Teacher Spotlight #1

In this first Teacher Spotlight, as principal, I would like to spotlight Mrs. Drinane. Mrs. Drinane comes to us from St. Paul in Ann Arbor.  She has been a part of our Church for a while now.  Mrs. Drinane is our 3rd grade teacher and may have one of the best locations for a classroom: the old Church library.

The reason I want to spotlight Mrs. Drinane is because of her fast learning and implementation of recording her lessons with the SMARTboard.  (as seen above).  We are still working on the fine details like getting a mic that will make the audio smoother, clearer, and louder.

I was able to sit in on some of her lessons using the SMARTboard.  Her teaching technique and skills engage the students.  The students are having fun and learning a lot.  Mrs. Drinane will be attending a conference on how to use the SMARTboard at the end of January, along with Mrs Efird and myself.  We are hoping to learn a lot and bring back some new tricks and skills for the other teachers.

Besides using the SMARTboard, Mrs. Drinane's class is having fun with the new whiteboards that we now have. According to Mrs. Drinane the two day conference we recently attended in Grand Rapids was exactly what she needed.  The love she has for Our Lord and for the children is incomparable.

Having previously taught 3rd grade, I understand the difficulty that grade level can conjure up.  The students are in a huge transition period.  They are no longer learning how to read, but reading to learn.  Students have to decipher answers out of a paragraph of text.  Students are pushing their limits on how to think critically.  I am always amazed, however, by the lack of limits third grade students have.  As parents and teachers we might not think they are capable of doing some of the concepts that need to be laid down as the foundation of their education.  But, guess what... THEY CAN!   I loved teaching third grade.  Partly because third grade students still love school, but also because I was up to the challenge to plant the seeds.  Planting Seeds to Succeed was my theme for third grade.  Sometimes teaching third grade is the toughest job emotionally as well.  Many times as a teacher, the seeds we are planting in third grade won't bloom until fifth, seventh, or ninth grade.  I commend Mrs. Drinane for taking on this challenge.

Every week I am looking forward to seeing what is going on in that third grade class and every week I am checking out what lessons are on the school website.  Mrs. Drinane, thank you for being a great teacher and doing what the Lord has called you to do.

I have some candidates for the next teacher spotlight.  Parents, if you see your child's teacher doing something wonderful in the classroom, let them know and let me know as well.