Spotlight 4 Success

Why Teachers Keep Learning

• American Book Company • Season 1

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What drives a teacher to stay passionate after more than two decades in the classroom? Patrick Harry, a veteran educator from South Lincoln Pre-K-8 School, reveals the inspiration behind his 22-year journey teaching history and his recent venture into teaching science.

Website: Spotlight 4 Success

Devin Pintozzi:

Welcome to Spotlight for Success by American Book Company. I'm Devin Pintosi, your host. We are here at the Tennessee Council of Social Studies in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. We are here with Patrick Harry, who is with South Lincoln Middle School, also a K-8 school, I understand. Is that?

Speaker 2:

right. Yes, sir, Pre-K-8. Pre-k-8. Yes, sir, Wonderful. So Patrick, tell me a littleK-8. Pre-k-8.

Devin Pintozzi:

Yes sir, wonderful. So, patrick, tell me a little bit about what brings you to TCSS today.

Speaker 2:

Well, just with my content, I teach. I mean, I've been teaching history for 22 years now in Tennessee. Anyway, I just enjoy coming to the conference. I've not come consecutively in every year, but I do come every chance I get. I've been here a handful of times over the years but I do enjoy seeing the vendors and getting some good samples and maybe some of the latest stuff coming out material-wise and whatnot, using the classroom, and I'm just a big fan of that. I try to stay on top of things.

Devin Pintozzi:

That's wonderful, Patrick. Can you tell me a bit about what brought you into teaching?

Speaker 2:

Well, just I think back to gosh elementary school days and when I was at age. Of course, just kind of, I guess at the time I just kind of had some good teachers around me, fifth grade mainly. You know all my teachers I can't take anything away from anybody in particular, but I just kind of the way they made me feel in the classroom, you know, you know, um, I just like to try to give back to the kids, I guess, today, to kind of give the same thing I was given when I was younger that's great, that is so wonderful.

Devin Pintozzi:

And can you tell the audience what you uh teach currently?

Speaker 2:

oh yes, I'm sorry. I teach eighth grade US history and I also teach I'm new to eighth grade science. It's a first year teaching stuff. I feel like again but you know we're getting there. But I've been teaching 22 years now history and I get one year currently of science as well. So I do them both.

Devin Pintozzi:

Oh, that's wonderful and I understand. Occasionally you take groups of students out of the state.

Speaker 2:

Yes, sir, we take COVID time. We kind of mess this up a little bit, but we had pretty much every couple years I try to take a group of folks parents and students 6th through 8th grade, if not sometimes older. Some of the high school kids sometimes reach out to me and we go to Washington DC and so on. So I actually have a trip planned for right now. We're going to be going obviously we're going to be spring break next week, but next spring break we're going to DC and also Gettysburg. That's something else I picked up. So that's something I enjoy being a part of as well and putting together and doing my part and so on like that. But I just kind of. I just enjoy that very much.

Devin Pintozzi:

That is wonderful, patrick, and can you tell me a bit? I understand you use ABC materials.

Speaker 3:

I do At American Book Company in Woodstock, georgia, we are committed to your students success. As you can see behind me, we have our workbooks and we have online testing and ebooks that go on fancy iPads over here, for instance. They're all designed to help your students succeed and have higher test scores on their high-stakes assessments. Give us a call 888-264-5877, or find us on the web, abck12.com, and you can receive a free trial or a free preview book of your choice. Hope to hear from you soon. Bye, bye.

Speaker 2:

I guess a few years ago, one of our assistant principals a few years back was kind of sharing about some materials and whatnot and I just kind of, you know, we all kind of adopted some. We picked up a sample or two and I love it. I mean, I've used the textbook over the years, sure, but ABC materials. Truthfully, I have been a big fan of A lot of my Google Slides. I make it comes from that content and I just like the way that it's covered and it addresses all the subject matter and whatnot. So I'm a big fan of it.

Devin Pintozzi:

That's great. Have you seen the students' scores improve? They have.

Speaker 2:

I mean being a teacher. It would be great to have being top-notch every year. Unfortunately that doesn't happen, but some years are different than others. But pretty much since I've been using ABC materials, we've been pretty much I wouldn't say constant, but we have not, you know, we've been up to a decent level.

Devin Pintozzi:

Okay, that's wonderful.

Speaker 2:

Yes, sir and Patrick, tell me a bit about new things that you're planning with your classroom or things that are bringing you here to TCSS that you want to share Just pretty much like I said, like I was kind of saying already, the fact of coming here and just seeing other materials definitely your materials and just seeing how it can be added to the classroom.

Speaker 2:

I'll be honest with you, I'm a lecture teacher and I really get into what I do, but it would be nice to kind of, you know, I kind of need to stop sometimes and regroup and maybe do some more hands-on things in the classroom and, you know, primary sources or whatnot, and let the kids kind of come up with different things as well. So that's something I'm challenging myself with that. You know we can't do that every day, don't get me wrong. Um, but I would like to try to do that so that coming here kind of makes me, gives me some ideas and whatnot, and of all the latest, latest, I guess materials are out that we can use for things like that that's wonderful, pat Patrick.

Devin Pintozzi:

Yes, sir, all right. Well, this is Patrick Harry with South Lincoln Pre-K-8 School.

Speaker 2:

We're so happy that you were able to come here and spend some time with us here at T-C-S-S. Yes, sir, thank you. Thank you now, bye, bye.