What a Week!

I put some miles on the State car this week but not so many miles on my own pillow in my own bed. I began on Monday, spending the day in my school with the Grizzlies. I worked with some National Board candidates on applying for the process while others needed some "getting started" ideas. In between I ran from new teacher room to new teacher room sharing some vocabulary activities that we received last year during our Marzano's strategies workshops. And of course there was time for student hugs all around and some Bojangle's for Rahkeesh who is back from the hospital after being air-lifted from the practice field last week. He spent a few days in Pediatric Intensive Care and scared us all to death, but a bacon biscuit and a Sprite brought that never-ending smile back - I was so glad to see him (I went to the hospital, but they wouldn't let me in!)

After the day at school, I jumped in the car to head to the other side of the county to UNC-Chapel Hill. After a fun dinner at Top of the Hill, I spoke to the student group of the North Carolina Association of Educators, UNC Teaching Fellows, and other education majors. These guys were an enthusiastic audience, asking questions and staying engaged for over an hour (even though it was getting late.) I enjoyed my time at my alma mater!

The next day I attended the second installment of EPFP (the Education Policy Fellowship Program) sponsored by the Public School Forum. At this meeting, each Fellow had 2 1/2 minutes to tell about themselves. It was indeed a treat to learn about everyone. I headed home, another late night arrival, and prepared myself for the next day - three stops in one day.

Wednesday started at the Department of Public Instruction, where I attended the first Mentor Task Force meeting. Our legislature has appropriated money for Full Time Mentors in our school systems, and our group brainstormed around issues of accountability and purpose. I left early to travel to UNC-Pembroke and speak to another group of Teaching Fellows. Here I found an eager group of future teachers, and I enjoyed speaking before the overflowing classroom.

They made me a beautiful, welcoming bulletin board!

Here I am with Morgan, a freshman education major at Pembroke.

My last endeavor on that Wednesday included driving to Southern Pines to attend the Public School Forum's Board Meeting to take place on Thursday and Friday. I was honored to share the room with so many experienced educators and businessmen and women. This year's board will be participating in Study Group XIII which will concentrate on two issues - building a seamless system of education from Pre-K to graduate school and devising recommendations that will strengthen the state's ability to identify and train prospective leaders in our schools.

My last activity of the week was an exciting experience as I attended the UNC School of Education's Alumni Awards Luncheon. I was humbled to receive the Excellence in Teaching Award and told the group that I vow to spend the remainder of my career trying to live up to the honor.

Here I am with my fellow language arts teachers from Gravelly Hill Middle School. They were so nice to attend the luncheon on a Saturday when they could have been grading papers!

Here's my nephew, Cole, who's a sophomore at UNC-Chapel Hill.

With a busy week behind me, I'm gearing up for the State Board of Education meetings next week and presentations to the Teacher Cadets in Greenville and teachers in Granville County. This has been an amazing couple of months!

Week End!

After visiting two new teachers yesterday at Efland-Cheeks Elementary School in Efland, N.C. I was inspired while speaking to the NC-ACTE 26th Annual Teacher Education Forum today. Those teacher educators, after all, are responsible for preparing our future colleagues to teach. While preparing for my presentation, I asked fifty 1st, 2nd, and 3rd year teachers if they felt they were well prepared to enter their schools. There was a most resounding "Yes!" I shared some new teacher quotes with the forum participants and closed with my favorite - a second year teacher shared this: "I have nothing but high praise for them. They pushed us to be great." Thank you to our teacher educators for instilling greatness in our new teachers!




Here I am with Dr. Randy Kohlenberg, Co-Chair of the Forum Planning Committee and Dr. Debra Morris, the Wachovia North Carolina Principal of the Year (and a motivational luncheon speaker!)

Congratulations to the planning committee - "Multiple Realities: Implementing Quality in Teacher Education" was a great success!

BFF Classroom #2!

