Teacher Wins Big for Her Students

Teacher Wins Big for Her Students








West Columbia – School budgets have been cut all over our state, but one teacher has a little more money for her kids’ education this year.

Meghan Blackburn, a teacher who works with special needs kids at George I. Pair Elementary, had one of the winning essays in a contest inspired by the now-famous J.V. Martin Middle School student Ty’sheoma Bethea.

The contest was sponsored by Walmart and gave out $160,000 to schools around the country. Meghan will receive $8,000 and is already working to determine how to spend it.

“I used to hate school and was frustrated, but that has all changed now.”

These are the words Meghan, a resource teacher. She imagined her students’ writing at the end of the year.

“All of my students have some form of disability, either mild to moderate. It’s learning disability, ADHD, Autism or behavior disorders,” she says, “My kids have a really hard time getting motivation to do anything. They’re several grades behind, so school’s very hard for them.”

She included her hopes in the essay she sent to the write to change the classroom program. “I was at home watching TV on summer break, like most teachers do! I was very excited!” she says about when she got the call.

For a school where 92 percent of the students are on free or reduced lunch, raising money can be hard for any teacher. Says Meghan, “Budgets are getting smaller, and there’s not any excess for additional things.”

But, that goes double for classrooms where needs are a little different, if not greater.

“We all struggle in some areas. Some of us don’t struggle in reading, but some of us can’t sit still for an hour. So, it’s nice to show them that everyone has their flaws, but to just help them overcome theirs,” says Meghan.

She’s been getting input from her students and already has plans to add a Nintendo Wii to her classroom. “It will teach them and show them: ‘Look you can do this.’ It wasn’t the Wii who taught you your spelling words. It’s, ‘You can do it if you just put the work and effort into it,’” she says.

The anticipation is already there too. “I have several boys that are first in line for the Wii!” she laughs.

Meghan says she’s expecting to receive the money Thursday.

She’s also hoping to invest in a smart board for her room, lots of audio books and a video camera to keep track of how much their reading improves over the school year.

Source: http://www.wltx.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=77685&catid=35