LINDA BATCHELOR

As a child I understood the value of education. My dad was an eighth grade gradudate who had to leave school in order to work.  Despite his lack of formal education, he instilled in me a love for learning and reading.  Our home was a text-rich environment.  I’ll always remember Dad’s excitement over purchasing a set of Encyclopedia Britannica – such a luxury –  and can still picture him reading from one of the volumes every evening.  School was important in my home, and he and my mother raised me with the expectation that I would attend college despite the financial sacrifice that meant for our family.  For me, the natural choice once I arrived on the campus of Southeastern State College was elementary education.

I have been teaching an incredibly short 39 years.  During this time, I’ve seen many changes in educational strategies as the pendulum has swung from textbooks driving our lesson planning to the adoption of the Common Core State Standards. Change is good and it is necessary. It allows us to try new ideas, sometimes outside our comfort zone, and hopefully become better and more productive teachers.

The most important responsibility I have as a second grade teacher is to transfer my passion for literacy, especially reading, to every student. Reading comprehension and fluency are critical to success in every other core subject.  I hold a master’s degree in reading and am a certified reading specialist, but have elected to remain in the classroom.  Here I am personally involved with my students on a day to day basis.                                                            

Every child can learn!  My goal is to meet each child where they are and develop instruction that motivates them to work hard and be successful. This is extended beyond the school day as I select homework activities that reinforce concepts from the day’s lessons as well as provide a way for parents to be aware of what their child is learning.  Parental involvement is key to student achievement and parents are encouraged to participate as much as they’d like, including serving as volunteers in my classroom.    

Each student deserves individual attention. In my classroom, we celebrate everyone’s achievement – from higher test grades to Math Facts winners, even successes in extracurricular activities. Our biggest celebration occurs at our Christmas Tea when students show parents and guests all they’ve learned during our extra unit on etiquette and social graces.  Dressed in their Sunday best, our traditional Christmas party takes on an atmosphere of sophistication that many of my students wouldn’t be participating in outside of school.

Nothing strokes my ego more than to hear a child say, “I want to be a teacher just like you when I grow up!”  “Why?” I ask.  My favorite response ever was, “So I can have all the food like you do at lunch time!”  Never underestimate the power of the teacher lunch tray!  Teaching can be so humbling.

My teaching paradigm shifted when I became a grandmother and considered the type of teacher I wanted my grandchildren to have.   I’m more careful to be encouraging and loving, more careful to see the good before the bad, and more careful to know that words spoken before thinking can truly hurt a child’s self-esteem.  I try every day to have a kind word, a smile, and a friendly touch for my students.  Most days, they have the same for me and that is why I have been able to do what I do for 39 years.