Hello, I'm Phyllis Smith.
I currently teach first grade at Naches Trail Elementary in Bethel School
District.
Next year I will stay with my same students for second grade.
Beliefs about Education:
--I believe that young children deserve to be schooled in an atmosphere
of safety, mutual respect and excitement about learning.
--I believe that a teacher of young children (older ones, too!) must be
an enthusiastic learner who learns from and with his/her students. I believe
that both teacher and students need to be risk-takers in exploring and creating
knowledge.
--I believe that technology can transform education only if teaching is
transformed as educators explore, with their students, ways that technological
tools can make learning more efficient and joyful. I would like to see technology
used in my classroom as casually and as appropriately as pencils and scissors.
I am trying to empower my students to manage and wisely use the classroom
technology we are so fortunate to have.
Personal History:
--BA in Education.....Sterling College
--M. Education ........University of Washington (Tacoma)
--Thirty years' teaching experience in Kansas, New Mexico, France (DOD Schools),
and Washington (..and I have a few good years left!)
--Bethel School District committees: Advisory Council for Technology, Trainer
of Trainers, Webpage Project, Math Piloting and Data Gathering
--Building Committees: Site Council (1990-95), Chair of Tech Committee
--I am an Elder in the Presbyterian Church, a former foster parent, a member
of AAUW, BEA,WEA, NEA, PTA and Phi Delta Kappa
Technology: 
My school tech project this year is to help all my students to:
1. Learn word-processing skills to enable the writing process
2. Make their own webpages
3. Learn to set up and shut down our mini-lab, save to disks, print, and
open and close programs correctly
My personal technology project is:
to create and post webpage backgrounds on the internet. I get responses
to these from all over the world. Sometimes I make custom backgrounds for
teachers and students in other states and countries who do not have the
software to do that themselves. You can see them at this address:
