Warm-Ups Launch Adams Students Into World Of Learning
Cheryl Aleman’s sixth-graders know their way around the world.
In the fall, three of her sixth-grade students - Adam Peterson, Capri Holden and Marvell Tullos - won first place in the Adams Elementary Geography Bee.
But Aleman, a teacher for 18 years, knows that keeping kids sharp involves training in the off-season.
Some of that preparation also requires fostering self-esteem as well as helping students set personal and academic goals.
Aleman starts the first half-hour of groggy Monday mornings by asking her students to write down their personal and academic goals for the week and then proceeds with a quick geography lesson.
“I want to get better test scores … no missing assignments,” wrote Ian Moss.
“Get better at geography,” wrote Christopher “K.C” Rupert. “We had three people go to sixth-grade geography contest and win.”
The lively, energetic teacher who doesn’t drink coffee - she’s allergic to caffeine - is never at a loss as to what to do with her 25 students. She was faced with a particular challenge on Monday morning before spring break, when some kids admitted they were concentrating on the world beyond the confines of the classroom: Spring break. Sleeping in. Softball. Camping.
“I have a philosophy of accountability,” Aleman said. “I have a limited amount of time, so I have a commitment to using that time.”
Since spring break was still a week away, out came the globes and eight questions most adults would be hard pressed to answer.
“Is the Tropic of Cancer north or south of the equator?”
“Name the four oceans of the Earth according to size, largest to smallest.”
“What is the name given to a point of land extending into a body of water?”
On Fridays, Aleman gives her students a geography quiz with Monday’s questions on the test.
And she always take the test, too.
“I exchange papers with the students,” Aleman said. “They get to see how I’ve done.”
Oh, oh - Aleman’s new student-teacher from Eastern Washington University, Scott O’Laughin, will also be expected to take the test on Friday. O’Laughlin acknowledges he wasn’t quite ready for the geography worksheet.
“Let me see those questions again,” he said to Aleman. “I’d better be ready for Friday’s test.”
(For the rest of you wondering, the answers are north; Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic; and peninsula.)
Aleman enjoys teaching sixth-graders. “I love getting them ready for middle school,” she said.
And Aleman said she gets plenty of feedback when it comes to her students’ success in middle school.
The feedback comes through the front door of her home every day.
“My husband, Mike Aleman, teaches at Chase Middle School,” she said. “And he has some of my students.”
Spring break shortened
Spokane School District 81’s 31,363 students will be on spring break from Tuesday, April 8, through Friday, April 11. But school is still in session on Monday, April 7.
Remember November’s ice storm? Snow days? Monday is a snow make-up day, said Laurine Jue, spokeswoman for District 81. School resumes Monday, April 14.
Hutton students pitch in
Kim Johnson’s and Sara Devins’ third- and fourth-grade Hutton students, earned enough money to buy trees for Manito Park and help a little girl with leukemia.
Fourth-grader Wyeth Larson came up the idea to buy trees to replace some that were destroyed by the ice storm, said Deborah Johnson, Hutton’s principal.
Hillary Eaton was in charge of publicity for the event - a cookie, cake and craft sale. Hillary, a fourthgrader, sent press releases to television stations in hopes of publicizing the sale.
The sale, held last Thursday and Friday, earned about $300, Johnson said.
“Now they need to sit down and figure out how they’re going to divide up the money,” she said.
Cupcakes, painted rocks and washrag animals were sold.
“They learned how to count and add up the money, so they turned it into a math lesson as well as a community service,” Johnson said.
“I bought enough Rice Krispies treats to last the weekend,” she admitted.
, DataTimes MEMO: Education Notebook is a regular feature of the South Side Voice. If you have news about an interesting program or activity at a South Side school or about the achievements of South Side students, teachers or school staff, please let us know. Deadline is Monday. Write: Janice Podsada, Education Notebook, South Side Voice, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210. E-mail: janicep@spokesman.com. Call: 459-5439. Fax: 459-5482.