By Kathy Kurtz Ferrari
Staff Writer
7/2/09
A buzz of energy emanates from Soondarie Barker’s Tucker kindergarten classroom. Inside, 16 little students look more like blurs as they hop from activity to activity in the bright and colorful classroom.
What they don’t realize is that they are learning while playing – an important teaching trick that Barker, assisted by teacher’s aide Elaine Coughlin, has up her sleeve.
Barker’s skills in helping little ones learn were recognized by Tucker Principal Drew Echelson, who nominated her this year for Massachusetts Teacher of the Year. She was named one of the five finalists in the highly selective process.
While she wasn’t chosen as the winner at the June 18 ceremony held on the grand staircase at the State House, a visit to her classroom confirms that she deserves the honor.
The racially diverse class was busy working in groups of four or five, some illustrating poetry, a few making patterns with colored blocks, others signing their names on T-shirts to remember their year in Barker’s class.
“I have never nominated a teacher before,” said Echelson. “But what’s special about her is she pushes the students to produce amazing work. It’s not stuff you generally see in kindergarten.”
Massachusetts Teacher of the Year consideration is based on a grueling and rigorous process including nomination, portfolio submission, speech writing, videotaping classroom instruction, panel interviews, and panel presentations. The program is administered by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Each year, the program honors a Massachusetts teacher who exemplifies fine teaching in the commonwealth. Just to be among the finalists is an impressive feat.
Barker, a resident of Milton, was also awarded the Milton Early Childhood Alliance’s Professional Recognition Award earlier this year. And her teaching style comes from her creativity and love of children.
“I’m so lucky to work with her,” said Coughlin, who has worked with Barker throughout the year. “She’s a good person, and she’s so good at being creative every day. She has so many fabulous ideas.”
All year, students in Barker’s classroom have taken part in projects such as making writer’s notebooks, along with drawing illustrations to go along with them. Her teaching style is motivated by the energy of the students, which she captures to guide the class.
“Kindergartners are motivated to learn,” Barker said, as she guided a project. “They bring a kaleidoscope of needs and energy, and I sometimes feed off of them to see where it goes. A lot of times I can use that to teach a lesson.”
And those lucky students who have been in her classroom can be confident that their award-winning teacher has given her all to make sure they’re ready to head to first grade.
(For more photos of the kindergarten class, visit www.miltontimes.com and click on Milton Times Photos.)