If your gas tank is running on empty, this is a great way to transport kids to other lands and other adventures without having to spend a fortune. It also has the added bonus of keeping reading skills in tune and further developing them for the upcoming school year. 

You can also encourage your kids by picking up a book to read yourself. For the first time, the Blount County Public Library has an adult reading program this summer. You can check out what the new program is all about on their web site. It’s easy: you just sign up and then start reading!

So now that summer is officially underway, find a shade tree and a good book and take a trip to another place and time. Happy reading!

We all can remember being in school and the tools that our teachers used. All research was done in the library, and information was written up on the chalkboard. Depending on how old you are, the changes can be staggering. Chalkboards have given way to white boards that were erasable to SMART boards that interfaced with a computer and the Internet. A book report is no longer just a written report but formatted as a newsletter or another type of project generated with a software program.

The next level of a 21^st Century classroom is being introduced into the Maryville school system through the aid of the Maryville City Schools Foundation: the Promethean ActivClassroom. Promethean is white-board technology that allows teachers and students to interact with it and each other. The foundation is raising money in order to provide these systems to all core classes in each of the schools.

Recently, teachers currently using the system explained how they have been able to incorporate Promethean in their lesson plans and the capabilities of the system. They also shared insight into how it is changing and improving the way students are learning.

Carol Anne Scarlett, an eighth grade science teacher at Maryville Middle School, said Promethean helps draw students into lessons by allowing them to interact and provides information to the teacher about what they understand. The system operates like a PowerPoint, but the user has the ability to move objects around and make them appear or disappear.

Ginni Jabbour, who teaches algebra and introduction to algebra II at Maryville High School, said the system’s interactive qualities appeal to today’s students.

“The kids are much more engaged now than they used to be,” Jabbour said. “You could always send kids to the board and write but for some reason, when you involve a technical tool where they’re doing technology, all of a sudden, they’re much more interested. That’s the way they do everything now. To keep them interested you have to communicate the way they are used to.”

Both Scarlett and Jabbour said one of the great features of the system is Promethean Planet, an online source of materials and lesson plans that they can use in the classroom. Teachers use what are called “flip charts” that contain the lesson plans, but they can customize their lessons by picking and choosing which pages of the flip chart they want to teach as well as adding their own information. Jabbour said the Web site allows teachers to search by state standards, topic and grade level, and has lessons that are taught around the world. The site also has a forum for teachers to share information and ideas.

The system includes an activboard, an activslate, an activpen, an activote, and an activwand. The activboard serves as a screen that students and teachers can use with an activpen or activwand to move and display objects.

Jabbour said using the system helps her go through material faster because she doesn’t have to take time to draw shapes or graphs. She can used the available pages or create her own ahead of time.

The activotes are hand-held devices that students use to respond to multiple choice questions. Scarlett said these allow teachers to assess immediately whether or not students are grasping the material. In addition, if it is a quiz, the students’ answers can be exported to an Excel spreadsheet, which results in an automatic posting of the grades.

The system also has another feature that both teachers like.

“The Promethean system that I have in my classroom actually also consists of a wireless slate which allows me to keep control of the board but be anywhere in the classroom,” Scarlett said. “That way I’m not just stuck in the front of the room.”

Jabbour agreed. “Classroom management is much better when you aren’t tied to the front of the room.”

Jabbour also found another use for the system that she hadn’t anticipated. She learned to use a recording feature to “pre-teach” her lesson plan. On a day when she knew she would have to be absent from school, she prepared her lesson a head of time and recorded it. The substitute teacher called up the program in which Jabbour had added appropriate pauses to allow the students to work through problems.

“It was like I was there, but I just physically wasn’t present, and so I didn’t miss a day of instruction because I wasn’t at the school,” she said. When she returned to class the next day, the students were prepared to move on.

Sharon Anglim, director of Communications and Special Projects for Maryville City Schools, said the Promethean system was developed by educators specifically for educational purposes. The system allows teachers to meet the learning needs and styles of each individual child, she added.

More and more, technology is becoming embedded in curriculum as textbooks, Web sites and software are developed to provide a seamless transition between the different learning arenas. Anglim said scholastic companies aren’t just selling textbooks anymore.

“As we see new textbooks come out, we see that technology is an integral part of that,” she said.

Photos: First-grade teacher Jessica King, Foothills Elementary School, uses the Promethean activboard to lead a discussion about authors of books her students have been reading.

