Help – You Need Somebody?

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This school year is right upon us, and it is sure to bring with it a lot of changes. I know this because as I begin my 26th year in education there has never been a year yet that did not bring with it a lot of changes. That being said, I can also say that there has never been a school year yet that the teachers at White Oak Intermediate School did not accept and master all new challenges by the time that May rolled around.  It is that kind of character and courage that makes me so excited about the 2009-2010 school year.

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You see, I begin a new job assignment at White Oak this year, and I am excited about the challenges.  As in years past, I will continue to wear many hats.  As the campus Testing Coordinator,  I have designed my website to provide information for teachers, parents, and community.  I encourage you to visit it for yourself and let me know if there is information missing that you would like to see included.  I have separate pages linked for each grade level so that parents and teachers do not have to sort through to find information specifically targeted for them. These websites are not yet fully developed, but will be undergoing changes as the year progresses.  I also have a Teacher Feature page that will spotlight a single teacher.  Watch for who will appear throughout the year.  Because our students also deserve recognition, you will also find a Student Feature page. It is because of the students that we find fulfillment in our positions.

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My new blog, Don’t Get Testy!, will have posts in three categories – Teacher Interests, Student Interests, and Random Interests. At the top of my blog page, you will always find the campus calendar with the complete agenda for our students and staff.  Teacher Interests posts will relay information that I receive to the faculty. I suggest that you subscribe to this blog and read these postings to be kept abreast of any new information regarding testing and education that I might receive and pass on.  Student Interests posts will include some blog challenges this year and will also elicit responses from our student population as well as student populations outside our classroom walls.  We can no longer be confined by this building, nor should we expect our students to be.  Random Interests will be precisely that – my random thoughts. These will not necessarily be the position of our school, but rather my personal views on matters of importance to me.

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I will continue to serve at the Response to Intervention Manager and maintain those records in my office. Links to our intervention team’s webpages are also included on my website.  Parents will be encouraged to visit those to get a better understanding of what their children are being offered through RtI.

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Perhaps one of the most exciting aspects of my job will be the opportunity to directly work with the staff in the use of technology in the classroom.  Already I have met with third grade teachers, and I am watching them swiftly develop virtual curriculum for their students across all subjects. Other teachers are also meeting during the summer months and planning to use technology this year in the classroom.  We will be introducing our campus’s own Moodle site during our inservice days in August. This site, The VIEW – Virtual Intermediate Education at White Oak – will be the hub of our virtual curriculum, and we encourage you to visit its pages and register for a new account so that you and your students can share in its benefits.

The person and life buoySo – Help? Do you need somebody? I will make every attempt to be available to you to help you with your website, blogs, Moodle lessons, or any other project that might involve the use of technology.  Grade levels are already developing experts in some of these areas, and with each bit of knowledge gained, we are better able to spread that knowledge to our teaching family and therefore to our students.  All you have to do is call…..or in the case of the 21st century classroom, just email, text, or IM……..and I’ll be there.

Bring on the challenges!help2

17 thoughts on “Help – You Need Somebody?

  1. Great start. I think you will write the welcome back to school letter in the future. I read this and I’m ready to go!

    • Thank you for visiting and I hope that you will keep a close eye on the wonderful teachers and leadership at the intermediate campus this year. I feel something great is going to happen here.

    • Thank you. I am excited about being able to work with the teachers more – at least until the second semester. Let’s put some techno into that happening classroom of yours

  2. Looking forward to a great year! Thanks for all your help thus far. I am sure that your email or texting box will be flooded with SOS messages from me!!!

  3. You are awesome!!! We are so blessed to have you in our corner supporting us and helping us every step of the way with technology and RTI among other things! Our kids are so fortunate because your touch extends to all of them every time you help us!! I want you to know that I REALLY appreciate all your help!! You spend countless hours on technology because of your love for and dedication to White Oak!! I’m so proud of you and so proud to be part of your team! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Love you!

    • I appreciate your kind words, but I acknowledge who the real facilitators are on our campus. Our teachers are the absolute best at all that they do. Our team tackles change every year with such good attitudes. I know it is hard to fit it all in, so I truly hope that we can work to make technology work for you and not you for IT. I’ll see you really soon.

  4. Pam…I am so excited about a new school year!!! I am so thankful to have you as our RTI manager. You are the most organized person I know and we are blessed to have you here!

    I will be texting/emailing you for help…I know! I so appreciate your willingness to always help and your dedication to all the teachers to make our school the best place it can be!

    See you real soon!

  5. Pam, I appreciate all of your assistance and above all patience with myself and my colleagues who need that extra support and encouragement using the new technology. You are a wonderful teacher not only for the kids but also for us who are not so young.

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