Jackie Cooke
Oregon Teacher of the Year
West Gresham Grade School, Gresham
Grade 1, All Subjects

My teaching philosophy
“Teach Children what to think and you will limit them to your ideas. Teach them how to think and their ideas are unlimited.” This quote by an unknown author sums up a philosophy that is at the heart of my teaching. It is said that we now live in an information age. Content available for students to learn is increasing at such a rapid rate that is impossible for any one person to keep up with it all. To prepare students for their future, I help teach them how to be good problem solvers, use higher-level thinking skills and processes that will enable them to efficiently find, manage, organize, and prioritize information. In that capacity, I serve much more as the “guide on the side” as opposed to the “sage on the stage.”

My philosophy in action
I try to build in a lot of choice for students and opportunities for differentiated learning based on student differences. Learning centers, math stations, and 7 computers help me to provide these individualized experiences. I use a combination of classroom assessments, observations, and individual interviews to know exactly what my students can do and where they still need help. Reading to stay current on best practices so that I use effective instructional techniques, modeling what I am expecting from students, and using real world contexts whenever possible are all a big part of my beliefs about teaching and they are then reflected back into the classroom.

My greatest teaching accomplishment
One of my favorite stories to tell about what I have accomplished as a teacher has to do with teaching the Japanese language to my students for the last twelve years. I audited Japanese language classes at Mt. Hood Community College on and off in the late 90’s As a result, I was invited to participate in a sister school exchange program between MHCC and Ryokohu University of Otsu City, Japan. While touring a shrine in Kyoto, we met up with a group of Gresham High School students who were also visiting Japan. Among that group were three of my former students who were in the original group I had started informally teaching Japanese to during their first and second grade school years. What a small world it is! Upon returning, one of the students in that group volunteered in my classroom for the next two years. He just graduated from high school this last spring and plants to study education at college. It’s sometimes hard to know where a teacher’s influence will end.

The most critical issues facing educators today
One of the most important issues in education today is improving students’ performance in mathematics. It has been shown in numerous reports that mathematics is a “gatekeeper” to economic access, full citizenship, and educational advancement.

Ways to resolve this issue
Trying to improve student’s performance in mathematics needs to start well before students reach middle or high school. What happens at the elementary level can have a huge impact on students’ performance at the middle and high school level. As an elementary teacher, I believe it is important that we begin to promote ourselves as math teachers in the same way we have always seen ourselves as reading teachers. There is as much of a need for a “numeracy” movement in the elementary schools as there has been a focus on literacy. We should develop classrooms that empower all students’ attitudes and performances in mathematics.

One thought to inspire teachers to succeed
I often use the following quote when speaking to my students or the teachers that I am working with in professional development activities: “There is no such thing as failure, only opportunities to learn.” I point to Thomas Edison as a model. His early attempts to come up with the right filament for the light bulb were dismal failures. He tried a thousand different materials - with no success. When he was asked if he felt his time had been wasted, since he had discovered nothing, he replied, "Hardly, I have discovered a thousand things that don't work." If something is not working, I look at how it can inform my teaching and help me the next time around. I’d encourage teachers to continue to read, take classes, try out new ideas, and never give up on their students.

One lesson every student should learn:
Students should learn how to be their own best friends. Find out what they like to do and are good at, then spend time doing it. Be happy and they will find that this will attract people to them.

Back to the 2007 Teacher Profiles home page