INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — As a prelude to the new school year, teachers were treated to a Welcome Back to School presentation by famed educator and author Dr. Harry Wong last week.
The event, hosted by the Education Foundation and the School District of Indian River County’s Professional Development Department, was sponsored by PNC Bank.
“This is the teachers’ first day back and we’re kicking it off with the rock star of the education world,” said Cynthia Falardeau, executive director of the Education Foundation, which annually hosts a welcome back event.
“He has been around for a while; he has a very practical approach.”
Students would have one more week before knuckling down to pencils and books, but teachers have already been hard at work preparing their classroom procedures and materials.
“We wanted to energize the teachers and staff for the coming year,” said Falardeau, who estimated that 1,000 public, charter and independent Teachers would attend one of the two presentations. “We were very pleased that we were able to work it out with Dr. Wong.”
When asked what she felt would be the biggest challenge for the upcoming year, new school Superintendent Dr. Fran Adams noted the academic bar was raised and the district faces budget challenges.
She became superintendent June 28, appointed by the School Board of Indian River County upon the retirement of Dr. Harry La Cava.
“For teachers, the focus that we have from the state and federal level is testing,” added Adams. “It puts a lot of pressure on teachers. The overall budget umbrella also affects them; wondering what will happen next.”
Well respected by area teachers and support staff after a 28-year history with the district, where she served as principal in three schools and later as assistant superintendent of curriculum, Adams received a standing ovation from the audience.
“I am humbled and proud to be your superintendent,” she said. “For the fourth year in a row, you are an A-rated school district. For the first time 100% are A’s and B’s. I commit to you that I myself and the leadership team will be with you to take it to the next level.”
Wong, author of the book, “The First Days of School: How to Become an Effective Teacher,” joined on stage by his wife, Dr. Rosemary Wong, gave an entertaining and informative presentation.
“There is only one way to get kids to learn – give them an effective teacher,” said Wong, who proceeded to speak about the methods developed over more than 30 years in the classroom, which resulted in his students having a zero dropout rate, no discipline problems, a 95 percent homework turn-in factor, and documented master-level learning.
“I loved Harry Wong because he focuses on procedures,” said Holly Vannoy, who taught for six years at Citrus Elementary and has just developed a revised set of procedures for her new position as a reading resource specialist at Dodgertown Elementary.
“Building those procedures at the beginning of school teaches the students about being a team and building a community in the classroom,” said Vannoy. “Once you set those procedures and routines, the students are familiar with what you expect and it helps the school year to run smoothly. You don’t have to redirect them constantly because you’ve already taught those routines up front. Whether I’m working with a student one-on-one or a large group, I always give my procedures up front so they know what to expect.”
