year. They bring the historical person to life with the way they dress and the biography they present.

6. What is the main challenge you face in teaching? My biggest challenge I face in my profession is keeping up with the ever changing technology scene. I try my best to overcome this by getting educated on current trends and collaborating with other teachers to implement new ideas.

7. what’s your favorite part of teaching? My favorite part of teaching is sharing each day in the excitement that my students have as they learn about American History. The thing I like least about teaching is state testing. I don’t feel that it shows a true picture of a student’s overall learning and accomplishments.

 

PAM WINFIELD – MMS

1. What do you teach? My name is Pam Winfield. I teach 7th Grade Language Arts. I retired from education after 32 years in the classroom, but I missed the job so much that I returned after only two years of retirement! I am now in my 34th year of service.

2. What is your teaching philosophy? Because we are life-long learners, I believe it is critical for young people to learn how to learn. I believe it is my responsibility to allow them to make mistakes, teach them how to recover and adjust, and to show them that they can survive and learn from those mistakes.

3. How does it feel to have such an honor as Teacher of the Year? I work with some of the most amazing people I have ever known! It is a tremendous honor to be recognized and honored by the very people whom I revere.

4. What is it that you most hope to bring to your students? I hope to instill a love of learning in my students. I hope to increase their awareness that becoming an educated individual increases their opportunities for success.

5. Give an example of a project or activity that your students participated in that supports your philosophy? Our most recent project was the creation of Power Point presentations over the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921. Students conducted their own research to learn about the Riot. They were impressed with the fact that such an historical event took place “in their own back yard.” They learned from scratch how to create a slide presentation and how to deliver their information to an audience. This project provided an unending supply of “learning from our mistakes” moments and served as proof to many students that they CAN be successful when they are willing to risk failure. 6. What is the main challenge you face in teaching?

6. What is the main challenge you face in teaching? Today’s students have many more challenges than students from 30 years ago. And although there have always been students in need, the main challenge I face in the classroom today is meeting the needs of each of them. Students today are distracted more than ever. Too many of them are tired, hungry, depressed, anxious, angry, worried… They are under too much pressure. Your questionnaire asks “What actions do I take to overcome [my main challenge]?” My honest answer is this: I never fully “overcome” the challenge. I feed them. I let them sleep. I cry with them. I comfort them. I discipline them. I lose sleep over them. I love them.

7. what’s your favorite part of teaching? My favorite part of teaching is accepting the above challenge and, years later, receiving a phone call or a letter from a former student to tell me about his/her successes and that I made a difference in his/her life. There is nothing more fulfilling. My least favorite part of teaching is knowing my students’ struggles and not having the power to fix them.

 

BRAD HARDY – MHS

1. What do you teach? I have been teaching Special Education classes for 19 years.

2. What is your philosophy? I believe that my goal as a Special Education teacher is to help meet the individual needs of each student. I work to understand each student’s needs, build on their areas of strength, and find strategies to help make improvements when they struggle.

3. How does it feel to have such an honor as Teacher of the Year? I am shocked and amazed to win Teacher of the Year. I work with some incredible teachers and rely on them for guidance and insight. I never thought I would be chosen for an honor like this one. It is very humbling.

4. What is it that you most hope to bring to your students? I hope to help my students feel important and successful in school. School is very challenging for some students, so I really try to encourage them to have confidence in themselves.

5. Give an example of a project or activity that your students participated in that supports your philosophy? I do a lot of work with students that are trying to recover credits in order to graduate. Some of them need an Art credit, so our Mrs. Frank, our outstanding art teacher, has assisted us with some projects that have helped our students to learn more about art and to build confidence in their individual abilities

6. What is the main challenge you face in teaching? My biggest challenge is finding what will motivate or inspire each individual student. Many students will have a difficult future ahead of them due to circumstances out of their control. It can be a challenge to be patient and keep a positive attitude, but it’s a must.

7. what’s your favorite part of teaching? The best part of teaching is getting to know the unique personalities of the students and seeing them turn into young adults. My least favorite part is worrying about the future of the state of education in Oklahoma. Education is a very important part of what makes our country great and we need to make it a priority