Chef Dave
05-03-2008, 03:55 PM
The 2008 National Teacher of the Year is a middle school science teacher with seven years teaching experience from Oregon named Michael Geisen. He was honored at a White House ceremony on April 30, 2008 by President George W. Bush. Also recognized at this ceremony were all state teachers of the year.
While Mr. Geisen was being honored, he tactfully suggested that Mr. Bush reconsider NCLB. He suggested that NCLB overwhelms schools with test regimes and that it crushes creativity instead of encouraging it.
Surprisingly enough, all of Mr. Geisen's remarks were approved by the White House staff who were responsible for editing his comments before he made them at the ceremony.
http://www.oregonlive.com/education/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1209612307255970.xml&coll=7
Some of his accomplishments during the past seven years have included:
Using music to help his students learn about science. One of the songs is a blues tune sung from the perspective of a lonely bacterium. The Beatles' hit, "Come Together," is sung to highlight the effects of gravity.
Co-Sponsor "Night of the Electric Creation" During this annual event, students design projects to highlight their energy knowledge.
Service with the District Resource and Conservation Committee: As a member of this committee, he helped develop incentives and ideas to help the district achieve energy and resource conservation goals.
Sponsor of a Rock Climbing Wall: He earned a special district award for spending hundreds of volunteer hours raising funds, planning, and constructing a 1000 ft. rock climbing wall at his school. He also received donations to acquire rock climbing gear from several companies.
Bench Mark Coordinator: As the department chair of his school, he has led a 6 person science team to address scientific illiteracy. During this time, his team facilitated the increase of state test scores from 44% to 72%
Member of the Technology Implementation Team: During this past year, the technology team was able to provide laptops for all 6th grade students.
http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:dgtRx7K3nQ4J:www.ccsso.org/content/PDFs/2008ORNTOYFAPP.pdf+Michael+Geisen&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=us&client=firefox-a
While Mr. Geisen was being honored, he tactfully suggested that Mr. Bush reconsider NCLB. He suggested that NCLB overwhelms schools with test regimes and that it crushes creativity instead of encouraging it.
Surprisingly enough, all of Mr. Geisen's remarks were approved by the White House staff who were responsible for editing his comments before he made them at the ceremony.
http://www.oregonlive.com/education/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1209612307255970.xml&coll=7
Some of his accomplishments during the past seven years have included:
Using music to help his students learn about science. One of the songs is a blues tune sung from the perspective of a lonely bacterium. The Beatles' hit, "Come Together," is sung to highlight the effects of gravity.
Co-Sponsor "Night of the Electric Creation" During this annual event, students design projects to highlight their energy knowledge.
Service with the District Resource and Conservation Committee: As a member of this committee, he helped develop incentives and ideas to help the district achieve energy and resource conservation goals.
Sponsor of a Rock Climbing Wall: He earned a special district award for spending hundreds of volunteer hours raising funds, planning, and constructing a 1000 ft. rock climbing wall at his school. He also received donations to acquire rock climbing gear from several companies.
Bench Mark Coordinator: As the department chair of his school, he has led a 6 person science team to address scientific illiteracy. During this time, his team facilitated the increase of state test scores from 44% to 72%
Member of the Technology Implementation Team: During this past year, the technology team was able to provide laptops for all 6th grade students.
http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:dgtRx7K3nQ4J:www.ccsso.org/content/PDFs/2008ORNTOYFAPP.pdf+Michael+Geisen&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=us&client=firefox-a