Rethink Learning Now

I left home at the age of 15 when I was a freshman in high school. I moved into the basement of the social studies teacher. His name was Denis F. Carey and he not only encouraged me to stay in school, but my grades improved and he sold me on the idea of college, first an AA in Fine Art, then a B.A. Edc. from the teacher's college EWU with a double major and double minor, language arts. Then my Master's in Education diverse learners, then my PhD in Educational Leadership from Colorado State...

I moved to Foothill Farms Elementary School my sixth grade year...moving was a part of my life being a military brat in and out of D.O.D. schools. My dad was getting ready to retire, so our family bought a house and planted some roots near Foothill High School, Sacramento, CA. I started mid-year at a public school for a change...Enter Mr. Starkey...towering over us at a mere 6'3" or so...his wrinkles and gray told me he knew a thing or two about life...so I listened and waited...I was...

In all my years of education, from kindergarten through grad-school, the person who was most instrumental in helping me learn was Sylvia Butler, who I was fortunate to have for English in eighth and ninth grade, as well as in eleventh and twelfth grade. What made her stand out from the scores of teachers and professors I've had is that she inspired me to be use my strengths as a creative thinker and dreamer by helping me understand that education is not about grades or test scores, but...

I grew up in a family where excellence was demanded by my father and expected by my mother. Following a mother and two sisters who were class valedictorians, I was always concerned about meeting the expectations of teachers who had had my older sisters or brothers. So when, in the 12th grade, my English teacher asked to meet with me and a few other classmates after school, I was nervous. But she challenged us to consider being placed in a special challenge class, a pull -out class,...

Trying to think back about just one person who was instrumental in helping me learn is not an easy task. I think the ones who were most instrumental in my learning were the many great teachers I have been fortunate to have. A common thread among these teachers is their belief in my learning abilities. I knew that my teachers had high expectations for me and I wanted to meet those expectations. When I performed well, I received praise from these teachers. I knew these teachers cared...

I was blessed to have an amazing and influential teacher in sixth grade. Mrs. Moore was the teacher that every sixth grade student feared, including myself. She was known as the teacher who did not make exceptions, did not bend the rules, and expected nothing but the best from her students. As a sixth grader, that was intense. We were still in elementary school, why should we be treated like we are in high school? As I reflect on my education, most teachers are a blur, but Mrs. Moore...

Perhaps the teachers who have made the biggest impact on me, both in and out of the classroom, are Mr. Michael Clapp and his wife Susan Clapp. Both of these outstanding individuals taught at CSU Fullerton, when I was working on Liberal Studies Degree. I will never forget the Math for Elementary Teacher class, which they co-taught, that I was lucky enough to be enrolled in. Math has always been an area of anxiety for me, and under their caring, patience, and expertise in their field, I was...

This is a task that is most enjoyable. My most effective teacher was Dr. Laura Ashcroft. She is one of those kinds of people who make you want to learn, want to please her with your work and want to be successful as a teacher. She is first and foremost an encourager. She encourages her students to succeed and enables them to succeed by giving them powerful tools to work with kids, teaches her students about real life experiences and gives insights that helps...

Dear Mr. Hatfield, It's Jupiter Jones from the Three Investigators Club! I know! It's been almost 25 years; where has the time gone??? I just thought you'd like to know what happened to your favorite trio. :) Well, Tobi became an R.C.M.P. Officer and is now living in the Northwest Territories with her husband and new baby. Lisa followed in her father's footsteps and became a lawyer just like she said she would. And as for me, I followed in your footsteps and became a teacher. Yes, I...

One of the most important and effective learning experiences that I have ever had in my life occurred when I lived abroad in Spain from 2003-2005. I was a missionary for my church and basically provided service to church members and other community members who I met there. The learning experience that I would like to talk about was my experience learning and becoming fluent in the Spanish language. Before I arrived there, I was pretty nervous about having to learn the language. ...

When I was 17 I went to the Rhode Island School of Design for a summer pre-college program. I went there to see what it would be like to be an art student and to experience life away from my family for the first time. I was a fairly sheltered child, a do-gooder who thrived on pleasing the adults in my life. As a strong student I was unaccustomed to failure, or really, even challenge. So, understandably, there were many things that happened that summer which would qualify as powerful...

I felt safe and comfortable around her. I was eager to go to school every day because I just couldn't wait to be in my English Language teacher's classroom. It was not just the classroom that was inspirational, I just don't have words powerful enough to describe her lessons that took us one rung higher each day. Mrs. Kashora's classroom was not only a learning beehive, but it was a beautiful gallery that took you to all parts of the world where you learned about a people you never met. It...