Vol. 4 Issue 8
Professional To A 'T'
Ohajine Hannah Alex Thompson Staff Writers We had the opportunity to interview a unique group of professionals at our school.
sure the students not only get the content that I am delivering, but that they also retain it. It requires constant monitoring, and changing directions. It requires you to think quickly and get creative with the curriculum. I have to pick and choose what is important
wonderful group of people that team together and go the extra mile to make sure students are successful. What made you want to choose this career? Ms. Clay: I was a single parent and needed a job that would match my own chil-
Ms.Ramagiri Ms. Whitbeck Ms. Baldridge Ms. Smedley They all have very important jobs, and they all have a lot of heart and genuinely care about all of their students. This group is very fun and good-hearted, and we hope you enjoy reading their answers as much as we did. There are many different departments in our school, what makes the department you work in stand out? Ms. Clay: Our whole department goes above and beyond our duties every day; we aren’t our own department, because we are a part of every department here at CHS. I don’t see my responsibilities as any different from any other teacher here at CHS; I teach students and follow the same list of responsibilities as every other teacher here. I have always tried to instill life skills in my students every year that I have taught. Mr. Posada: Working with kids one on one and seeing what they are capable of doing with their hands and minds. We work with each student making sure they are turning in their work to every class and if they need anything we are here for them. Ms. Baldridge: We have an amazing team! We always cover each other, and support each other. We are good friends and share the workload. We communicate with each other and everyone on the team is always willing to give a helping hand. Just making
so that I can focus on the big ideas. Ms. Blaylock: The library is a department in and of itself. Each library stands alone in all of our schools in the district. We stand out in two ways: Students come here for enjoyment…to get a book to read for pleasure before school or during lunch to relax, and also during class. Secondly, we help students with any research projects. Ms. Smedley: We get more of a chance to have one-on-one with each of our students and have to ensure their needs are met by every teacher that student has and to prepare them to be successful in life. We understand your responsibilities differ from those of the regular classrooms - how is it different? Ms. Blaylock: Whole classes come to the library to do research or get books. I teach reference and research using print and electronic resources. I also have Library Science students with lessons, nine-weeks’ tests, etc. Librarians today must keep up with not only resources in print but also tons of resources that are online. Ms. Smedley: I feel that we as a whole go above and beyond our duties every day. We aren’t our own department (so to speak) because we are a part of every department here at CHS Ms. Whitbeck: I work with a
Ms. Clay
tary school. During this time I helped a student correctly write the letter S. After working for 2 weeks with this student, it finally just clicked! The student was so excited and it was so rewarding for me! It was then that I decided I wanted to teach. Ms.
Ms. Blaylock
dren’s schedules. I already had a degree, so I went back to school to earn a second degree in education, and then got my teaching certification. Mr. Posada: I get to work with students of all grades and just seeing how they think and work in different ways is amazing. Ms. Ramagiri: I wanted to become a teacher to be able to make a positive difference on the future of children. For me, it is a great challenge: stimulating the next generation to become lifelong learners. I have always been grateful to my parents who encouraged me to become a teacher. And I am thankful to the educational system for implanting values in me. At this juncture I will contribute my international teaching experiences which I’ve learned in my home country. In this way I will be paying back and at the same time can fulfill my desire of enhancing the education system. I can’t think of any job as important to society as teaching. I have always loved to give young people the best start in life. Interacting with children is great. Be it on educational grounds or recreational activities, it is a lot more fun interacting and learning with kids. As a hobby, in India I gave tutorials to poor children at the neighborhood community center. Ms. Baldridge: When I was in high school I did on-thejob training at an elemen-
March 23, 2017
Mr. Posada
Blaylock: I’ve always loved to read but my first real experience in libraries was volunteering for a year and a half at Lindsay Middle School in Portales. I took books off the shelf, stuck a barcode on them, and imported the catalog record so that the books could be searched on a computer instead of the old card catalog. I also have years of experience researching my family tree, including doing research in England. That led to teaching genealogy classes at ENMU. Researching my family tree is the same as researching any other topic, so being a librarian was a natural extension. Ms. Smedley: I’ve wanted to be a teacher since I was about 2 years old. I want to make a difference in children’s lives, to be one of their biggest supporters and influences for greatness and watch them succeed and know I had a part of that no matter how big or small. Ms. Whitbeck: My classroom really is not that much different than other classrooms. We follow the same curriculum, just a different pace. What makes you good at what you do? Ms. Clay: I like following a set of rules and schools have plenty of those. I enjoy seeing the students grow as they learn. I am told I am organized and I expect that helps me as a teacher. Mr. Posada: The student bond-