Post by title1parent on Jun 12, 2011 7:29:33 GMT -5
napervillesun.suntimes.com/news/schools/5872522-418/teacher-wants-students-to-enjoy-going-to-school.html
Teacher wants students to enjoy going to school
June 12, 2011
Joanne Hebenstreit of Naperville is a second-grade teacher at Clow Elementary School, 1301 Springdale Circle, Naperville. All three of her children have gone to Indian Prairie School District 204 schools. She says she attended “Naperville Central when Naperville was very different from today. There were only 30,000 people in the town when I graduated from high school.” She has been teaching for 25 years.
Education: Her degree is in elementary education with a specialization in early childhood from Western Illinois University; her master’s degree is in curriculum and instruction from National Louis University. She is a National Board Certified Teacher
Inspiration for becoming a teacher: “I adored my fourth-grade teacher. She was one of the only young women teachers in a Catholic school where most of the faculty were nuns.”
What keeps her teaching: “The kids. I am constantly learning new things from them, and I get to spend my days having fun and laughing. It is important to me that my students enjoy school and have fun while learning! I know that if I can get them to have fun ... I can usually get them to learn anything!”
Craziest thing a student said: “I taught kindergarten for five years, and one day, this little girl was very sad. She informed me her grandmother was eaten by a bear in the woods. She was so believable I called her mom to find out the details.”
Favorite moment: “I have many favorite moments as a teacher. One main one for me is when kids return to visit. Every year I have many visits from former students who are in middle school, high school or college. It is always fun to find out what path their life has taken. It is so funny to listen to them reminisce about the fun they had in second grade.”
Best advice for students: “Read, read, read, be kind and have fun in school!”
Favorite topic to teach: “Language arts. My students also love to write. They publish their own written books through a school publishing center. They enjoy seeing their stories in real book form and think of themselves as authors. They especially love to sit in the ‘author chair’ and share their stories. I also love to introduce my students to the world of books. It is always amazing to watch their faces as they realize there is a whole new world in books.’
Interesting project: “Every year the students do a book review using technology. They read a favorite book and compose a review of the story. They read their reviews into a computer program called Photo Story. Their pictures and a drawing of the book are also put into the program. When completed, they have themselves on the computer reading their review and seeing their drawings. They have a lot of fun watching their classmates and learning about new books.”
“I truly try to make kids feel comfortable, independent and self-confident in my classroom. I think it is important for kids to feel good about themselves and realize they all have many strengths. I want every child in my classroom to leave feeling as if they are the most important student in the room, and they can conquer anything ... even if they are only 8! School should be fun and memorable. Many times they remember the smallest little things that happen.”
“Last year in the middle of the day when everyone was hot and tired, we had an impromptu ‘American Idol’ contest. We had a little stage and lights. Any student who wanted to perform stood up and sang their favorite song in front of the class. So many students wanted to sing, we had to continue the rest of the week.”
Teacher wants students to enjoy going to school
June 12, 2011
Joanne Hebenstreit of Naperville is a second-grade teacher at Clow Elementary School, 1301 Springdale Circle, Naperville. All three of her children have gone to Indian Prairie School District 204 schools. She says she attended “Naperville Central when Naperville was very different from today. There were only 30,000 people in the town when I graduated from high school.” She has been teaching for 25 years.
Education: Her degree is in elementary education with a specialization in early childhood from Western Illinois University; her master’s degree is in curriculum and instruction from National Louis University. She is a National Board Certified Teacher
Inspiration for becoming a teacher: “I adored my fourth-grade teacher. She was one of the only young women teachers in a Catholic school where most of the faculty were nuns.”
What keeps her teaching: “The kids. I am constantly learning new things from them, and I get to spend my days having fun and laughing. It is important to me that my students enjoy school and have fun while learning! I know that if I can get them to have fun ... I can usually get them to learn anything!”
Craziest thing a student said: “I taught kindergarten for five years, and one day, this little girl was very sad. She informed me her grandmother was eaten by a bear in the woods. She was so believable I called her mom to find out the details.”
Favorite moment: “I have many favorite moments as a teacher. One main one for me is when kids return to visit. Every year I have many visits from former students who are in middle school, high school or college. It is always fun to find out what path their life has taken. It is so funny to listen to them reminisce about the fun they had in second grade.”
Best advice for students: “Read, read, read, be kind and have fun in school!”
Favorite topic to teach: “Language arts. My students also love to write. They publish their own written books through a school publishing center. They enjoy seeing their stories in real book form and think of themselves as authors. They especially love to sit in the ‘author chair’ and share their stories. I also love to introduce my students to the world of books. It is always amazing to watch their faces as they realize there is a whole new world in books.’
Interesting project: “Every year the students do a book review using technology. They read a favorite book and compose a review of the story. They read their reviews into a computer program called Photo Story. Their pictures and a drawing of the book are also put into the program. When completed, they have themselves on the computer reading their review and seeing their drawings. They have a lot of fun watching their classmates and learning about new books.”
“I truly try to make kids feel comfortable, independent and self-confident in my classroom. I think it is important for kids to feel good about themselves and realize they all have many strengths. I want every child in my classroom to leave feeling as if they are the most important student in the room, and they can conquer anything ... even if they are only 8! School should be fun and memorable. Many times they remember the smallest little things that happen.”
“Last year in the middle of the day when everyone was hot and tired, we had an impromptu ‘American Idol’ contest. We had a little stage and lights. Any student who wanted to perform stood up and sang their favorite song in front of the class. So many students wanted to sing, we had to continue the rest of the week.”