Posts Tagged ‘teachers’
My Summer of Books by a Teacher
Posted on: September 4, 2020
- In: Books | reviews | Writing
- 55 Comments
I enjoy following Jennie Fitzkee, a preschool teacher in New England. I have featured her here on my blog. She believes in the power of reading out loud to children of all ages, including reading chapter books to preschoolers. Jennie recently posted about the books she read this summer, which included great picture books as well as some chapter books. And guess what, she included Amanda in Alberta: The Writing on the Stone! I was delighted that she enjoyed the story and wrote a good review. I’m included with some pretty awesome authors too.
This is part of what she wrote:
Amanda and Leah see the Calgary Stampede (a rodeo), go on a cattle drive, visit Buffalo Jump, and the dinosaur museum. These adventures are intertwined with a mystery- Amanda finds a stone, which people seem to want, one cowboy in particular. Amanda is curious about the markings on the stone and is determined to learn more. She is the modern day Nancy Drew, and her sleuthing proves to be both dangerous and exciting at times.
Please read the rest of her post.
Thank You, Superheroes
Posted on: April 28, 2018
- In: Books | Inspiration | People
- 42 Comments
Jennie over at A Teacher’s Reflections posted this today and I just had to share it.
Check out Thank You, Superheroes and Jennie’s blog where she shares her teaching experience and the wonderful way she introduces her young students to books, reading, music, art and life. You will be impressed.
Today is National Superhero Day and this is what Jennie has to say about superheroes.
A Superhero is brave and caring, perseveres, takes risks, helps others, and saves the day. A Superhero makes a difference.
Teachers fit the description perfectly.
I recently spent a fabulous day at an international school close to my home in Spain. I visited five classrooms of Grade 5 and 6 students, where I did a PowerPoint presentation about my writing and read from my Amanda Travels books. The students came from all over the world and enjoyed hearing about the places Amanda has travelled to. They were attentive, enthusiastic and asked well thought out questions. They were a delight to spend time with.
Presenting to students at El Limonar International School
A book-loving grade 6 class
I was very impressed by the efficiency and dedication of the teachers. They are certainly ensuring that future generations are well educated and prepared for life. I consider them all superheroes.
Display for Book Week at El Limonar International School
With my Grade 3 Superhero, Miss Roll
A good teacher can make a huge difference in a child’s life.
Did you know a teacher that you consider a superhero?
A Special Teacher
Posted on: September 27, 2011
- In: Books | People
- 12 Comments
There are teachers who teach the curriculum and hope that some of it sticks and then there are teachers who change your life. I was fortunate to have one of those extraordinary teachers in Grade three. I am not sure how Miss Roll ended up in Hilda, at our small prairie school, in the southeast corner of Alberta, for her first year of teaching. I consider it a stroke of luck that she was there just when I, a naïve farm girl, needed her.
Miss Roll introduced us to learning new things in a fun, interactive way. When we learned about Mexico in Social Studies, we were given a Mexican name, ate chilli con carne for the first time, wore serapes and sombreros and listened to Mexican music. We put on a puppet show as a fund raiser. I was “The Pirate Don Duke of Dowdai” and got to make my own puppet. With the money we raised from the puppet show, popcorn sales and other fundraisers, we took a bus trip to the Jubilee Auditorium in Calgary. We were kids who never went much further than twenty miles from home. Going to Medicine Hat was a big deal, Calgary another world. For the Christmas concert we featured the “Christmas Carol” as a puppet show. What better way to learn Dickens at age nine? Miss Roll played the Grande Canyon Suite for us on her portable record player. She brought the world to us.
At the end of Grade three I received a book as a prize, “The Bobbsey Twins in Mexico” by Laura Lee Hope, signed by Miss Roll, “For marks of highest achievements in Grade three”. I still have it.
Not only an excellent teacher, she was a great role modal for young girls. She was always perfectly groomed and poised. She had a wonderful modern wardrobe and everything matched: shoes, purse, nails, lipstick etc. We couldn’t wait to see what she would wear to school the next day and would argue over which outfit was the best. I wanted to be just like her; smart, fun, adventurous and well put together.
I never forgot her over the years. She encouraged me to travel to the lands we learned about, to read and to write. She encouraged me to be the best I could be in spite of limited resources and to be a role modal for others. A couple of years ago I managed to track Shirley Roll Tucker down through the wonderful means of the internet and we have since communicated by email.
Yesterday another dream came true for me as I attended the reading of Shirley’s latest book, “The Amazing Foot Race of 1921” at Word on the Street in Vancouver and met with her after all these years. She is still beautiful, full of grace and eloquence. I now have another book in my possession signed by her and this one written by her.
How uplifting to be able to tell her the difference she made in my life.
Is there anyone in your life who has made a difference? Have you been able to let them know?
Darlene Foster's Blog 