About Ginny Hoover...
Ginny Hoover took an early retirement after 31 years of teaching in Kansas public schools. Her experience spans the 5th through 8th grades. During the last ten years she has functioned as a trainer of teachers in a variety of areas in her district, surrounding districts, professional organizations, and teacher service centers. At the state level Ginny is a state trainer and a writing assessment grader for the KS State Writing Assessment (based on the Six Traits Writing Model), a member of the Kansas Social Studies Committee for writing the social studies standards, benchmarks, and indicators, and the lead trainer for the state in government and civics.
Recently, Teacher TimeSavers has published a variety teaching units and tutoring hookups that Ginny wrote and designed. These include a literary unit for Taming the Star Runner, Hookups for Language Arts, Transcripts of Trials for Goldilocks, The Wolf, and Mr. Dad, and Tactile/Kinesthetic Activity Patterns.
The Gifts of Children by Hoover and Carroll Killingsworth, a book about recognizing, acknowledging, and refining the gifts of children, is scheduled to be published some time this year. Visit Teachers Helping Children--The Gifts Project for additional information.
Ginny's Eclectic Middle School pages
The Gifts of All Children
by Carroll Killingsworth and Ginny Hoover
$16.50
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The Eclectic Teacher
by Ginny Hoover
Ginny's Back to School List of 10
As the new year begins, here is my list of 10!
- Come with an open mind. Be willing to listen to the new ideas that your fellow teachers have accessed over the summer.
- Be willing to share your summer acquisitions of knowledge. Remember to watch for reactions of your contemporaries and to share judiciously. Some just don't want to hear it! Some just can't hear enough!
- Don't worry about the "warnings" you get about some of your upcoming students. Deal with it when the time comes. Personalities react differently to teachers and students who caused one teacher trouble will not necessarily cause you trouble.
- Set the stage. Arrange your classroom to reflect the type of response you want from your students. This may include considerations of furniture arrangement and decorations (i.e., lamps, plants, bulletin boards, desks, reference material).
- Be ready to start the first day the way you wish to continue regarding classroom management. Teachers can always allow more freedom as students learn how to operate within the classroom framework---but it is very hard to retrieve management once it is given away.
- Know your curriculum! Teach to your curriculum. Think of different strategies that will work in teaching the curriculum so the needs of your students will be met. Consider providing detailed instructions via spoken AND written word. The written instructions have the advantage of acting as a checklist and can be a very timesaving technique for teachers.
- Enthusiasm is important. Students should be able to recognize your enthusiasm for teaching/learning (this does not have to take a "cheerleader" format, just a genuine interest in sharing what you know). Students can spot apathy well before they know the word even exists.
- If you are new to a system, find a knowledgeable mentor! Someone who will willingly share "procedure" information. For as many principals there are, there are that many different ways to operate a school! Find out the "unique" rules before they find you!
- Remember to monitor what you say about anyone (principals, teachers, staff, and students) when you are in the general school population. Share genuine reactions only within your trusted group.
- Remember your joy of teaching.
Visit Ginny's Educational WebPages!
Gazette Articles by Ginny Hoover:
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