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Winfield Teacher Found Education Role Model in Fourth Grade

Posted on: Thursday, 29 September 2005, 00:00 CDT

By Shelby Young

syoung@cnpapers.com

This year is the first time Carol Blackburn has taught second- graders.

For the last 16 years she's been teaching first grade at Winfield Elementary School.

"It just felt like the time to make a change," she said. "I'm really looking forward to it."

She would not want to teach anywhere but in the lower grades, she said.

"They're still eager to learn. And they still want hugs, just like first-graders," Blackburn added.

However, the challenge of expanding the abilities of second- graders in the basics prompted her to make the switch, she said.

However, it was her fourth-grade teacher back in Mingo County who inspired Blackburn to become an educator.

"She was something special. She would even have picnics for us at her house," Blackburn remembered. "She made us feel really good about ourselves."

In her seventh-grade year, Blackburn moved to Putnam County and attended the rest of her schooling here.

After graduating from college, she taught one year in private school, then came for a stint as a resource teacher at Buffalo Elementary School before coming to Winfield.

The excitement generated by the young students is one of the greatest rewards elementary teachers receive.

But creating an enthusiastic attitude among pupils required a lot of preparation, she said.

Like many teachers in Putnam County, Blackburn has been coping with learning a new math teaching method.

The new "hands-on" system has changed her reading habits, she said.

"Every night I take this matchbook home with me and read it to try to stay ahead of the students," Blackburn said. "Then every morning the four of us who are second-grade teachers get together and collaborate about our experiences teaching the system. It's brought us together as a professional group."

Blackburn approves of the new math curriculum.

In fact, she used it to illustrate what she believes makes teaching worth all the effort.

"I like hearing those positive comments. Just the other day I overhead one of the boys who were down on the floor working on a math problem say: 'Now math is fun.'

"That's the kind of comment you treasure. I get that kind of feeling like I do when I give them their reading books and see the looks on their faces," Blackburn said.

Sometimes the comments she hears cause her to feel frustrated.

"When somebody says 'I wish you were my mom,' it saddens me," Blackburn said. "And sometimes I'm shocked at what words come out some of their mouths. I'm surprised that people would use that kind of language around little ones."

She doesn't dwell on those moments, however.

Blackburn prefers to remember events such as the time she received a letter informing her that a former student, then in high school, had nominated Blackburn to be in a "Who's Who" of teachers book.

In addition to that honor, Blackburn has twice been chosen to represent her school in the county teacher of the year competition as well as being nominated for the Ashland Oil Teacher Award.

During summer Blackburn spends her time swimming, gardening, reading and spending time with her grandson.

Her advice for new teachers is that the job is rewarding, but requires lots of patience, love and the discipline for self-study.

Source: Charleston Gazette, The

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