Newspaper Page Text
February 3,
2010
‘Yes ma’am,
no ma’am,
thank you
ma’am, please’
4 61V yr ANNERS
W/i are free,”
-1- T Amy mother
has always said, and as
I heard that “yeah,” I
realized with great clar
ity that she is right.
I watched while my
sweet
daugh
ter, when
asked a
question
by her
teacher at
a class
mate’s
birthday
party,
answered,
“Yeah.”
More like yea-
uh, with a drawl.
Oh, no, no, this won’t do.
We need to work on this.
Of course we have
“worked” on manners for a
while with our preschool
er — please, thank you,
you’re welcome — but that
one syllable response to a
teacher made me realize
that my mother is right.
Manners do matter.
“Yes ma’am, no
ma 'am, thank you
ma’am and please... ”
Is that a litany from
my childhood? It’s there,
anyway, emblazoned upon
my brain (along with the
rules “before the at” and
“i before e, except after
c,” that kind of thing).
My daughter seems
puzzled, responding
to my questions about
how she addresses “big
ladies and men” with
the logical, “Well, yes,
I say it when everyone
in the class says it.”
The rest of the time...
well, we are working
on it. Sometimes that
constant prompting is
required. If you do it
over and over, it becomes
second nature, I hope.
Manners are free, but
they require practice.
“Yes ma’am, no
ma ’am, thank you
ma’am and please... ”
I read something the
other day about someone
being “raised right,” and
I have to say, my par
ents “did right” by me.
I learned what to say to
my elders, I learned to
write thank you notes
(if I still owe someone a
thank you note for a baby
gift, bear with me, the
new package of notecards
is on the kitchen table),
I learned to be polite.
There is something
to be said for that.
I am not tooting my own
horn, I’m tooting my par
ents’. Every day brings a
new parenting challenge,
and I find myself won
dering, did they really,
truly always know what
to do and how to do it?
Probably not, they are
human, but they sure
gave a good impression.
Manners are free. She is
right. It only takes a few
words to show respect to
those older and most often
wiser than you, and, in
return, you gain a little
respect from them, as well.
Oh, and do you remem
ber that ever-present ques
tion from childhood?
“And what do you say?”
I remember it well.
I think it is here
for the duration.
I wonder, is “because
I said so” somwhere
on the horizon?
Jana Adams Mitcham
is features editor of
The Jackson Herald.
jana. a.
mitcham
Inside: Kids invited to show construction work — page 2C
0 The Jackson Herald
Jana Adams Mitcham,
Features Editor 706-367-8760
jana@mainstreetnews. com
Section C
Head of the class
Teachers of the Year recognized at county, city schools
“It's my contingent that without teachers who are caring, goal oriented, reflective, and
good problem solvers students would not feel successful. I hold myself accountable when
a student lacks the confidence needed to succeed. ”
Dawn Brock, Jackson County systemwide teacher of the year
East Jackson Elementary, second grade teacher
“EVERYTHING happens for a rea
son” is a common expression. In my
own life I have found that events are
seldom random mistakes rather oppor
tunities to either celebrate or grow as
a person. As a child, I never seriously
considered becoming an educator, but
then again, “everything happens for a
reason.” I was fortunate enough to
have a mother who exemplified selfless
dedication and service to others. She
encouraged me to work as a volunteer in
several charitable organizations through
the church while I was still in high
school. I thoroughly enjoyed serving in
the local community and helping others
realize their personal goals and dreams.
These early experiences gave me an
enormous sense of purpose, personal
pride and self-satisfaction.
In the eight years that I have taught
I am proud to say that my core beliefs
and commitment to teaching the whole
child is one of the greatest contributions
I have made in education. The concept
of teaching the whole child has been
the dominant factor that has shaped
me as an educator. During my student
teaching, I was fortunate to have a men
tor who emphasized the importance of
teaching the whole child.
The greatest accomplishment that I
have to date, as an educator has been
my involvement in a myriad of student
led community service projects. Every
summer I organize a community ser
vice project with each of the classes I
have taught. The purpose is to give the
students an opportunity to learn more
about their community and what they
can do to have a positive impact on the
community. Each project has given me
an enormous sense of pride and satisfac
tion.
The premise of my philosophy is
that ail children can be successful. This
belief drives my instruction. Having
had the opportunity to work with many
students who snuggle in a fast pace
environment has taught me to celebrate
progress. It is my belief that if we allow
ail students access to the curriculum that
they will find success.
I believe that collaboration is critical
in teaching. I strive to involve ail stake
holders in creating the most relevant
educational experiences I can. It is not
only my belief, but also my duty to
encourage parents, teachers, students,
administrators, and community mem
bers to offer ail available resources to
ensure student success in their edu
cational endeavors. I have found that
students will ask for help without feeling
anxious if we establish an environment
of trust during a child’s early education
experience.
It’s my contingent that without teach
ers who are caring, goal-oriented, reflec
tive, and good problem solvers students
would not feel successful. I hold myself
accountable when a student lacks the
confidence needed to succeed. It is not
just the student who fails, but my teach
ing practices fail as well. I strongly
believe that teachers need to have a deep
understanding of their content area. This
means teaching the basic concepts, and
taking time to demonstrate the why as
well.
