Saturday , October 1st from 8 am - 4 pm
First-year teachers and seasoned educators alike have been working steadily making final preparations in their classrooms for the return of students Monday , Aug 29 .
Rock Rest Elementary second-grade teacher Megan Moore sits on the floor of her classroom , surrounded by boxes of books that she ’ s organizing into categories : science , animal groups , weather , seasons , outer space and the human body .
“ I look forward to meeting all my new students ,” Moore said . “ I also look forward to working with my coworkers again . I ’ ve missed them . It will be nice to collaborate and all work together again .”
The first order of business for many teachers is decorating their classrooms .
“ I have taken classroom design ,” said first-year teacher Jill Calderara , who will teach second grade at Rock Rest Elementary . “ We talked about pathways and what makes it easiest for students to get around the room , where I should put my classroom library , and where the group areas should be . I ’ ve also been talking to some of the other new teachers . I ’ ve been observing other classrooms and figuring out how to set things up .”
Nick Giblin , a seventh-grade teacher at East Union Middle , decided rather than tackling the task alone , he would enlist the aid of his sister , Rebecca Mahmoud .
“ I want to make sure my classroom looks nice and presentable ,” Giblin said . “ If it looks bleak when the kids walk in , that ’ s what they ’ re going to expect . I want to make it look really nice .”
Teachers in the Classrooms of Tomorrow ( COT ) have a lot of flexibility in how to organize their classrooms , as the chairs and desks are all on wheels . This not only enables students to get into groups very quickly , but the unique shape of the desks allows them to fit together like a puzzle , offering unlimited formations .
Rhiannon Kriessler , a sixth-grade COT teacher at East Union Middle , has decided to put her students into groups the first day of school . “ They ’ re all from different elementary schools , a lot of new faces , so if I put them together with some fresh faces , hopefully they ’ ll get to know each other a little bit better .”
Twenty-five year veteran Stallings Elementary guidance counselor Carolyn Nickels doesn ’ t have chairs on wheels or uniquely shaped desks , but she does have Taffy , a puppet with long floppy ears and a bright smile . Taffy was one of the first things Nickels pulled out of her summer storage bin .
“ She ’ s more than 20 years old ,” Nickels said . “ I use her for behavior control , as a reward , and for puppet shows . I ’ ve bought new Taffys over the years , but I can ’ t use them because she is the only Taffy .”
In an office close by Nickels ’ guidance room , her principal , Laura Gaddy , looks through hundreds of blue and pink index cards spread out before her on her office floor . When the bell rings Monday , Gaddy said she wants to make sure that the approximately 600 students who walk through the door have been matched with just the right teacher .
“ Every child is different . Every child has different needs , a different personality . So I work really hard to match them up with a teacher who is right for them ,” Gaddy said .
As the week wound down , educators across the county put the final touches on their classrooms , anxiously awaiting the start of the 2016-17 school year .
— This article was provided by the Union County Public Schools Communications Office .
Educators excited about start to school year
Stallings Elementary guidance counselor Carolyn Nickels holds Taffy , a puppet she uses sometimes to teach students .
proudly presents “ The 17th Annual ”
Now firmly established as one of the Union county ’ s finest quality Craft Shows , beautiful crafts from some of the Carolina ’ s most gifted craftsmen , combined with demonstrations , unique gift ideas & other displays .
Saturday , October 1st from 8 am - 4 pm
Hanover Drive ( off Hwy . 74 , across from the Lowe ’ s in Monroe )
704-282-4680 ~ www . monroeaquaticsandfitnesscenter . com
Beautiful Crafts & Demonstrations from over 120 of the Carolina ’ s most gifted Craftsmen , Artists and Designers . A must visit event for all lovers of quality handmade Crafts !
6 • Sept / Oct 2016 • Parent Teacher News