When the 2008-2009 Teacher of the Year Team was announced last spring, we met (by email) and I immediately pronounced us BFF's! (And, yes, I teach middle school, and I recognize that I have adopted some examples of 12-year-old lingo, but, unfortunately, that kind of thing just happens.) Anyway, one of my goals this year as I travel the state is to visit every member of the TOY team in their classrooms! Last month, I found myself in Janice Raper's neighborhood (Northwest Regional Teacher of the Year) and was able to visit her school during the teacher workdays. Today I visited Trisha Muse (Sandhills/South Central Regional Teacher of the Year) and her wonderful students and colleagues at Page St. Elementary School in Montgomery County.

It was Constitution Day, and the festivities had already begun when I arrived. Representative Melanie Goodwin (Democrat, Montgomery County) and the students were engaged in an interactive conversation about our founding fathers, the Constitution, and how government works in our country. At the end of the assembly, Trisha introduced me to the group, and I shared a little about a trip I had taken to Philadelphia to see some historic sites relative to the writing of the Constitution. Next, I toured the school, meeting teachers and students and admiring the beautiful hall decorations! There was an energy of happiness at Page Street Elementary School that I hope all schools feel. I have to believe that one fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Muse, has something to do with that!

I visited Trisha's students in the classroom, and they introduced themselves and shared their favorite things about last year (they had Mrs. Muse last year, too - she's looping!) Listening to them describe their fourth grade experience made me want to be in that class - tales of Polar Express parties (at Trisha's house) and Halloween characters in costume (Trisha was Snow White in a wig!) and trips to the mountains and Washington, D.C. and wax museums, and on and on. Those are some lucky kids!

And after meeting those students, I can truly say Trisha's pretty lucky, too! I ended my stay eating in the school cafeteria - I love school cafeteria food!

Thanks Page Street Elementary! Today was a special day for me!

Homecoming

My parents moved us to Durham from Sanford when I was four years old. For that reason, I spent my entire life meeting adults in Durham who would say, "Now who are your parents?" And no one would ever know them. And although I call the Bull City my home, I have always been aware that I have been missing a certain connection. Yesterday I had the opportunity to speak to the staff of Bullock Elementary School in Sanford, and I was somewhat emotional on my drive to my birthplace. I associate the "brick capital of the world" with my Daddy who died exactly four years ago, in September of 2004. Shortly after my Daddy's death, we lost two uncles and an aunt in the next five months. Now, of the original nine, only one is left - my lovely aunt Betty Jean in Chickamaugua, Georgia. So as I drove toward a city that holds memories of family reunions and a packed house of grandchildren (my grandmother's small house on Bracken Street), I felt a little sadness. But I was excited about speaking to the faculty about the relationships that we have with students!

I began my conversation with the teachers by telling them that I'm a Sanford native. I mentioned my parents and my brief stay in Lee County before I moved to Durham, and then I continued on with my presentation. As I closed my remarks, a few teachers came up to speak to me, and I was so surprised to recognize one - my cousin!!! I hadn't even noticed her sitting in the back of that media center. Little red haired Tamra has grown up to be Tammy Strickland, second grade teacher at Bullock Elementary! (Her grandmother, who is my great aunt, had told me that she was a teacher, but I didn't know which school!) As I talked to Tammy, an older gentleman waited patiently behind me. I turned to read his name badge - Jimmy Bridges - Instructional Assistant. He said, "I'm 80 years old! Which Cole are you? I knew Tom, Charlie, Harold...he had a twin brother..." I gasped out loud! This man was standing there naming all of my uncles and my Daddy! (Evidently they spent some time in the pool hall together as teenagers...) Needless to say, I had a wonderful, albeit emotional, time at Bullock Elementary. I hope to return to visit Tammy's classroom one day!

Tammy and I reunite in the Media Center at Bullock Elementary.

Earlier in the week, I had the honor of representing NC teachers at King's Park International Church's Education Day. Hundreds of area teachers turned out on Sunday to receive goodie bags full of teacher treats, including glue sticks, pens, and even an apple! One lucky teacher walked out with another kind of Apple - a laptop computer!!! The folks at King's Park made all of us as educators feel honored and valued, and I appreciate the opportunity they gave me to speak to a very large crowd - the church holds 2,000!

