What made you want to be an Educator? “A group of teachers and staff at Mabel K. Holland Elementary School in Fort Wayne, Indiana, who challenged me to join them, and together we could change the world for good, one student at a time.”
What do you like most about your job? “What do you like most about your job? “The positive exhaustion at the end of the school day, and the subsequent laughter collaborating with a community of professionals who support creativity (within the boundaries of good practice). We discuss what didn’t work, “Do not try this at home,” or what rocked, “This was awesome,” and we learn together how to teach best and serve our students.”
While working on his doctorate, Scott spent a year as a substitute teacher working with special needs students. He rose to the challenge with an amazingly positive attitude and an open mind to learn from teachers around him. Scott’s enthusiasm is throughout the classroom, whether it’s having award ceremonies for students and staff, dance parties, and songs, he is always making all students feel welcome and excited to be in his class. Colleagues say they are encouraged to put their best foot forward and strive toward high standards because of Scott being on the team.
Edutopia contributor Matt Davis has collected and shares some of the best resources for parents, teachers and students to prepare for the first face-to-face meeting of the school year.
We’ve all been there; that awkward moment when parents and teachers meet for the first time to discuss the progress of their children. How can you prepare, what should you say and what’s the best course of action if there’s a problem?
From ideas for highlighting student progress, to questions every parent should ask, these are some of our favorite articles and resources that cover parent-teacher conferencing. Enjoy the rest of the school year!
New Teacher Survival Guide Video: The Parent-Teacher Conference: This Teaching Channel video offers preparation ideas, a first-hand look at conducting a conference, and some great tips and strategies from parent-relationship expert Diane Feinstein. There are plenty of interesting tidbits packed into this ten-minute video, making it a perfect resource for educators of any experience level. Teaching Channel’s blog post, Beyond Parent-Teacher Conferences: Building Connections That Last, by Lily Jones, also provides useful advice for using conferences to springboard into continued dialogues with parents.
Inviting Students to Lead Conferences
Student-led conferences empower learners to take ownership of their accomplishments and their classroom goals. Yet, for many teachers, it can be a challenge figuring out how to best facilitate them. In 2015, Edutopia examined how one school in Chicago uses student-led conferences to create opportunities for reflection, engagement, and agency.
You’ll find some wonderful resources in that collection. Here are a few more ideas, guides, and tips for letting students take the lead during parent-teacher conferences:
Fall is a great time of year to get on a bicycle for a weekend ride or even to commute to work. The weather moderates in most parts of the country and it feels good to pedal a few miles. You’ll feel like a kid again as you cruise through neighborhoods and paths.
However, as a bicyclist, I find riding for fun or commuting to work is getting a lot more nerve-wracking.
One reason is that so many of us treat the morning drive more like a car race than a pleasant drive to work. Many of those drivers are distracted and some are out-right hostile towards a person on a bicycle. I’ve had my fair share of close calls that have forced me into potholes and curbs, had things thrown at me and verbal abuse from angry drivers. I’ve also seen way too many distracted drivers either texting, toying with some form of electronic device or putting on makeup which caused them to swerve into other people’s lanes or into the bike lane – oblivious of the danger they present.
Bicyclists are very vulnerable as they circumnavigate roads and byways. In 2015, 818 were killed on US roads, an increase of 12 percent from the previous year. Government statistics show that on average, 50,000 bicyclists are injured each year.
As more people choose to ride a bike for economic or health reasons, it struck me that a little education and courtesy could go a long way to prevent auto-bike confrontations, close calls and injuries.
For Drivers
Try your best to give cyclists room. Many states now require a three foot safety zone when drivers passing a bicyclist.
It’s a good idea to slow down when you pass a cyclist (or pedestrian). Try to imagine that person is your grandmother in a wheelchair; you wouldn’t blow by throwing dust and debris at your grandmother, would you?
Don’t honk your horn, please. Yes, we know we might be impeding you for a short distance, but honking the horn can be startling and cause a cyclist to veer into traffic or fall off their bikes. Keep in mind that most localities and states require bicyclists to ride in the street rather than the sidewalk.
Put down the phone and other devices and concentrate on driving.
Be aware of bicyclists. I know we can be hard to see, but how would you feel if you hit and injured one of us.
Look before you open your vehicle’s door. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been grazed by a door or had to veer wildly around one as I cycled past a vehicle. Many bicyclists have been killed or injured by either colliding with an open door or by being pushed into traffic.
Be extra careful when making turns or pulling out of parking lots. Cyclists may be moving faster than you think and can sometimes be hard to see.
For Bicyclists
Always wear a helmet.
Observe all traffic laws: never run a stop sign or red light, always ride on the right and never against traffic, and know bicycle turn signals.
Always wear bright or reflective clothing and use lights when riding at dusk or dark.
Don’t unnecessarily impede traffic or ride double or triple unless there is room.
Try to avoid narrow streets, roads and high-speed expressways. Side streets and bike paths are much safer and much more pleasant to ride.
Don’t engage or provoke an aggressive driver, instead, try to get a picture of video of the encounter and report it to authorities.
While the pleasant weather continues, I hope you get the chance to hop on your bike and take a ride, or even use it to commute to work. It will certainly help you understand how vulnerable being a bicyclist is, and maybe you’ll look at that two wheeled commuter in a different light.
If you have a dog or cat, you know what a joy they are. Their love and loyalty enriches our lives.
Now, many experts say there is proof that life with a pet may actually provide these health benefits:
Reduced allergies – more and more studies suggest that infants and children that grow up in a house with furred animals have a reduced risk of allergies and asthma later in life
Lower blood pressure – numerous studies find merely being around a pet can lower your blood pressure, with the greatest pressure drop coming when you pet them
Better heart health – dog owners have a lower risk of heart disease and those suffering from heart disease had better recoveries and survived longer if they had a pet
Increased companionship – pet owners are less likely to suffer from depression, Alzheimer patients were calmer when pets were present, and many elderly people reported a better quality of life because of their pets
Decreased weight – those of us with pets tend to go to dog parks, take regular walks, hikes or runs with their dog, and were less likely to be overweight
Many families also have therapy and companion dogs to warn about food ingredients someone may be allergic to, while others can warn diabetes patients when they are suffering from low blood sugar.
And, knowing that your dog loves to take trips with you to dog parks, hiking trails and other dog-friendly areas, California Casualty now includes coverage with every auto policy* that pays for vet bills if Fido or Rover gets hurt in a covered auto accident.
However, these pet passenger safety tips can help you avoid the heartache of an injured loved one:
Keep them in the backseat away from airbags
Put them in a crash tested dog crate or safety harness
Lock power windows to prevent them from accidently from opening up or closing on them
Always have water on hand
Take breaks every two or three hours to let them stretch and take care of potty business
Never leave them unattended in the vehicle, especially on warm or hot days
What made you want to be a Peace Officer? “What I love most about being a Police Officer working and interacting with children was the relationships that I built with those students and the feeling that I could possibly make a difference in their lives.”
What do you like most about your job? “The reason I wanted to be a Police Officer was to help people and along with that came the opportunity to work with the youth, so it wasn’t the typical police career spent enforcing the law and making arrests or writing tickets. It was rewarding in a sense that I got a chance to build relationships in the community and build trust with the community that I served.”
Walter has gone above and beyond the call of duty for his community. He has started a youth academy, coached youth in sports. He takes time away from his own family to help feed families for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Even though he has retired, he went back to his community to work as security in the public schools to help the relationships with the students. Even after the students have grown, Walter has left a positive impact on many people of his local community.
Name: Scott M.
By 
Name: Walter H.