Name: Susie Throop
Job: Fourth grade teacher
School & location: Marietta Center for Advanced Academics, Marietta City Schools
What's the most innovative idea you've tried in your classroom? This year my students participated in a global on-line project called The Flat Classroom Project: A Day in the Life. My class worked with children from around the globe to collect pictures and videos of a week in their life. All of the data was shared virtually on a wiki.
Tell us about the best teacher you ever had and what made them special? Dr. Tom Brown taught me how to teach children how to discover science. Children love science because they are naturally curious. Students can become active learners by the teacher acting as the "guide on the side."
What can parents do to prepare their children for learning? Parents need to talk to their children about what they learned in school each day. If a child can demonstrate a concept to their parents that they have learned at school, they own that concept.
What are the obstacles to getting all kids to achieve? Having a negative attitude is an obstacle to learning. It is a teacher's job to keep a positive attitude so the students will in turn have a positive attitude.
Do you know a teacher you'd like to nominate for this feature? If, so, email their name and contact information to ednotes@ajc.com. We will also need a high resolution j-peg photo.
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