Students in King’s class “play” a spelling game involving that week’s spelling words on the activboard. Students had to stay inside during a recess because the ground was too wet and eagerly asked to play this game. They lined up to take turns.

His philosophy of education (and of life) is “Raise the Praise” and “Minimize the Criticize.” People should be treated as if they are good, giving an example of questioning a student who is out of class. Instead of acting as if the student is doing something wrong, ask if he or she needs help. Great teachers are the ones who act intentionally in everything they do, developing well-thought out plans while making it look random. Great teachers can help students develop a love of reading, which starts with a book. 

The day-long conference was chock-full of workshops including Novel Studies, Triology of Reading Strategies, Social Studies for Social People, Using Children’s Literature to Support Life Skills and many others that touched various issues of reading. The presentations I was able to attend all dealt with better engaging our students. I particularly enjoyed Steve Chastain’s Technology Tools for an Educator. Chastain, a University of Tennessee professor who teaches about technology, showed educators Web sites and tools that they can use in their classrooms and gave examples of how those can be utilized in different subject areas. 

I’ve attended these reading conferences in the past in a different capacity and found that they provide useful information to our teachers. As a lifelong learner myself, I enjoy conferences that serve to inspire you, to underscore what you are doing right and to give you fresh ideas. I think that is what this conference, which was the inspiration of Director of Schools Alvin Hord, does for participants. Hord created it not long after being name director because he felt a stronger emphasis needed to be placed on reading skills for all grades and all subjects.

This year, as in past years, it was held at Heritage High School and had close to 400 participants. It will give our teachers something to shift around in their subconscious over the summer months and return to the new school year charged up with ideas.

The field of education continues to evolve as teachers become further aware of the ever-expanding world of resources available to them.

Great teachers are able to discern their students’ needs and tailor these new resources to the needs of a specific class. Great educators also possess a certain flexibility whereby they are constantly refining their lessons.

Susan Wagner, a Porter Elementary School fourth grade teacher, is one such teacher. She was one of five Tennessee teachers awarded the 2008 Award of Recognition for Outstanding Teaching of the Humanities.

Wagner is humble about the award. “There are lots of other teachers who do just as many cool things (for their students), but don’t get recognized. I just applied for the award,” she said.

“(Blount County) has a great school system with great kids. A lot of good things are going on here,” said Wagner. “There are a lot of unsung heroes (in education) — a lot of teachers are quiet.”

Second career

Wagner is a second-career teacher, she said. “I’ve worked in other jobs before and this is one job where we give a lot (of ourselves). (As teachers,) we get so attached to (students) that we’re one little family. When (students) are having an exciting day or a sad day we all feel it.”

She has taught third grade, fourth grade and a multi-age fourth grade and fifth class in her eight years of teaching. Wagner likes teaching fourth grade the best, she said. “It’s a hard year for reading and introduces more difficult subjects for science and history. They are moving from a primary education to an upper elementary education.”

Every school year is a new experience with its own unique set of challenges. “Every year I do something different,” said Wagner. “I gauge (my students’) abilities and interests. I gear my instruction toward their needs.”

Wagner likes researching and writing her own lessons, she said. “It’s one of the great things about teaching,” said Wagner.

“What’s really neat is to see a student you had several years ago, and have them tell you they remember a lesson. It’s nice to know it sticks with them,” she said.

Past students remember

Fifth-grader Derek Roulette remembers his time in Wagner’s class last year. “I like how she taught social studies. She made it fun and easy,” he said. Roulette’s favorite lesson was one where his classmates had to act like British and American spies during the American Revolution. Roulette seemingly remembers every detail of how he and his peers scoured the entire school for enemy troops. Even more impressive was how his narrative of the lesson reflected a deep understanding of not only the tactics but the history of the American Revolution.

“She was just a great teacher and I was glad to have her,” said Roulette.

Students have enjoyed many lessons this year, such as reenacting the battle of Lexington and Concord, creating models of famous Tennesseans using potato chip cans and designing cell models for a “Top Cell Model Competition.”

Wagner will receive a fellowship of $2,000 to use for professional development, and another $1,500 for humanities textbooks at the school. She will use the $2,000 for trips to Boston and New York to learn more about these significant colonial period cities. Wagner’s trip will include visits to museums and historic sites as well as a Mt. Vernon workshop on archaeology.

“I’m glad she’s getting awarded for things she’s doing everyday,” said principal Deborah Craig. “She’s very creative and always provides an enriched curriculum. This award will just add to the enrichment and give her financial backing for her projects.”

