If Adams City Middle School teacher Trish Ramsey isn't in class, you know something big has happened. "I have a tremendously wonderful attendance record," Ms. Ramsey boasted.
She's only missed a few days of class–the most recent after knee surgery. "Even if I'm not here I spend the whole day thinking about them, wondering what they're doing."
Ms. Ramsey says she knows how important her job is and doesn't want to miss a moment. "I don't miss school," Ms. Ramsey said. "Yeah, you can get a sub, but how am I going to communicate on a piece of paper what they need to do with the kids?"
She also knows how important her example can be for the adolescents. "They see that I like my job and I like them and I want them to do well, so after a while they'll do anything I ask them to do because they know I'm the cheerleader. I'm going to help them succeed."
Right now the middle school students are learning about Aztec king Montezuma and his meeting with Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortez. Ms. Ramsey says just teaching history from a textbook won't work for her students. "With this age group, they have to move. They have to interact. They have to collaborate. You have to let them talk. You have to let them get up."
"I really feel like this is a marriage between how I get the kids excited to learn this stuff and how I can make this stuff understandable to these kids," she continued. "I try to make the two meet."
Laughter is a big part of Ms. Ramsey classes. She says a little humor can go a long way to helping students through not only tough lessons, but also personal struggles. "I remember how uncomfortable I was in middle school and I remember teachers who were funny and made it seem like 'its okay, you're going to grow out of this awkward stage."
Ms. Ramsey says one of her goals is to build a "community of learners."
"I'm learning with them and we're all learning it together. They don't see me as a person who is pointing out what they did wrong. I'm pointing out what they did well. They will extend themselves because they're not afraid to fail. They know that I'm not going to let them fail."
9NEWS,
CollegeInvest and
Metropolitan State College salute Trish Ramsey, the February 2008 recipient of the 9Teacher Who Cares Award.
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