Today I'm excited to begin participating in a program that I've heard so much about - the Education Policy Fellowship Program starts today at the Public School Forum office. We have 35 members in this cohort, the largest ever! Every Tuesday we'll meet to hear about how education policy decisions are made in North Carolina. But I've heard we'll also make lasting relationships as we meet together as North Carolina educators.

Talking to Teachers

I love that school is finally up and running because many of my presentations now include teachers. Yesterday, in fact, I stood before 420 of them and talked about their opportunity to be the "one" who makes a difference in the life of a child. The North Carolina Model Teacher Education Consortium held an Instructional Institute for Lateral Entry and Inexperienced Teachers in Chapel Hill which included break-out sessions and a presentation by none other than Dr. Harry Wong (of The First Days of School fame.) I spoke before him so I jokingly referred to myself as "the warmup pitcher."

My long time friend, Dr. Catherine Allen, always gives me treats when I present to the Consortium. Here she presents me with a book written and illustrated by her mother-in-law, Katherine Allen.

Here I am with Lynn Meyers, Warren County Schools Teacher of the Year and Dr. Shirley Arrington, Executive Director of the North Carolina Model Teacher Education Consortium.

Today I had the pleasure again to see policy-making in action at the September State Board of Education meeting. These meetings can be listened to live on the internet so if you're not in a classroom full of kids, you should check it out. It's inspirational! My leadership role model Barnett Berry, of the Center for Teaching Quality (CTQ), along with Bill Shore from Glaxo Smith Kline, shared information about an exciting program in North Carolina. CTQ will be utilizing the expertise of National Board Certified Teachers to mentor new teachers virtually - online mentoring! This is an example of teacher leadership gone 21st century. The State Board was very excited about this possibility!

Tomorrow I'll be talking about National Board Certification and Teacher Leadership with the school district NBC Coordinators. I had the opportunity to attend this meeting last year, and this is a great group of people! Our own Teacher of the Year leader, Dan Holloman, will also be presenting. I'm always excited to learn from him!

As we continue on through the first full month of school, the Teacher of the Year team continues to represent the best and the brightest - North Carolina teachers!

Guest Blogger - Paige Elliott!

Please welcome the North Central Regional Teacher of the Year Paige Elliott, an English teacher at Fuquay Varina High School. Her blog on her first week of school is beautifully written and reminds me of the responsibility that our high school teachers have to motivate those who may have had enough of school by this point (and to challenge those who are hungry for more.) We are lucky to have teachers like Paige in our schools!


Click . . . Click . . . Click.

FADE IN: Close up: The bottom half of a black skirt, dress shoes, walking across industrial linoleum grey tile with the chrome legs of student desks in the background. FADE OUT.

Grrnnn. Ghhhrrnnm.

FADE IN: Close up: Electric pencil sharpener grinding away the fresh new flesh of a bright yellow pencil. Hand pulls pencil away and produces a masterpiece of wood sculpted and blended into lead ending with a point finer than that of a pin. FADE OUT.

Bbbring!

FADE IN: Medium shot: An average looking woman in business style dress stands in the metal and cinderblock doorway wringing her hands. FADE OUT.

FADE IN: Close up: Two hands, one black one white, shake. An enthusiastic voice is heard: “Welcome to Senior English.”

SHOT WIDENS: Students trickle into a classroom shaking hands with a teacher who greets them at the door. Some students hesitate, unsure how to react and not understanding why the teacher has her hand reaching for theirs. A young man unreservedly smiles, nods his head, and says, “What up, Mrs. Elliott?” A young girl cautiously offers her hand in an awkward position and limp wrist as she avoids eye contact. Students curiously read directions on the board and begin crowding around a posted seating chart. Mumbling and squeals can be heard. FADE OUT.

