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| Educator and Puppeteer Markie Scholz |
I am always energized by the many opportunities for professional development in my district. One such avenue is our local Reading Council. Last week we had the opportunity to hear educator and puppeteer Markie Scholz. We had the delightful opportunity to hear and speak about using puppetry to enhance our teaching. But wait…that wasn’t all! We also had the chance to make our very own sock puppet. This was quite the experience.
My student intern, Ms. Kolbach, wasn’t able to attend the meeting last week and missed out on all the fun. It was student intern, Ms. DiMaria, to the rescue! Luckily, Ms. DiMaria brought her own supplies and expertise to our room. Ms. DiMaria, had such a good time that she worked with Ms. Kolbach to make a puppet for her dental health unit this week.
One of the things that Markie said was that “Enthusiasm is everything.” So true! It reminded me of one of my favorite quotes by Ralph Waldo Emerson: “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” How has enthusiasm made a difference in your teaching?
To find out more about Markie and her puppets, visit her website at http://www.dragonsaretooseldom.com/markie.html. Check out the cool “dragon cave” (geodesic dome))where Markie lives with her husband, Dick Termes, artist and inventor of the Termesphere. Markie’s site even includes directions on how to make your own sock puppet. Trust me, it’s addicting. It’s not just for kids or educators in lower elementary. Did I mention that Ms. DiMaria is an intern in a fifth grade classroom! And while your surfing the web, be sure to visit Dick’s site at http://termespheres.com/. Be prepared to be amazed.
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| Ms. DiMaria and Ms. Hoscheid ready to embark on some fun |
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| Partners necessary: Mrs. Tautkus rolling a sock on my arm |
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| Mrs. Tautkus gluing away |
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| Proudly showing off our creations |
I feel enthusiasm is what makes or breaks every lesson taught! If you are not enthused about teaching something then you cannot expect your students to be. The puppets were a great addition to our classroom and I think our enthusiasm is what made the puppet lesson even better!
ReplyDeleteBy sharing our enthusiasm for learning, we are being role models for our students. When we get excited about the learning, they do too. Several times throughout the year our students have been so excited that they have all started clapping. How’s that for enthusiasm?
ReplyDeleteI think our enthusiasm for what we are teaching is the biggest motivation for our students. If they see that we are excited about the lesson at hand, they are more engaged and usually have much better discussions with their peers.
ReplyDeleteLooking back on all the fun we had that day is inspiring me to introduce my puppet friend to my new students. We have an "Old Lady that Swallowed a Fly" puppet/game in our classroom and that has been occupying our time before/after the D-Step, so maybe we will have some puppet time next week! I love all the amazing Knollwood puppets! We did an awesome job ladies =)
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