PSEA is a community of education professionals who make a difference in the lives of students every day.
Phoenixville EA member John Odell is in his second successful career.
The eighth-grade science teacher studied meteorology at the University of Oklahoma but felt a calling to serve during the time of the Vietnam War. He joined ROTC with plans to stay in the military for two years. That turned into a 24-year career with the Army.
As he approached the end of his military service, he had decisions to make about his future.
“I remember going to all the parent-teacher conferences, and both of my sons had special needs, and I was really impressed by the administration, the school counselors, and all of the teachers,” he said.
Council Rock EA member Nicole Belick Kratz was in her second year of teaching family and consumer science at Holland Middle School when she learned that due to district renovations, she would not have use of a kitchen – for two years.
How do you teach a cooking curriculum without a kitchen? With a little planning, creativity, and innovation.
Kratz asked the Bucks County school to invest in some small kitchen appliances so her students could still independently create food items. Using blenders, waffle irons, panini presses, and microwaves, her students found success in their makeshift kitchen.
Congratulations to North Pocono EA member Sherri Hughes and her third-grade student, Lillianna. They’re the winners of the “My Teacher is an Olympian” contest, sponsored by PSEA, Partners for Public Education, and the Pennsylvania PTA.
Hughes is a third-grade teacher at Moscow Elementary Center in North Pocono School District, Lackawanna and Wayne counties.
The “My Teacher is an Olympian” contest was open to students in kindergarten through third grade. Students were asked to write three original reasons explaining why their nominee shows one or all of the following qualities of an Olympian: friendship, solidarity, and fair play. They were also asked to illustrate one or more reasons.
