May 08, 2008 10:39 am
—
By MICHELLE MILLER
Staff Writer
MILFORD — Milford Central School fourth-grade
teacher Priscilla Heath says she considers
school to be like a job, and just as
she is expected to show up prepared
and ready to work each day, she expects
the same from her students.
Heath reinforces this method by
hosting a store in her classroom after
each marking period. There are three
marking periods in a school year.
``The store is an excellent tool for
providing positive reinforcement and recognizing those
children who consistently put forth,’’ says Heath.
Heath says every student has the opportunity to
earn a dollar a day for carrying out their ``job’’ and not
getting their name on the board. As an added bonus,
Heath says an additional $10 is given to the students at
the end of each week if their names did not appear on
the board for the entire week. This money, of course, is
not real and is made of paper.
Before each marking period ends, money saved is
calculated and deposited into each student’s fictitious
checking account. Money can then be spent at the classroom
store, which consists of three large tables with an
assortment of priced items such as Webkinz (stuffed
animal that comes alive online), board games, hair accessories,
stuffed animals, posters, pencils and figurines.
Heath says not only is shopping a fun experience,
but it also teaches the students about money management
skills and gets them to use math. Each student
has his or her own checkbook with a record book and
deposit slips. The students are responsible for keeping
their money in a safe place, which Heath says teaches
responsibility.
Heath, who has been teaching fourth-grade at MCS
for two years, says she came up with the idea of having
a classroom store after researching a plethora of different
classroom management techniques.
``I wanted a system for inspiring students to succeed,’’
says Heath. ``Our classroom store provides a
unique opportunity to celebrate doing our best and focuses
on the positive aspects of school.’’
There are 16 students in
Heath’s class, and many say
they really enjoy having a
classroom store.
Lene Olsen says, ``It’s a lot
of fun and it’s neat how you
get to earn the money and
get to spend it how you
want.’’
Abby Freer says, “It’s a
celebration of all our hard
work and it teaches us how
to save money so we can buy
something more expensive.’’
Freer also says students
must choose items to purchase
carefully because there
are no returns.
Heath says many of the
students are very unselfish
shoppers and prefer to spend
their money on family members
instead of themselves.
Hannah Baker says she
bought two Christmas presents
for her mom during her
first shopping experience at
the classroom store. She said
she also bought an Etch-ASketch
for herself.
Heath says fourth-grade
happens to be one of her favorite
years to teach because
the students are transitioning
towards becoming more
independent and enjoy learning.
However, Heath says
she did not always want to
become a teacher.
``My dream was always to
become a Barbara Walters
and become a broadcast journalist,’’
says Heath.
Heath says her original
plan was to attend The College
of Saint Rose in hopes of
making her dream come true,
but financial reasons kept
her home in Charlotte Valley.
She says instead of going
to college, she began working
part-time at the local Quickway.
It was not until the superintendent
of Charlotte Valley
Central School, the school
Heath had attended, came to
visit the Quickway that
Heath considered working
with children. Heath says he
asked her to substitute at
the school to see if she would
like it or not.
``I didn’t think it would be
something I would like to
do,’’ says Heath. ``I didn’t
think I would like working
with students.’’
Heath says she was proven
wrong, and soon started
taking on several subbing
jobs in the area. Heath eventually
took on a long-term
substitute position at Unadilla
Valley Central School
teaching social studies and
was hired full-time by MCS.
Heath received her master’s
degree from SUNY Oneonta
and says she loves teaching.
``It is not only a career endeavor,
but a tremendous
passion,’’ says Heath. ``There
is no other feeling like being
able to make a difference in
the life of a child. One hundred
years from now it will
not matter what kind of car I
drove, what kind of house I
live in, how much money I
had in my bank account or
what my clothes looked like.
The world will be a better
place because I was important
in the life of a child.’’
Aside from the classroom
store, Heath also has kids
and parents get involved in
the learning experience by
taking part in a weekly newsletter.
Each Friday, the students
write down what they
have learned and reflect on
their behavior. Heath says
the students must provide a
sentence that evaluates how
they behaved for a week and
from there, she writes a comment
about that particular
student with highlights or
concerns from the week. The
students return the newsletters
the following Monday
morning with signatures
from their parents and according
to Heath, there is
also a section for families to
write comments back to her.
``I believe that communication
between home and
school is imperative to a
child’s success,’’ says Heath.
A popular quote Heath
says she likes to refer to is,
``It takes a village to raise a
child.’’
Class Council is held every
Friday afternoon in
Heath’s fourth-grade classroom.
Heath says during
Class Council, students sit in
a circle on the carpet to talk,
which provides an opportunity
to create a level of comfort
for each student and to
instill a sense of community.
She says students bring up
issues that might be bothering
them, what they are
proud of or things that they
are looking forward to.
Throughout the week,
students are able to fill out a
small slip of paper called an
“Encouraging Word.” According
to Heath, students can
fill out an “Encouraging
Word” for any student in the
classroom seen doing something
kind. She says the
written comments are shared
during Class Council and
then the students ``proudly’’
tape the slips in their lockers.
Communication is the key
to success, says Heath.
Heath says she spends a
lot of her own personal money
on items for the classroom
store, and although parents
have been ``extremely generous,’’
she would appreciate
donations. She can be contacted
at 286-7721 ext. 8118
or via e-mail at
PHeath@milfordcentral.org.
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