Country Girl

IntroductionI am a "country girl" at heart. I am originally from a small country town, Ray City, in south Georgia where my family owns and manages a 500 acre farm. During my youth we raised livestock and crops for the market, and when we were not working in the fields we were "hitting" the books.

One of my greatest loves in life is teaching, especially life science. Although I majored in Health and Physical Education initially, I have been teaching science since 1982. I guess my interest in science really began in my youth as a member of a family of eight, who had to focus on various elements of growing crops and livestock. Also, I remember having my own eighth of an acre garden as a 4-H club project. It was my responsibility to manage the garden in all its aspects, planting, dusting for insects, irrigation, cultivation and etc. Other areas I concentrated my efforts were in leadership, bread making and entomology; entomology being my favorite area of concentration at the time. I collected, mounted and classified many insects, so much so, I acquired a new name, "bug".

I love to spend time swimming, playing basketball, sewing, hunting, shopping, bird watching, gardening, taking pictures of flowers, and

collecting dolls, stamps and coins. I especially enjoy spending time with my family, as well as, teaching Sunday school and catching up on the latest technology raves. Also, I devote a lot of extra time at the school site where I teach, helping out with after school tutoring, our School Based Management Council, PTSA (Parent, Teacher, Student Association) and School Site Council.

Education

My formative teaching experiences span 37 years, 1974 to the present. I first attended Norman College where I obtained my Associate of Arts degree, 1969 to 1971. Then, I transferred to Gardner Webb University, where I earned a bachelor of science degree in health and physical education, 1972 to 1974. After moving to California, 1975, I continued my educational training at California State University, Northridge to obtain my certification to teach biology. Presently and since 1982, I have been teaching science and health for the Los Angeles Unified School District at Sutter Middle School, in Winnetka, California. Prior to this, I was a substitute teacher with LAUSD, and I also taught high school Health and Physical Education at Bainbridge High School in Bainbridge, Georgia. I graduated from Berrien High School, located in Nashville, Georgia, where I was a member of the basketball team, 4-H club and Future Homemakers of America.

Other areas of teaching experience include teaching Sunday school and summer youth programs . And, throughout my teaching career, I have continuously supported my teaching experiences with ongoing certification and professional development in science, “Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English”, “Gifted & Talented Education”, school administration and technology. My more recent focus is in the area of technology, its infusion into the classroom and earning a master's degree in Science Education.

I have increasingly enhanced my technology skills in the development and use of computer based curricular resources for teaching science, such as website development, internet resources, simulated experiments, design & development of instructional materials using multimedia, publishing, presentation and data analysis software, including program applications pertinent to student use. I am still an amateur in this area.

Educational Philosophy

True value of teaching is to teach, shape, equip and prepare young people to be productive citizens who will be capable of "running the country."

My father stated many times over "life is carefully designed by our choices", therefore, we should choose wisely in what we believe and how we deal with the opportunities presented to us. Ms. Lindsay, my second grade teacher, instilled in me at a very early age, the very essence of my teaching views. Teaching involves motivating students, facilitating the learning process, and challenging students academically, socially, mentally, and supporting their learning abilities in a safe, warm and nurturing environment.

Teachers set the bar for their students. Students will rise or fall to the expectations we set for them. They learn best in a caring, supportive environment in which they are presented with choices and challenges in their own learning environment.

What takes place in the classroom is critical. Class objectives, goals and standards should be well defined, so students can visualize purpose in what they are learning. In addition, I expect my students to adhere to acceptable behavior practices and work habits; accompanied by appropriate, consistent, firm and fair consequences. I believe that students should be responsible for their learning by accepting and being prepared for class.

Also, I am avid believer in Steven Covey 's "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" and believe they are habits that promote positive results, both for students and self. Steven Covey's "7 habits" include being proactive about taking responsibility for your life; begin with the end in mind; put first things first; think win-win; seek first to understand, then to be understood; synergize; and finally sharpen the saw.

Another individual that has made an impact on my philosophy of education is Lauren Resnick, the founder and Director of the Institute for Learning and author of "Accountable Talk" techniques for the classroom. I readily adopt her concepts of accountable talk for the classroom. According to Resnick, the "basic idea is the more you manipulate the pieces of knowledge, the better you understand them, the more complex your memories become, the smarter you get. In an Accountable Talk classroom, many kids are explaining all the time. What does that explaining get them, us as educators? Students anticipate what is going to come up at the next step; they think about something internally, you can call it an internal discussion. And, they build these cognitive explanations. Thery're always trying to understand, they're not just rehearsing, they're not just saying back what they were told. It's this complicated restating, putting things together, correlating with others and also with yourself, getting it right, that's what accountable talk is."

In addition to Steven Covey and Lauren Resnick, I agree with the Institute of Learning in which there are specific guiding principles that could help educators analyze the quality of instruction and how they implement instruction. Also, I am in agreement with their philosophy in that one's effort should be well organized and geared toward high standards, assessments, rigorous curriculum, and a standards-based curriculum. All students should be expected to achieve at high levels. Expectations should be explicitly defined, communicated clearly, criteria based, and goal oriented. Assessments should be fair, credible, and aligned to standards. Criteria and rubrics should be provided to allow students, parents, and others know what is expected and what could be achieved. Student efforts should be valued and recognized. Students need to be engaged in thinking and should be expected to have a solid foundation of knowledge, and they should be given opportunities to actively use knowledge they gain. Students should be given opportunities to talk with others. Learning can be sustained by talking with others and can be achieved by using techniques, such as, "Accountable Talk". Students should develop and regularly use a variety of strategies to manage their learning. Strategies should include, but not limited to the use of accountable talk techniques, use of agenda books, goal setting, use of anticipation guides, think-pair-share, evaluation of learning, and management of time.

Professional Experiences