Why don't you introduce yourself to the class?

Published: Thursday, September 6, 2007 10:03 PM CDT
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Telluride School District welcomes 13 new teachers

By Elizabeth Guest

Courtney Childe

Position: Fourth grade teacher

Past Experience/Education: BA, University of Mary Washington; MA, University of Colorado

Goals for the 2007/08 school year: My goal is to have a classroom that works together and grows as members of a larger community.

Fun things going on in your classroom/with your classes: Lots of field trips (including an overnight). We'll also be reading new books, going deeper into subject matters and exploring the sciences and community around us.

What students will take from your teaching: Learning is a lifelong activity and it's fun.

Kelli Coppage

Position: First grade teacher

Past Experience/Education: This is my 12th year as a teacher. I have taught in the inner city schools of Houston, Texas as well as Denver. I moved to Telluride in 2000 and taught first grade for six years. I resigned at the end of the 2006 school year to be a stay-at-home mom to my baby son Holden. I discovered, however, that teaching is in my blood and I couldn't stay away. I was lucky enough to get my old job back and am thrilled to be here.

Goals for the 2007/08 school year: Professionally, I plan to continue my education by taking online graduate courses throughout the year. I also have a personal goal to maintain a balance between my role as a teacher and my role as a wife and mother.

Fun things going on in your classroom/with your classes: Our entire year will be jam-packed with enriching activities, units and outings. Next week we'll start a unit on families. The kids will be making a family museum project to share with their peers. We're also planning an outdoor education foray to the Nature Center and a field trip to the Telluride Historical Museum this month.

What students will take from your teaching: I hope to share my genuine love of learning, especially reading. I want my students to come out of first grade knowing that kindness and respect for others are more important than good grades could ever be.

Tanya Darnell

Position: Fourth grade teacher

Past Experience/Education: USAF and University of Montana for BS in education with minor in Spanish. MLS in library science with certificates in storytelling & young adult lit. from University of North Texas. Teaching experience at Clark County School District in Las Vegas

Goals for the 2007/08 school year: I hope to inspire my students to grow in their development of creative thinking as they progress in their ability to think and reason for themselves.

Fun things going on in your classroom/with your classes: Just ask any one of my 4th graders about Dodo dollarsŠ

What students will take from your teaching: I hope my students learn how to value themselves as individuals within a community who can make a difference throughout the world.

Ashley Gayle

Position: ESL (English as a second language) fourth-eighth grades

Past Experience/Education: Four years teaching K-5 in private and public schools in Denver. BA in liberal arts, Colorado State University, MA in educational psychology, University of Colorado

Goals for the 2007/08 school year: For my students to gain confidence as they continue to learn English

Fun things going on in your classroom/with your classes: I plan on enhancing the already incredible curriculums in the 4th-8th grades by making my lessons more applicable to the needs of my students.

What students will take from your teaching: My hope is that my students see how my love of learning extends into every aspect of my life and that learning is a lifelong journey.

Kelley Glover

Position: Sixth grade math and social studies

Past Experience/Education: BA kinesiology, MA education and previous work as a seventh and eighth grade math, science, social studies and literacy teacher

Goals for the 2007/08 school year: I'd like to increase my students' knowledge and confidence in math through various projects and activities.

Fun things going on in your classroom/with your classes: We'll have field trips, projects that integrate math, science, language arts and social studies and hands-on math labs.

What students will take from your teaching: An enthusiasm for math!

Matt Kroll

Position: Second grade

Past Experience/Education: For the last few years, I've been in Durango working at the First United Methodist Church Preschool in Durango for two years, doing student teaching at Needham Elementary School, working as an aide at Telluride Elementary School last year, coaching Telluride's U12 and U15 boys soccer and working as a ski instructor for the gravity program. I graduated from Fort Lewis College last April.

Goals for the 2007/08 school year: My goal is to keep a gigantic smile on my face from beginning to end. I would also truly like to learn the inner workings of the Telluride School District. As I expect of the students, I will also grow and learn every day of the year and reflect on my teaching.

Fun things going on in your classroom/with your classes: We are starting with a unit on community, a plant unit and a really fun animal unit toward the end of the year. I am hoping to have a Web page up and running in the next couple of weeks.

What students will take from your teaching: I want my students to feel like a community and a family inside the classroom. I hope they abide by our one and only classroom rule and really understand what it means - “respect everything” in and out of school. My goal is for the students to leave second grade with more confidence and a better understanding of who they really are.

Noreen Morton

Position: Middle school resource specialist

Past Experience/Education: BA in psychology, UCLA; MA and MEd from Harvard University with multiple subjects including counseling credentials and special education. Past experience includes High School and Middle School Special Education, Middle School Counselor

Goals for the 2007/08 school year: I want to assist all my students in reaching their potential in all academic areas as well as keep students interested in school.

Fun things going on in your classroom/with your classes: We'll have lots of interactive activities in reading, writing and math.

What students will take from your teaching: I hope my students gain confidence in their abilities, an appreciation of differences and a continued curiosity and concern for the world around them.