The Daily Times Academic Awards

The first, The Daily Times Academic Awards, is a long-standing tradition created and sponsored by the newspaper. Academic Letters, similar to Athletics Letters, are awarded in the areas of language arts, math, science and social studies. Students from high schools in Alcoa, Maryville, Blount County, and Greenback are honored.

This year, the 23^rd year, resulted in 227 students receiving 341 letters. More than one-third of the students lettered in more than one subject. Six students, representing three high schools, earned letters in all four subjects. Those students include Heritage High School sophomore Clark Aaron Herd and Maryville High School senior and valedictorian Pendell Myers. William Blount High School had three students take all four honors: sophomore Kristen Nicole Waggoner, juniors Bradi Noel Millsaps and Travis Lee Wilson, and senior Matthew Allen Campbell. Congratulations to these students as well as all those who earned a letter.

Gov. Phil Bredesen, the keynote speaker for the event, encouraged the students to start thinking about what a “well-spent” life looks like and to start setting expectations for themselves in addition to meeting the expectations of others. He also told the students to use change as a means to grow and get out of a rut.

“Treat change as your friend and not your enemy,” he said.

As a final thought, he suggested that students should consider volunteer work or public service as they create a life for themselves. Breseden said when he is 80, he wants to ask himself this question:

“As you traveled through this life, did you put more back than you took?”

Blount County Turnaround Achievement Awards

I’ve had the privilege of attending the Blount County Turnaround Achievement Awards for the last several years. The event, which is sponsored by local attorneys Joe Costner and Steve Greene, recognizes students from all three school systems for turning their lives around in the areas of academics, attendance and behavior. One student from each middle and high school are chosen and recognized at a breakfast in May. It’s moving experience to hear how these children have overcome difficulties in their lives and set their course back on the right path. Sometimes it’s because an adult has intervened and worked with the student to turnaround his or her life. Other times, it’s because the student himself has recognized that changes need to be made and decides to rethink his lifestyle. The student’s nominator or a school representative tells how the student has made positive changes. Most of the kids are shy about making any comments, but their beaming smiles tell it all. Students are given a plaque to remember their achievement and encouraged to continue moving forward. I think it is admirable that Costner and Greene sponsor such a unique opportunity to recognize these kids.

This year’s recipients include: Josh Conner, Alcoa High School; Chloe Wolfe, Alcoa Middle School; Lacey McMurray, Carpenters Middle School; Robert Winstead, Eagleton Middle School; Amanda West, Heritage High School; Annabelle Sampson, Heritage Middle School; Ashley Robertson, Maryville High School; Brent Vince, Maryville Middle School; Kathryn Shuler, William Blount High School; and Terry Shields, William Blount Middle School.

Congratulations students for making positive changes in your life and for receiving recognition for your efforts.

Bill Williams, former co-anchor of Action 10 News WBIR, served as the keynote speaker, and he spoke directly to the kids. He gathered them in front of him at the podium, took a $20 bill out of his pocket and said he would give it to one of the students. The charismatic Williams asked the students who wanted the $20 bill and all their hands shot up. Then he wadded it up into a ball and asked again who wanted it. All hands shot up. Williams dropped it on the floor and stomped the bill. Picking it up, he asked them again who wanted it. All hands shot up. Williams explained that the bill is just as valuable even if it was wrinkled and messed up and told the students that they are just as valuable even if they are having difficulties in their lives.

“I want you to remember that the rest of your life,” Williams said as he tossed the bill to one of the students.

What a great way to help kids understand their value and such a simple lesson.

Blount County schools Citizenship Award

Each year in the Blount County school system, three students – one from each school level – are selected for the Director of Schools Citizenship Award. Director of Schools Alvin Hord started this program not long after he was named director. The award, now in its fifth year, is designed to recognize students who display leadership skills, volunteerism and service to fellow students, their school and the community. They are chosen by a committee from nominations submitted by each school. The school board celebrates their achievements at the May school board meeting. Students are given plaques and a plaque with each student’s name hangs in central office.

The awards this year go to: Leah Thomas of Walland Elementary School, Gracie Arthur of Heritage Middle School and Amy Eastridge of William Blount High School.

Leah Thomas

Leah Thomas is an active member of her school community. She served as a buddy for a classmate diagnosed with diabetes, escorting her classmate where she need to go and making sure she did not need medical attention. Serving on safety patrol, Thomas monitored the hallways and greeted students as they arrived at school.