Many people suggest that teaching is
a difficult and challenging profession. I
agree that teaching is difficult due to the
many demands placed on both educators
and the students; however, the rewards
far out weigh the trials. I have found
in my fairly short time in education the
greatest reward is allowing myself to
grow along with the students. Openly
discussing the importance of being life
long learners and then putting it into
practice with my students has opened
doors for many unexpected opportuni
ties. Since my students regularly reflect
on their strengths and weaknesses, I
in turn reflect on how I can help them
grow. In most cases personal reflec
tion leads to me refining my teaching
practices. Once the revision is made, we
endeavor to meet their goals. I identify
progress only after the students have
recognized their progress.
Hearing comments made from par
ents, students, administration, and peers
on how my personal beliefs have impact
ed students and the community in a posi
tive way has been an unexpected reward
and honor I will hold dear for life.
My personal teaching style reflects the
care and commitment I have to instruct
ing the whole child. I challenge my
students by teaching them how to self
assess. Self-assessment in the primary
grades is a very complex task, however,
after modeling the process students are
able to write goals based on their own
portfolios. This one activity encom
passes many life skills that will prepare
them both as a student and adult.
Another initiative I am attempting to
incorporate in my classroom is student-
led parent conferences. Students have
really enjoyed sharing their “glows and
grows” with their parents. Most of the
time parents and students look at their
work individually. Having a confer
ence where the student is explaining
his/her work allows for celebration and
the recognition of the areas that require
additional work. This instantaneously
shares some of the responsibility with
their parents.
BROCK
Professional history:
At the undergraduate level, my aca
demic credentials consist of an Associate
Degree in Allied Health, an Associate
Degree in Education, both from Young
Harris College, and a B achelor of Science
Degree in Early Childhood Education,
from Georgia State University. At the
graduate level, I earned a Master of Arts
Degree in Early Childhood Education
and an Educational Specialist Degree
in Instruction and Curriculum both
from Piedmont College. I am currently
enrolled in a leadership performance
based program entitled “Rising Stars”
offered through a partnership between
North Georgia College and State
University and the Northeast Georgia
Regional Educational Service Agency
(RESA).
As a relatively new teacher, I have
had the honor and privilege of serving
in a number of leadership, professional
development, and school improvement
positions. A few of the more significant
collaborations include: the JCSS Design
Team for the Leadership Academy,
EJES Leadership Team, Summer School
Program, Grade Level Chairperson,
New Teacher Mentorship Program, GPS
Implementation Team, Standards-Based
Report Card Team, and the After School
Program Director.
J ACKSON COUNTY and Jefferson City Teachers of the Year responded to a series of questions about their philosophy of teaching, innovative teaching
practices and the rewards and difficulties associated with their chosen profession. Dawn Brock, a second grade teacher at East Jackson Elementary
School, was also named as the systemwide teacher for Jackson County, and David Cuddy, a seventh grade mathematics teacher at Jefferson Middle
School, was named Jefferson’s systemwide teacher for the year. The responses from some of this year’s Teachers of the Year are shared here. The remainder
will be featured in next week’s edition. - Jana Mitcham
“Young adolescents are often given a false stereotype in our society; they are pegged as disobedient and confrontational.
When in reality, they are curious and concerned about themselves and society. They want to contribute, and it is the adults
in their lives that can facilitate or smother this desire. ”
David Cuddy, Jefferson city systemwide teacher of the year
Jefferson Middle School, seventh grade mathematics
AFTER HIGH school graduation,
I attended Indiana University / Purdue
University at Indianapolis (IUPUI). I
remained an Indiana resident until 1994.
During this time, I was employed by
Pizza Hut of America as a District
Training Manager. In 1994,1 accepted
a position in Florida with Penske Truck
Leasing. For the next several years, I
labored as a District Rental Manager and
District Administrator.
hi 2002, I applied to Georgia State
University to pursue a Bachelor’s degree
in Middle Childhood Education. I
earned my degree in 2005. In the fall
of 2006,1 began my Masters program at
Brenau University and earned my second
degree in 2008. Since 2006,1 have been
employed by Jefferson City Schools as a
seventh grade teacher of mathematics.
My previous careers with Pizza Hut
and Penske Truck Leasing provided me
priceless learning and personal growth
experiences. Both jobs taught me the
critical importance of punctuality, com
mitment, dedication, and work ethic. In
short, I learned that each day I must plan
for success. Every action and every
decision must be based on one question.
Will what I’m about to say or do lead me
closer to meeting or exceeding my per
sonal goals as well as the goals set forth
by the company?
Unfortunately, my prior occupations
did not provide me the total professional
satisfaction that I needed. There was
one aspect of both jobs, however, that I
truly loved - teaching. I was fortunate to
be able to teach and train all of our new
managers at Pizza Hut. Further, in 1991,
I was selected to roll out the company’s
new Automated Restaurant Management
continued on page 2C