On the List

I am so excited that I made the list! Recently I was contacted about being one of the Top US Education Blogs for this year.

Twinkl's Top US Education Blogs 2020

“We always love reading education bloggers’ excellent teaching tips, strategic lesson planning, and funny classroom stories, and we thought we’d take the opportunity to showcase some of our favorites from this year. Without further ado, and in no particular order, here’s our list of best U.S. education blogs for 2020…”

If you get a chance, please check out the list!

Give Greatness Award

Give Greatness Award

“Nominate a colleague who inspires greatness in their students, their peers, or the community. Someone who goes above and beyond; someone who makes a difference.

Share their story below and you will BOTH be entered to WIN a classroom technology package.”

Here is what the winner could win:

“Each Grand Prize classroom technology package includes:

SMART Board® 7000 Series interactive display with iQ

SMART Learning Suite software subscription

A SMART Document Camera™ 550

SMART Audio™ 400 classroom amplification

30 Chromebooks

Wall mount and installation services

SMART training and implementation support

The two grand prize classroom technology packages have a combined value of over $40,000/£30,000."

I’m always talking about how we don’t share enough positive stuff about teachers and I’ve heard from many of you that you agree. Now is the time to show that you mean what you say!

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One of the Top 50

Last week I got an email congratulating me as my blog Successful Teaching had been selected by their team as one of the Top 50 Teacher Blogs on Shoutabout’s site. I always feel so honored when I’m chosen to be on someone’s list. I was also glad to see that many of the blogs that I like to read where also on the list. I feel so humble to be listed among them. I hope you get a chance to look at the list and consider reading some of the other ones that are there also. Thank you for reading my blog! 

VIP Award

I attended the SCCEC 2013 Conference at Myrtle Beach, SC this year.

At the awards breakfast, I was given the VIP award for chapter presidents.

This award is given to Chapter and Subdivision Presidents who meet the following criteria:

· Assist in the development of the Chapter/Subdivision planning document for the year.

· Call a minimum of four executive meetings a year; agendas and minutes are submitted.

· Arrange for the Chapter/Subdivision to be represented at all SCCEC Executive Board meetings.

· Submit at least 2 articles to the Palmetto.

· Turn in representative assembly registrations.

· Sumit an completed annual report.

· Submit at least one nominee for SCCEC Award.

The photo shows Amanda Walkup (Secretary/Treasurer of Chapter 877) and me with my plaque.

Fascination Award Nomination

Please vote for me!
An email from Matthew Pelletier that told me,

“An article you wrote in 2011 titled 10 Tips for Confronting Difficult Parents has earned your blog a nomination for a Fascination Award: 2012's Most Fascinating Special Education Teacher blog. The comments posted in response to your post prove that your content not only inspires your audience, but it also creates discussion around your posts, both of which are requirements for the nomination of a Fascination award.”


The Accelerated Degree web page states,

“The Fascination Awards are an annual collection of the web’s most inspirational and thought-provoking blogs.
To be nominated for the award, your blog must:
· Inspire your audience
· Encourage discussion through comment posting
· Contain genuinely fascinating content
Blogs are nominated by our editorial team and are voted on by our readers.
Voting will take place on our Google Plus page. The nominee list shall be posted once voting begins:
· Nominations Posted & Voting Starts: July 02, 2012 (1:01 EST)
· Voting ends, 1^st place winner is chosen: July 09, 2012 (11:59 PM EST)
Category: Special Education Teacher Blogs

To qualify as a Special Education Teacher blog, your blog must meet one of the following conditions:
· The blog is updated by a Special Education teacher, either a traditional school/university teacher, or a resource person on Special Education online.
· The blog gives updates and shares information for parents to help promote better understanding of special education procedures.
· The blog promotes emotional and educational growth in children with special needs.”

Badge by Accelerated Degree

Yes I Can! Award Winner

This year we were excited to learn that one of the Yes I Can! Award winners was from our own area. His name is Alex Staarman from Simpsonville, SC. He won the award in the area of Academics.

According to the Council for Exceptional Children website, “The Yes I Can! Awards honor children and youth with disabilities who excel. Thousands of children and youth have been recognized since the program’s inception in 1982.”

Also according to the website:

“Alex, 18, conquers the social and academic hurdles of his disabilities and flourishes as a model employee at his local grocery store job. His work ethic and determination have been a great driver of his success while taking honors and advanced placement courses, as well as working part time at the store.”

You can read more about Alex from the press release.

We are so proud of you Alex!

(Thanks to his mom, Debbie Staarman, for sharing these pictures with me!)

Original photos courtesy of Debbie Staarman

Stylish Award

Sioux from Sioux’s Page gave me the Stylish Blogger Award. Now, I have never been called stylish before, so I’m thrilled. Stylish has not been one of the things that have ever been noted about me but I am so honored to win this award. I have been asked to write 7 things about myself and give this award to my readers who write 7 things about themselves! So, if you decide to accept this award, let me know so I can read about you too!