Her leadership service skills were displayed as vice president of the 4-H Club and a member of the “K-Kids,” sponsored by the Kiwanis Club. With K-Kids, she helped raise money for Relay for Life and created posters and flyers for the project.

Thomas also worked with her fellow students by being a kindergarten helper, serving as a “bus buddy” after school to get kindergarten students to their buses and working with them in P.E.

In her spare time, she sings with the Blount County Honors Choir and plays basketball for the Walland team.

Gracie Arthur

Gracie Arthur supports her school in many ways and maintains an excellent academic record. She served as the “water girl” for the football team and never missed a practice last summer. She made sure the players had water, helped clean up after each practice and assisted the booster club with pre-game meals.

In addition, she was president of Student Council and secretary of the National Junior Honor Society. She won first place in the school Science and Social Studies fairs and second place at the Blount County Social Studies Fair. Arthur was selected to participate in the Jaycee’s Youth Legislature, which includes 50 students from middle schools in all three school systems.

Arthur is an active member of Grandview Baptist Church, where she helped put together treat bags for children at a church carnival, delivered Christmas cards to church families and helped organize backpacks of school supplies for children who didn’t have a backpack. Last summer, she helped teachers at Walland Elementary School get ready for the upcoming year by cleaning desks, making name tags for students and making copies.

Arthur also pet-sat for her friends while they were gone on vacation.

Amy Eastridge

Amy Eastridge, a rising senior, is the epitome of service to her school and community. Eastridge served on Student Council, helping to organize such projects as Toys for Tots, Phonebook Recycling and the Medic Blood Drive. She has served as the chairman of the United Way Intra-Youth Council. As a member of the council, she has visited Asbury Acres Nursing Home, providing companionship to residents and helping with holiday festivities. She also worked with CPR classes for the American Red Cross and put kits together for volunteers of the Little River Clean-Up Day as part of her council activities.

Eastridge helped to organize a program called “Trick or Cans,” where people donate canned goods on Halloween night for Second Harvest Food Bank. She made informational flyers to distribute to local neighborhoods and then collected food that night.

She volunteered at April Foolies, a fund-raising event for United Way’s Success by Six program and Blount County New Hope Children’s Advocacy Center, counting proceeds and collecting tickets. To support the United Way Day of Caring, Eastridge cleaned trails at Camp Tanasi, a Girl Scout retreat.

How fortunate the Blount community is to have such three caring and willing students who spend their spare time helping others. Congratulations to all three!

Penny Ferguson will join the ranks of only two other Tennesseeans when she is inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame in Kansas this summer.

Dr. Ferguson was recognized at Maryville High School on Tuesday afternoon as students, fellow-teachers, administrators, public officials, and others joined to honor this special educator. Since the Hall of Fame was established in 1989, only 80 educators nationwide have been inducted.

Mary Barth, retired MHS teacher, nominated Penny for the award. You can read more about Dr. Ferguson’s many accomplishments at the National Teachers Hall of Fame website … http://www.nthf.org/inductee/08ferguson.html. In her 39 year career, Ferguson has taught over 6,500 students, and 18 of her former students work at Maryville High School.

“My students are my estate — they are my legacy,” said Ferguson. And as (Director of Schools) Stephanie Thompson stated, “Our greatest hope is that Penny will continue to find great joy in her work.”

Best wishes to Penny for continued success and great joy!

Reprinted with permission from Maryville City Schools e-news for employees April 22, 2008

Throughout her 39 years in education, she has developed new and innovative ways to teach her students. As a junior in high school, I had the benefit of being in her class and learning about the great classics and writing research papers. I am certain her class helped instill the foundation of writing that I would later use professionally. Even though I had her in school many years ago, she looks just the same. As an adult covering education in the community, I had the opportunity to observe many new lessons she has incorporated into her class: the Family History Project, the Decades Project and others. I would love the opportunity to go back and complete some of these projects. In addition to keeping her classes fresh, over the years, she has continued with her own education, earning a doctorate in 1988. I am sure that this has impacted students about the importance of becoming lifelong learners.

We are lucky to have a teacher of this caliber in our community. At a recent reception at Maryville High School, Dr. Ferguson quoted Emily Dickinson, altering it slightly, “My students are my estate.” Fortunately, that estate will continue to grow as she doesn’t have any plans for retiring anytime soon.