How's this for a bright idea? Gary Klingman, a teacher at Holy Innocents' Episcopal Middle School in Sandy Springs, has introduced a middle school "Think Tank" that meets on Saturdays. It's a place where students and teachers can gather to look at real-world situations, find out more about them and craft some solutions. At recent gatherings, students have looked at issues such as the national debt, health care, alternative fuels and immigration. Newsletters, public service announcements and speeches were created and presented by each team. Teachers are on hand to answer questions but students do their own research and come up with their own solutions.
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Karen Brogan, a magnet teacher at Marietta Sixth Grade Academy recently earned "Master Teacher" certification from the Georgia Professional Standards Commission. Brogan was presented with a $2,500 check for her accomplishment. Brogan has worked for the school district for nine years and has been a teacher for 15 years. Selection as a Master Teacher highlights an educator who is contributing to student achievement through exemplary teaching practices, and has the skills, knowledge and aptitudes to serve as a model educator for other classroom teachers. Georgia's Master Teacher Certification Program provides statewide recognition to certified public school teachers in Georgia who have at least three years of teaching experience and who consistently demonstrate instructional excellence through student achievement.
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Inyite "Shell" Adie-Ikor is $10,000 richer because of her excellent work with preschool children. A teacher at Fayetteville KinderCare Learning Center in College Park, Adie-Ikor was honored with an Early Childhood Educator Award from Knowledge Universe - United States, an organization that provides early childhood education and care. She was nominated and selected for the award without her knowledge. She was praised for her positive teaching style which promotes an interactive and participatory learning setting for her students. She was also praised for her communication with families of her students.
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