Here are 7 things about me:

1. I love to knit. I have knit a bunch of socks which I find relaxing and fun. Now I am learning to spin my own yarn on a drop spindle. Maybe one day I will have my own spinning wheel. I hope this year to knit some sweaters for myself.
2. I love to travel with my husband. We have been all over the US, Paris, London, China, and Italy so far. I’ve been to 48 out of 50 states. I’m still missing Wisconsin and Hawaii. We hoped to go to Glacier National Park this summer but with the gas prices skyrocketing, we may wait for another year. We would love to visit all of the national parks before we die.
3. We recently joined the Red Cross as volunteers. I am excited about all the opportunities to help others in times of disasters. We are taking all of the training we can get so we will be prepared if they deploy us to a disaster.
4. I have been retired for almost 4 years from teaching and loving every minute of it. I’m able to do all those things I never had time to do when I was working. This includes giving presentations about educational tools, taking classes and learning about new things that interest me, and seeing people I haven’t made time for because I was too busy.
5. My favorite movie is To Kill a Mockingbird with Gregory Peck. I love it so much I was thrilled when we moved to our little town which is a lot like the town in the book.
6. Spring is my favorite season! I love to go hiking in the spring and watch the wildflowers come up for a fresh new start. I love the greenness of everything after a spring rain. I love the way the earth is coming alive!
7. I got my ham radio license (Technician) last June and just passed the test to upgrade it to the General class this month. I am enjoying learning about a new hobby and how it can be used in times of emergencies. Maybe we will be able to incorporate this new hobby with our volunteer work at the Red Cross.

Now, please tell me about you!

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Top Teacher South Region Blog Award

OnlineEducationDegrees.com

I was recently given a Top Teacher South Region Blog Award from Online Education Degrees.

Here is what they say about this award,

“Do you want to find the best teachers in the south? Look no further; these award winning blogs bring the best of the best straight to you! Teachers face enormous challenges today with budget cuts, huge classes, and limited resources. The truly excellent teachers stand out above the crown in spite of the day to day trials they face both in the classroom and out. These well written informative blogs will spotlight excellent teachers, how the got there and how they stay there! Thank a teacher today you will be glad you did!”

Thank you so much for this honor. I’m truly glad that my blog helps others which is my main purpose for blogging about teaching. There are also others given this award too and I was glad to see that I follow many of them, so if you get a chance, please check them out.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Thank You Speech

My blog was named in Cory Plough’s EdBLOG14 The Featured Blog of the Week is…Successful Teaching. I was so thrilled that many people took this poll and chose my blog. The other blogs that were also in the poll are exceptional blogs too so I hope you check them out because they are blogs that I subscribe to and read on a daily basis. In fact, they inspire me and what I write in my blog. So, thank you Cory, and many who voted for me and for those that sponsor this project.

As a winner, Grace, the Marketing Communications Specialist at SimpleK12 contacted me about my Featured EdBlog giveaway. I was given a free 1 year membership to SimpleK12’s EdTech UNconference. I am so excited and can’t wait to take advantage of all the things this membership gives me access to and I hope you have time to check it out. I also plan on doing a write up about this once I get involved. Thanks so much SimpleK12!

Thanks also go out to Brady Wood of Shmoop who is sending me a free Shmoop t-shirt, some bookmarks and 1 free Shmoop Teacher's Edition of my choice. I chose Teaching the Transcontinental Railroad.

Original image: 'a thankful heart'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/12673610@N04/3914363448 by: Kyle Steed

Successful Teaching Awarded as a Top 50 Innovator in Education

(See the press release below! I’m so honored! Thank you ecollegefinder.)

April 12th, 2010, Philadelphia, PA – Successful Teaching has recently been honored to receive eCollegeFinder.org’s Education Innovator Award.  The Education Innovator Award recognizes the top 50 Internet-based resources that contribute to the advancement of learning into new and innovative formats.  By promoting the emerging trends in education, Successful Teaching facilitates such change by building on traditional techniques while embracing new tools for sharing information and encouraging the desire to learn. 

Successful Teaching epitomizes the role of an educational pioneer, as it engages students, educators and parents alike, and highlights the myriad of educational opportunities available today.  The Education Innovator Award recognizes Successful Teaching’s exploration of new educational methods, as this willingness to embrace new learning formats truly embodies the innovator spirit.  To view more about the award, visit the eCollegeFinder Education Innovator Award page.

About eCollegeFinder.org

Getting ahead in today's competitive job market requires you to advance your education and knowledge. eCollegeFinder.org helps students find the right online degrees, offering a wide range of Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD degrees as well as specialized certificates and diplomas from the top accredited online colleges and universities.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).