FADE IN: The same class, several minutes later. One student, Daniel, appears to have settled well into his seat, slouching, and flirting with sleep. Doris sits attentively nodding with each word the teacher says as basic rules, explanations, and expectations are reviewed. Sally is asking about the bathroom policy and Ross is turned around talking with Misty about her summer. Vince, a veteran of the senior class, carries himself with an air of superiority and wisdom, smirks at the teacher and asks if he will have to read the same thing that he read last year in Senior English. Madison then inquires in an arguably complaining tone if there will be much writing in the course. FADE OUT.

FADE IN: Close up: Faded purple and black ink stains mark the tips of fingers. The fingers rise up to brush back what was once earlier shaped and styled but now frizzy hair. SHOT WIDENS: The same teacher we saw earlier now sits in a small room of eleven students. Her lipstick gone and eye liner now faded, she tugs at her blouse that no longer feels sharp and classy, but now tired and worn. But her voice . . . her voice is still fresh and full of excitement. “All of you will pass your English I End-of-Course. I don’t care what happened last year.” As she finishes up a sentence, a tall and formidable assistant principal brings in another student, Francois, who has been lost . . . since last year

CUT.

When I was asked to share my stories of the beginning of my year, I thought a screenplay would be an excellent way to capture the moment and present a sample of my story. However, as most English teachers will share with you, well-written stories have a beginning, middle, and end. So I have a problem: I only know the beginning.

Each day the story unravels. I learn that Francois (fictitious name, of course), the student who was lost last year, is painfully struggling through this year . . . already. He says he has no future and he will be dropping out. The story I have heard of his home situation challenges me to hold back tears when we speak. Vince has written me a letter explaining his intention to go to college. His behavior in class has been impeccable. All of my students readily shake my hand now. I haven’t seen Doris since the first day of school. Jesse just joined my class today. He decided six days in that he wants to graduate. Several students show life in their eyes and interest in class discussion. I suspect they have bright futures ahead; seventeen years-old and freedom around the corner with few visible stumbling blocks – their eyes are full of life because they see the bright future that is distant beyond me standing in front of them. I don’t know Ross very well yet, and there are many others who have not yet earned a leading role in my dream screenplay.

No, I can’t write the story yet because I don’t know the ending. I don’t even know the true beginnings; they happened long before any child walked into my classroom. What I do know is that effective teachers build relationships with their students. They allow the stories to form and transform before them, rather than writing the story of a student before it happens.

Maybe . . . if I work hard enough and care hard enough, I can change the ending for some students. I hope I can, for Francois’ sake. We all need to believe, even if it’s just a little, in fairy tale endings.

Welcome Guest Blogger - Trisha Muse!

Okay, so Trisha's not really a guest. This is, after all, the blog for the entire Teacher of the Year Team! But I am excited about hearing from the other Regional Teachers of the Year to see what they've been up to. Today we go on an exciting journey with Trisha (the Sandhills South Central Region Teacher of the Year.) She's been busy! Read the following excerpts from her Teacher of the Year journal!

July 30, 2008
Chatham County Schools
Central Office
Pittsboro

After talking with Ruth Ann Parker (the Southeast Regional Teacher of the Year) once on the phone and on a million emails we had created our first professional development opportunity for lateral entry teachers in Chatham County. We shared ideas and we arranged the perfect schedule and presentation for the new educators. Our participants were going to play a Human Bingo game for an ice breaker and then we were going to use Ruth Ann’s 10 tips for survival “Survive and Thrive” using Gilligan’s Island for the entire group. Afterwards, we were going to have a break out session with elementary school teachers going with me and the high/middle school teachers going with RuthAnn. I planned to share my Wizard of Oz comparison with the educational journey along with classroom management ideas for our young students. Hopefully, inquisitive questions would be asked and we would help these teachers feel at ease. Of course, I was going to use Beth, my sister, and my Daddy as my perfect examples of successful lateral entry educators!

