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Ms. Julia LeGrand
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Ophir Elementary School
Hometown:
LaCrosse, WI
Class Information:
Room Number: 6
Students per Class: 75
Class Description:
The Ophir School is a K-8 school located in Big Sky, Montana. Next year, we will open the first High School in Montana in 50 years!! Although we live in a property rich area, we serve a diverse population of students. Many students' parents work in the construction and service industry and have trouble making ends meet, especially because the cost of living is so high. We are desperately trying to outfit ourselves technologically. However, living in a small mountain town makes this difficult for us. Students in my classes have a close-knit, small-town Montana life, which of course makes them hungry to explore the outside world.
Position:
Teacher
Needs:
We need 5 digital cameras to start a school newspaper. This newspaper would serve to inform students and their families of life at Ophir school, events in the community and school, as well as introduce students to the exciting world of journalism. Journalism allows me to work individually with student writers to hone their skills. It also requires them to analyze their world, a skill which is much needed as we enter increasingly complex times.
My Philosophy:
Our students are growing up in an increasingly technological world, one which requires its citizens to be technologically savvy on a level never before seen in our history. Beyond this, students need strong analytical skills to maintain a competitive edge in the global market of outsourcing. For this reason, I focus on critical thinking and comprehensive writing skills in my classroom, with a focus on media literacy. My goal is for all of my students to be able to "read" their world. I use the quotation marks because the skills students need for literacy in the 21st century have become much more diverse and complex including multiple forms of media. As a teacher of literacy therefore, my methods must adapt to meet this new world and prepare students for life in it. I teach students how to discern fact from opinion, how to evaluate online sources, and how to read the hidden advertisements directed at them. But I also teach them how to use technology to enhance their education and their lives in ways their parents only dreamed of. It is my hope to produce great thinkers who will express themselves to the world using myriad forms of technology.
Personal Information:
Activities:
Snowboarding, nordic skiing, yoga,
Favorite Books:
Crime and Punishment, The Grapes of Wrath, The Giver, Stargirl
Favorite Quotes:
"Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds" -Bob Marley "Be the change you wish to see in the world" -Ghandi
Interests:
Media Literacy, Film Studies, French
Employment History:
I worked as an English teacher for two years at Battle Mountain High School in Vail, CO, before moving to Big Sky, MT to teach grades 5-8 Language Arts at Ophir.
Why Do I Teach?:
It's FUN! I love the energy and intelligence of young people and watching them light up when they "get it!" It also provides me with a creative outlet and encourages me to keep learning.