Jennifer Nelson

Position: High School Spanish II, III, IV

Past Experience/Education: Two years at Norwood High School teaching English and Spanish. Attended college at University of Nebraska for BA, South Dakota State University for teacher certification as well as studies and travels abroad to Guadalajara, Mexico and Central and South America.

Goals for the 2007/08 school year: I want to facilitate the Spanish language acquisition process for all students and increase Latin American cultural literacy

Fun things going on in your classroom/with your classes: The production of short films, cartoons and puppet shows in Spanish. The exploration of various cultures through authentic dialogue and Latin American literature

What students will take from your teaching: Learning a new language can be challenging and exciting at the same time which allows them to think about the world from different perspectives. A student recently summed it up best: “I think knowing two languages is a great power.”

Jo Ann Moore (the Jo is from the character in Louisa May Alcott's “Little Women”)

Position: Teacher and student of life - teaching high school science classes in biology, physics, health and field ecology

Past Experience/Education: I earned an AA from Cottey College. I studied at the University of Minnesota. I received my BS in biology with a Minor in chemistry from Metropolitan State College of Denver and my MA from University of Colorado Denver.

Goals for the 2007/08 school year: Laugh, listen, dream, and do. Continue to build and implement a solid, challenging, rigorous science curriculum that prepares our students for success and supports them being the best they choose to be.

Fun things going on in your classroom/with your classes: No fun, ever! (j/k) You'll have to stay tunedŠ

What students will take from your teaching: Lots! Including: Science is another lens through which to understand the world that is accessible and applicable in a myriad of ways. Learning through science is a solid investment and worth the effort. Richard Feymann, a great bongo player, once said “Nature uses only the finest threads to weave her tapestry.” I celebrate that quote.

Jennifer Taylor

Position: Kindergarten teacher

Past Experience/Education: MA in education, co-director of TECC (Telluride Early Childhood Center) last year, also worked as a teacher's aide in ESL

Goals for the 2007/08 school year: Academically, I want to get the kiddos ready to read, more knowledgeable about the world around them and comfortable with numbers and what they mean to us in the real world. But, the main goal is to teach them to be successful students so that they want to come to school and learn new things.

Fun things going on in your classroom/with your classes: We'll take advantage of the beautiful outdoors in the mountains - studying insects, a fall changes hike and a Nature Center trip. We'll also have field trips to the bakery and Sweet Life and fun hands-on activities right in the classroom.

What students will take from your teaching: I hope the kids realize that learning is fun and that it's OK to make mistakes as long as they don't give up and try again. A key to this is that they develop confidence in themselves. As a new teacher, I will be making some mistakes too, so we'll all help each other.

Chad Terry

Position: Kindergarten-third grade physical education teacher

Past Experience/Education: BA from Western State College. Currently enrolled in Masters of Educational Administration program online through Grand Canyon University. Past experience includes teaching for the past four years with my wife at the Anchorage School District in Alaska. I was a K-6 physical education teacher at Muldoon Elementary in East Anchorage.

Goals for the 2007/08 school year: I want to get to know the kids at the elementary school and establish my program. I also want to continue my education through my masters program and get familiar with Telluride.

Fun things going on in your classroom/with your classes: There will be lots of skill building with many different activities. I also plan to bring some things from Alaska into my classroom such as Junior Native Youth Olympics.

What students will take from your teaching: It's always my hope that students learn the skills to live a healthy lifestyle. From my class I also hope that students learn personal responsibility and how to make good choices.

Glenn Wellman

Position: Secondary (high school) social studies: U.S. history, A.P. U.S. history, world history

Past Experience/Education: BA in History/Sociology, DePaul University, Chicago, IL; MA in History, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff; MEd in Secondary Education, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff. I spent many years in Chicago working for the Department of Children and Family Services as a therapist. I also taught undergraduates at Northern Arizona University and recently taught in Fairplay, Colo.

Goals for the 2007/08 school year: I hope to become an integral part of the Telluride community and high school staff.

Fun things going on in your classroom/with your classes: My students will learn the fine art of intellectual discourse throughout the year. I look forward to staging various debates and discussions relating to contemporary issues in the United States.

What students will take from your teaching: I hope my enthusiasm for history inspires my students to critically examine historical events long after they take my class.

Jacquie Whitmore

Position: Sixth grade humanities (language arts and social studies)

Past Experience/Education: BEd; MEd in reading, 14 years of experience as a classroom teacher; seven years experience as a language arts support specialist in Title I schools

Goals for the 2007/08 school year: I want to keep students actively engaged as readers and writers in a variety of areas across the curriculum. I'll also teach students strategies for reading and understanding various texts. One specific goal is for the students to publish several forms of writing throughout the year.

Fun things going on in your classroom/with your classes: Some fun activities include student inquiry projects, dramatic presentations, field trips and community resource connections.

What students will take from your teaching: I hope they learn that literacy skills are invaluable tools for enhancing lifelong learning.