I picked out my new bright red suit (it was short-sleeved too since it was so hot) with my red ballet slippers; it was the perfect match! I was excited about traveling to Chatham County, especially since two of my rival high schools are located in this district (Jordan Matthews Jets and Chatham Central Bears). There were butterflies in my stomach all the way down Hwy 64 East because this was my first Regional Teacher of the Year experience. I had become used to making simple keynote speeches for my county, but providing insightful information to other teachers seemed more overwhelming. I wanted my workshops to be intriguing and not boring and redundant.

I arrived 30 minutes early and was excited to see one of our other Teacher of the Year team members, Wake County’s Paige Elliott, the North Central Region Teacher of the Year. She is always so pretty in pink! She is an extremely busy lady and she amazed me with the stories from her Mexico trip this summer. While we were “catching up”, I discovered that we were only speaking with two teachers! Okay, so I became relieved but felt crazy for being so nervous prior to this session. No need for my 50 copies…haha! Both teachers were high school teachers, one in PE (we shared many connections because he knew many Chatham Central people) at Jordan Matthews and the other one taught Family Consumer Sciences.

RuthAnn arrived and was also very surprised so we did what all teachers do every day, remain flexible and make adjustments. After eating lunch, we talked to the teachers one-on-one about effective strategies we used and we all felt comfortable talking about the joys and challenges of our profession. I was also able to use my Wizard of Oz PowerPoint to emphasize my important points, so I was glad that hours of work were not wasted.

An hour early, we dismissed our participants. I hugged RuthAnn and we laughed about how nervous we had been the night before. I guess some would call this workshop a “flop,” but it definitely gave me a preview of the upcoming year.


August 18, 2008
Stokes County Schools Convocation
West Stokes High School
King

At 4:00am, I eagerly jumped out of bed ready for my first "out of Montgomery County" inspirational keynote speech. I said my speech notes over and over again while I was getting ready before leaving the house at 5:00. It was extremely difficult to come up with the perfect topic to address with teachers on their first day back to school. I know teachers’ minds are racing with a to-do list a mile long, so I wanted to make my speech inspiring and motivational. I had become a master with my Wizard of Oz speech preparing for the state TOY competition, but it is geared more towards new teachers. I constantly would think of what to say in my mind for weeks, but I did not put my thoughts together until Saturday night. I wanted to use my quote by William Arthur Ward “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” I also used this quote in my video, so this was perfect to remind all of us WHY we teach. Of course I added the cute stories of my students because I can’t help but smile when I talk about them.

So why visit Stokes County for such an important event, especially since it isn’t in my region? I would have to thank Cindi for this one because she was over booked and asked all of us if we would help her. I quickly responded and told her that I would do it. Cindi was thrilled and provided Melisa Jessup (the Executive Director for Human Resources) my contact information and also informed her that I was a clogger. Well, the clogging part was intriguing so Ms. Jessup suggested showcasing my clogging. I am out of shape, so I talked to Mr. Kryzalka about taking our SMASH-n-CLOG program on the road. We had initially planned to take our large group of sixth graders, but our middle schools decided to have an orientation the same morning. So we chose some of our best former students and cloggers…all seventh graders and now they are definitely middle school girls: Mary Winston, Cullie, Erynn, and Susanna. Mr. K and I worked on a routine that would be simple to learn, but amazing to watch. We practiced for four days experimenting with a variety of patterns and beats until we came up with a 6 minute “smashing” routine. I even started the program with morocco’s counting 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and…We mastered our parts and Mr. K accompanied us on the drums. We were ready!

