Walking Classroom Spotlight

I was spotlighted this month in The Walking Classroom's newsletter. We have been having sub zero temperatures here in Wyoming and we haven't been outside to walk in a few weeks and the students are itching to get outside! I'm pretty honored to be featured in their newsletter and here's the link.

Also, below is highlight about our classroom:

Teacher Feature

Tammy Bourne

Lakeview Elementary

Gillette, Wyoming 

While we haven't made it out to Wyoming yet to actually meet Tammy, her upbeat emails always written in a bubbly bright pink font have made her stand out from the beginning! An adopter of The Walking Classroom since August, she has been busy spreading the word on her blog, Facebook, Twitter -- you name it! We love getting updates about how the program is going and seeing pictures of her students out on their walks! We are thrilled to have her as an adopter and are excited to highlight her as this month's teacher feature. 

Where were you born, and where did you grow up?

I was born in Bellflower, CA. I grew up in Murrieta, CA and moved to South Dakota in 2006 when my husband retired from the Marine Corp.  We moved to South Dakota and went back to college to earn our degrees in teaching. In 2010 we moved to Wyoming.

How long have you been teaching and why did you decide to become a teacher?

This is my 6th year teaching. I have wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember. However, life and family got in the way from me doing it right away. I got side-tracked for a bit, and worked in the insurance industry for 16 years. I am now a teacher and am loving it! 

When have you been your "best self" as a teacher?

When I am my "best self" as a teacher I feel it's during reading time. I love teaching reading and helping my students to comprehend the books that they are reading. One of the things I am really proud of as a teacher is having a large classroom library. I entice my students to read a variety of genres and they read lots of books.  Last year the majority of my class read over 40 books apiece.  It was so awesome! 

As a teacher, for what are you most grateful?

As a teacher, I am most grateful for my students. I love teaching and seeing the look of understanding that crosses their face when they understand a concept that we are learning. 

What are some educational resources that you utilize to help cover the curriculum?

Some education resources that I use are The Walking Classroom, Stephanie Harvey's Toolkit, Notice and Note, Comprehension Connections, STEM Science Materials, Pinterest, Math in Focus, Teachers Pay Teachers and so many other wonderful resources. 

Please describe an experience that you and/or your students have had with The Walking Classroom.

The Walking Classroom has provided my students with a new way of learning. They love getting outside and walking together. One day this week when we were out walking we had some great conversations after our walk. We have been studying Christopher Columbus in class, and we solidified our learning by listening to podcast about Christopher Columbus. When we returned to the classroom it was evident that my students had broadened their knowledge. I love The Walking Classroom! 

National Board Certification...I did it!

I write this post with a happy heart! Yesterday, I received news that I am a National Board Certified Teacher in Early and Middle Childhood Literacy!

I began my journey late. I started the certification process in January of 2014. After I began I worked tirelessly towards my certification. The certification process is pretty rigid, but through it all I learned so much about my teaching and I was able to reflect about myself a long the way. I had to write 4 entries on writing, reading, listening, speaking and viewing, and finally one on my accomplishments. These entries were about 12 to 16 pages a piece depending upon the entry. In addition, two of them required video elements. My entries had to be submitted online to the National Board Website by May 16th.

This was quite a few months of writing and rewriting let me tell you. It's so hard to write about your teaching process and to reflect on what you've done. Through this process I'm getting better at doing it though.

Then in June of 2014 I took the National Board assessment for my certification area. I had to drive down to Casper Wyoming to the testing center. Where I spent 3 hours testing over the 6 required elements. Once I was done I took a sigh of relief that I was done. Then the wait began....

Score release day was yesterday, November 15th, 2014. I was so nervous to open my computer and sign in to the National Board site. However, I overcame my nerves and did just that and I was pleasantly surprised! It said, "Congratulations! You are a National Board Certified Teacher!" I started talking happily to the computer. You see, I know that many don't achieve in the first year and I didn't want to expect it. So truthfully, I was thinking I was going to have to redo something. Luckily, that wasn't the case and my journey to certify is complete. Now I'd like to motivate and help other teachers achieve their certification. It is a great professional development opportunity! Plus in the state of Wyoming it pays a stipend annually too.

This journey has been quite arduous to say the least, but it has been so worth it!