Mrs. Cole' s First Grade

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About The Teacher Label:


About The Teacher
Mrs. Cole: I love first graders and am so excited to be your teacher. This will be my seventh year teaching 1st grade at Bandelier. I also taught at a local private school for five years. Before teaching, I had a career as a medical technologist working in a hospital laboratory. I decided to become a teacher after having my own children. I returned to college in 1997 to earn my second bachelors degree. I graduated from College of Santa Fe in 2000 with a Bachelors in Elementary Education. I have an endorsement in Teaching English to Second Language Learners (TESOL). I just completed my Master's in Elementary Education at UNM in July 2011. My husband and I have lived in Albuquerque for 23 years. We originally came from North Carolina. We have three daughters- Melissa (4th grade teacher in Texas), Caitlin (college senior in Los Angeles) and Sarah (high school senior). Our family has two large dogs, Andy and Danny. Ms. Mari: Dear Parents and 1st grade crew, This is First Mate, Ms. Mari. I wanted to take this time to introduce myself to you in more detail. Some of you may remember me from Mrs. Sweeney’s 2nd grade class last semester. I am extremely excited to have been paired with Mrs. Cole this year for both upcoming semesters. First, I am very grateful for the opportunity to participate in the Co-teaching program. This new program allows me to actively share in the planning, preparing for, and teaching of the lessons throughout the year. Co- Teaching gives Mrs. Cole assistance along with her 15 years of expertise, while I get the hands-on experience necessary for becoming a great teacher. We are in for a fantastic year of learning and fun with two minds intent on creating an environment of exceptional learning for this 1st grade crew. The first semester I will be in the classroom on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday each week. Next semester I will be in the classroom everyday. I will be able to substitute if Mrs. Cole needs to be out and I am not attending my UNM classes. I am a mother of 3 amazing children that make my world go ‘round. They remind me to LEARN and WONDER every day. My youngest is learning how to drive this year and I am yet again plunged into remembering how to look at the road as a place of brand-new freedom, rules, trepidation and accomplishment. I have lived across the country as part of a military family, both as a child and as an adult. No longer affiliated with the military, I settled in New Mexico in 2000. Though I would love it to be a little greener and I miss the ocean a lot, I have come to love New Mexico’s amazing skies, scenic diversity and cultural splendor. I believe that we should never turn away an opportunity to learn. In keeping with that philosophy I have learned several trades that I hope will be of use to the class this year. A few of the things that I think are of use to 1st graders are: I face paint. I paint paint. I know a LOT about clouds and light because I love science and my first degree is in Photonic Technologies. It also means I can find math in everything. I love to read, talk about reading, think about reading, read about reading, hum about reading, and make books. Sometimes I act. I decorate cakes and cupcakes and cookies, there’s math in that. I am a fitness trainer at UNM. My hope is that each of these things might be able to play some small part in helping create an environment where the enjoyment of learning is the goal. I think learning is fun. I get mesmerized by watching a child figure something out on their own and then realize they figured it out. I try not to take away an opportunity to learn and I will do my best not to put a goal too far out of reach. I have a saying on my desk, “IMPOSSIBLE is just POSSIBLE with a couple extra steps”. I am not perfect. I am still learning all the procedures and methods. I’m bound to mess up, so I apologize in advance and ask for your patience. I am grateful to have two Master Teachers as wonderful as Mrs. Sweeney and Mrs. Cole to learn from. I am just as grateful to have each of the children I am trusted with to learn from. We have many treasures to discover, many mysteries to unlock this year. We’re off to a great start; 1st graders the quest has begun! I am looking forward to this wonderful upcoming year. Sincerely, Mari Hawes

Mission Label:


Mission
I believe children should be active participants in their learning. I respect the diversity and learning styles of all children. My goal is to create a love of learning which will continue through out a child's life.