So back to today…I arrived to Page Street at 5:35 (5 minutes late for my mother) to meet the other members of my group. Mr. K’s van was loaded to the ceiling and all of the ladies rode with Cullie’s dad, Sam, in the Honda Pilot. Susanna and Cullie in the very back, Mary Winston, Erynn, and Mama in the back, and I was the co-pilot for Sam in the front since I am the car sick one. The girls watched teenage movies, 13 Going on 30 and even Legally Blonde 2. Of course I couldn’t turn around and watch the DVD player, but the best part was listening to the sweet girls giggle and laugh. Then listening to my mom just as tickled as they were…

We stopped at McDonald’s for a quick breakfast and the girls shocked me again how much they had grown up by drinking coffee (the iced kind, but still CAFFEINE)! Mr. Kryzalka of course didn’t eat anything; he is such a health nut! We arrived to King at the perfect time and we were impressed with the beautiful new West Stokes High School. My mom was excited because they were the Wildcats, just like her own mascot in high school in Ellerbe. The girls wanted to run up the stairs the first thing because they had never been in a school that was 2 stories! We reminded them they had to act like ladies, and I did go with them on a quick tour after our performance. We walked into the new gymnasium covered in colors purple and gold and we found our own little corner where we would perform. There was also a stage placed in the center of the floor supposedly where I would make my speech.

As soon as I entered the halls in that school, I could feel the energy and enthusiasm of teachers. Anyone could tell that the 18 schools in this district were a family and everyone had a smile on their faces. I loved how everyone seemed so laid back and just down to earth…welcome to the mountains! I also had never seen so many tall and skinny men! Random…but I did notice…haha! I instantly found Melisa with her beautiful smile and welcoming hug. She told me where we would be and where the girls could sit.

Mr. K and Sam, along with the maintenance staff, set up all of our trash cans, pots, pans, basketballs for our SMASH program. The girls rushed off to the bathroom to get ready (now to put on makeup) and were jumping around since Melisa had just given them Chick-Fil-A and McDonald gift cards. I saw the early bird teachers arriving at least 45 minutes before 9:00 while the others waiting until the last minute after breakfast to enter the gym.

I expected to find my stomach in knots prior to my speech, but I was more excited to share my first day back with such an exceptional school system. Before the convocation began, the distinct school board members, administrators, county Teacher and Principal of the Year, and myself lined up in the hall to march into the gym. I felt so important! There were several of us who sat on the stage, so at that moment I saw hundreds of educators staring straight at me…okay, so maybe I became a little nervous then. However, I became more comfortable after listening to the encouraging words of their county Teacher of the Year and Principal of the Year. They even used some of my quotes that I was going to emphasize. After an hour, it was my turn. The best part of my introduction today was when Melisa Jessup said, “Cindi Rigsbee, our NC Teacher of the Year, said that even though Trisha Muse is the youngest TOY of our team, she is one of the most dynamic teachers she has ever seen!” When approaching the podium, I could tell everyone in the audience was hot and restless so I used my teacher voice and asked everyone to stand up and take a stretch break. That was helpful! I sailed through my speech smoothly, only stuttering a few times. I revolved my speech around the reason why I teach (since we already had to create a video for the state TOY process this past April), and of course I talked about my students! I introduced Mr. Troy Kryzalka, my partner in crime, and I made sure that everyone in the gym realized that he deserved the Teacher of the Year recognition.

Mr. K took over the microphone and I quickly tied my clogging shoes and placed a morocco in each hand. SMASH had started...counting 1-2-3-4 my four girls entered their “stage” perfectly and Mr. K played the drums and the keyboard. Yes, it was extremely entertaining when I started clogging and bouncing a basketball at the same time. This sounds like a circus, but the educational aspects are amazing. We received a standing ovation and I immediately hugged my girls for doing such a great job. It took us an hour to leave the gym from the many caring hugs and compliments received from our performance. Can’t forget the offers to also transfer to Stokes County!

After loading the van, we headed home…we still stopped at Olive Garden in Greensboro to eat to celebrate such a wonderful day! Mr. K and I returned back to Page Street on Cloud 9 and even more excited about a new school year. This was the perfect start to a new year.

The same night, I went by my dad’s house to tell him about my exciting day in Stokes County and he jokingly reminded me that the Stokes County was originally Cindi’s gig. Okay, so I was the substitute, but am grateful to have been selected as the second choice today. Thanks Cindi!

