Teacher Tuesday: Whitney Truong

Caffeinated Counselor Introduction
I met Whitney six years ago and just a few weeks after the school year had started. We were a few kids over on our numbers and needed to hire a fifth teacher for first grade. It was already October by the time she started, so Whitney was hired to be our "floater" teacher. She pulled small groups all day, came up with unique lesson plans, and you really couldn't even tell she was a first year teacher. 

I remember during her interview, we all agreed that she was professional, well spoken, sweet, and had a genuine love for students. I love all of those things in a teacher, but I was also thinking, "Is she fun? Can we be friends with her?". Your team is like a family and the four of us had been together for 6 years. The other three had been together for about 12 years at that point. Good news, people. Yes, we could be really good friends with her. Here is a picture of some of the current and former first grade teachers at Whitney's wedding last year. 

Whitney is witty, she sees the humor in situations and keeps calm under even the most stressful conditions. For example, when I was absent one day of the entire school year because I had woken up with a really bad fever, I just called Whitney and asked her to cover my class for the day instead of pulling her groups. Well, it just so happened to be the day there was a tornado outbreak in North Texas that had the teachers and students sheltering in place well after the school day ended. Frantic parents, panicked teachers, crying children, and Whitney was as cool as a cucumber. Well, probably not on the inside, but everyone was so impressed with how she had handled that situation as a first year teacher.  

The next year, we were down on numbers again so Whitney did a quick stint in 4th grade. That is a big jump to make, but she handled it like a pro. And then, we promptly stole her back the next year when two of our teachers retired. #sorry4thgrade #butnotthatsorry


Teacher Interview

How long have you been teaching? 

6 years

What is your classroom decor? 

Bees

Now read her reasoning for BEEing all about bees...

I think that bees are super cute and great for the environment, but my love of bees goes so much deeper. There is an inspirational quote that paraphrased basically says that bees should not be able to fly, but they do every day. I have seen recent research that disproves this theory. Regardless, I love the idea of bees overcoming the impossible every time they take flight. I teach this to my kiddos at the beginning of every year by reading a book called Buzzy the Bumblebee. It is all about a bee who reads that he should not be able to fly, walks home, cries to his parents, and is reminded by them that labels and limits should not hold us back. I designed my classroom around the idea that my kiddos will face struggles, but if they put their minds to it they can get through it! I tell them at the beginning of the year that I am going to teach them to fly. I love to see them soar throughout the year and even beyond my classroom.

What is your favorite story about a student? 

My first "official" year of teaching was when I taught fourth grade. It is overwhelming to be a new teacher. You have so much passion for what you are doing, but you realize you have no idea what you are doing. You feel kind of insecure and unsure of yourself. I was feeling all of these emotions and more on Meet the Teacher Night UNTIL one of my kiddos came in wearing a tuxedo t-shirt and carrying a bouquet of flowers for me. I knew I still had a lot to learn as a teacher, but I also knew that I fell in love with my fourth graders that night and because of that love for them and my passion for teaching, we were all going to be ok.

This is a pic of Whitney and her awesome 4th grade team.

What is your favorite lesson to teach?

I don't have a favorite lesson, but I do have a favorite subject. I love teaching MATH! There are so many great resources out there for awesome math activities, that it makes it easy for me to teach and fun for the kiddos. I love helping them find math in the world around them and apply what we are learning in the classroom to their everyday lives.

What inspires you? What is your strong?

I want to be a lifelong teacher for my students. I tell them they will always be my kiddos even when they leave my classroom. Nothing makes me happier than when a kiddo comes back to visit. I feel like I have made a difference. After all, most of us are in the profession to make a positive impact in our students' lives. My kiddos are my inspiration and my "strong".

What is your favorite Techy Tool?

I love OSMO! It is an iPad app that creates an awesome basic skills foundation based on number and letter combinations. It keeps the kiddos engaged and makes learning exciting!

Also, Whitney has her own amazing blog that I love reading. Check her out at http://buzzfulthoughts.blogspot.com/

What is your favorite Caffeinated Beverage?

Coffee with milk and a little hint of flavored creamer.

She even has the perfect mug to go with it! 

What is your favorite school celebration?

I love all of our special days, but the 100th Day is my favorite!

Who is your favorite author?

I loved Roald Dahl growing up and still do! His books are a little too high level for my firsties, but I hope they will fall in love with Matilda and Willy Wonka just like I did in upper elementary.

Tell us your best classroom management trick.

Bees! Who would have thought? It really isn't bees, but table points. I have these soft bees that I "throw" to a student/table for good behavior, answering a question, etc. At the end of the day, students get to count their bees and the table with the most bees at the end of the week gets a reward.

Favorite teacher you've ever had?

Coach Wirwhan was my high school government teacher. I had no interest in government, but I love how he had a solid personal relationship with all of his students. He had a large windowsill in his room and it was full of senior pics of his students from over the years. It let his current students know that he will never forget them. He also encouraged me to go to TCU when I decided to move back to Texas in the middle of my freshman year of college. I will never forget him.

Student Interview

Connor and Maddy helped me out with this student interview. My only wish is that I could have recorded the entire interview. They answered these questions very seriously. When I explained what a blog is for and that other people would be reading it they said, "So, we are gonna be FAMOUS?". So if you see them around, make sure you treat them like the celebrities they are!

1. How old is your teacher?

Connor-27
Maddy-31

2. What does your teacher do for fun?

C- Thinks about lessons for our class!
M-Watches TV! The show is Cosmos so she can learn about space.

3. What would your teacher do with $1,000,000?

C- Make Beverly bigger. It is the best school in Plano, so she wants lots more kids to come here.
M- A school full of diamonds.

4. If your teacher wasn't a teacher, what would she be?

C- A Scientist
M- A bee catcher with a net

Speaking of Scientists, look at this precious science KWL word wall I found in her room...

                

5. If your teacher was a fruit, which one would she be?

C- A honeycrisp apple. She loves bees and bees love honey.

M- A watermelon because she is sweet and she loves red.

6. What is something your teacher doesn't like?

C-People that aren't having fun.

M- She doesn't like for her students to be bored.

This is perfect! People that aren't having fun are the worst haha!

7. If your teacher could teleport, where would she go?

C- I think she would go home because she's probably exhausted. #teacherlife

M- A beach. With bees.

8. What makes your teacher so special?

C- She loves to learn!

M- We both love insects.

Other fun facts:

Maddy-Did you know she is married to Mr. Truong?

Me- Yes, I did know that. What do you think Mr. Truong's first name is?

M-Truong

C-That doesn't seem right?

M- Yea, maybe it's Nick.

C-Yes, Nick is it!

Ok Duke, I'll just be calling you Nick from now on!

I hope you all loved learning about the amazing Whitney Truong!