August 25, 2008
The FIRST day of school is always a vivid memory for me whether if it was when I entered 2nd grade for the first time with my rose embroidered skirt, to my freshmen year at North Moore High School, or the first time second semester that I trudged in the snow to get my first class at Appalachian State. Now, I have first days every year and I still get nervous (and excited). Being on the teacher side doesn’t make a difference. Daddy still gets anxious and he has taught over 30 years. Teaching is probably one of the few professions that you get to start over after 180 days. If you have a horrible year with a class who can’t get along 5 minutes, you just count down the days. Then pray and hope for the next year to be better. Well, I consider myself blessed this school year because I already knew my students even before they walked in the classroom door. This group is one that made me cry for a week before we left for the summer. I even took them to Washington D.C. during the summer, which made us more attached. I just tell them I graduated to fifth grade, so of course they have already asked if I am going to sixth grade too (which the answer is NO)! The educational term for this is "looping" and research has shown that remaining with the same class over 2-3 years is beneficial to the students’ academic success. So I hope this will prove to be true in our situation. I did lose 3 of my students due to transferring, but I have gained 4 more who will be great additions to our classroom family. It made my life so much easier with writing names on rosters and looking through cumulative folders because I have the same children.

Our Accelerated Reader Theme this year revolves around the Wild West. So our halls look like a corral with cowboy boots and lassos. I can’t wait for the country line dancing and horse riding (even though I am terrified of horses). We also welcomed new administration to Page Street with a new principal and assistant principal. You can now walk in our building and feel the excitement from teachers and students.

Well, this first day was not spent “getting to know” one another; we spent the entire day catching up. Sometimes, there was a little too much chatting about our summer activities but I had to remember how special these kids were and the positive connections that were still evident among each individual student. I did notice how much they had grown over the summer, and they were becoming young adults. My fifth grade team tells me to wait until next year to notice more changes (they are then 6th graders). Even Cesar, who rarely spoke last year, is now a strong leader with group discussions. Garrett, another extremely shy student, has completely come out of his shell and shared stories from his summer. This is the best part about my job--seeing children gain confidence in themselves to excel in academic areas and life in general.

Even though most of the students knew what I expected, it was still important to discuss classroom rules and procedures to ensure a successful school year. I found it funny that the students kept asking if we were going to the same things last year (because we had such a great time with our wax museum, luau, Special Loved Ones Day, ballroom dancing at the nursing home), and I reminded them that we had new curriculum concepts so we would enjoy experiencing new projects and activities that align with the fifth grade.

Even though we know each other very well, I am sure there will be many changes evolving this year to make us have a greater appreciation for one another. I will also grow professionally from another school year along with my Regional Teacher of the Year responsibilities. Change is inevitable in our profession, another reason I love my job!


August 31, 2008
At the end of last school year, I had the opportunity to speak with our Montgomery County NCAE members at our annual breakfast. As usual, it was difficult to know what to say especially to many of my closest friends and colleagues. Plus, the night before Papaw had been rushed to the hospital so it had become a late night to start writing a speech. Therefore, I spoke about the importance of family, emphasizing a family within our classrooms and schools. It was only a 10 minute speech but it obviously inspired our NCAE representative. Now I know that I have made an impact on other teachers to make a difference!

Here is the email received:

Dear Trisha,Thank you again for speaking at the MCAE End-of-Year Breakfast. Over the summer, I thought a lot about your remarks about creating family with our students, and I wanted you to know that as I begin a new year, I am on the lookout to do just that at my school with my students. It is a bit more challenging at high school, but some felllow teachers and I are discussing starting a Ladies of Distinction group, with some of the girls who so desperately need positive attention and role models at school. Wish us luck, and know that your message inspired us to put finally plan and proceed with something we had been talking about someone else doing, and do it ourselves! I wish for you a positive and productive year, and hope that our paths will cross again. Thanks for the inspiration!

As you can see, Trisha has been extremely busy making a difference in our state. Thanks, Trisha, for sharing, and keep up the journaling. We'll want to hear more!