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ABOUT ME:
Mrs. Trona Jurden
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I am so excited about
teaching in the public school classroom. And I am especially
excited to be back at "home" at Hartman.
I taught second
grade with the "exemplary" Gator team
at Groves Elementary here in Wylie in 2006-2007. To get
closer to my own daughters I needed to move back to this side
of town. So in 2007 I transferred to Hartman.
I
taught second grade at Hartman here in Wylie for five years
1992-1997. Then I was a busy mom at home for 9
years with my 3
daughters and busy directing our church's Mother's Day Out
Program.
My
daughters are Ellie, Lizzy, and Molly. We have
two cocker spaniels Princess and Duke. We have lived in
Wylie since 1992.
I was
Hartman's pick for teacher of the year in 1996. What
an honor! It is an honor to be back on my home
campus at Hartman.
Recently, I served
on the WISD curriculum writing team and currently I serve on
Hartman's Curriculum, Skills, and Instruction team.
Before coming to
Wylie, I taught first grade one year in Hearne, Texas.
(1991-1992)
I graduated from Texas A&M University, College Station
in 1991 with my degree
in Education and Curriculum. I am certified to teach
early childhood -8 grade. My area of specialization is
reading. I have an ESL endorsement.
I also love to teach children at church. I love my
Sunday school class and my Vacation Bible School teaching
adventures. My husband, Mr. Jerry, is also an Aggie and
helps me with the singing in my Sunday school class. He
loves to play all sorts of instruments. He is the IT director at a small
company in Rockwall. |
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Philosphy &
Thoughts On Teaching: |
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Philosophy of Teaching:
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I teach with the belief that all my children
will learn. It is my job to cut the chunks of knowledge up into
bite-sized, meaningful pieces and tempt them to taste it.
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I teach with the belief that students are unique
individuals who need nurturing. It is my job to create an
environment where the children are loved and feel encouraged to
become more confident and better skilled individuals.
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I teach with the belief that hard work and
accomplishments increase children’s self-esteem. It is my job to
provide appropriate, challenging, work opportunities where growth
can occur.
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I teach with the belief that learning is essential
and can be exciting. It is my job to combine essential skill
elements with interesting, engaging, and fun activities. As a class we have
to be there 6+ hours a day, it is my job to make it pleasant,
successful, and productive.
Philosophy of The Classroom:
High expectations are a must
for any classroom, and equally important is a caring, dedicated
teacher making sure the students’ needs are met. Each student is a
unique and precious individual and must be motivated, encouraged,
and assisted so he/she will reach his/her potential. The major
goal for my young students is that regardless of background each
one becomes a successful reader -- that they enjoy reading and are
successful at decoding text and comprehending meaning or written
text. Interpreting written text as well as communicating through
their own writings are so important. It is so rewarding at the end
of the year to look through their portfolios to see how far they
have come.
Education begins with curiosity and
motivation. As a teacher it is essential that I present learning
situations enthusiastically. When situations are presented as
curiosities the students are intrigued. They want to know more and
why and how. Teaching to children who are ready to know the
answers will insure better learning. As a teacher, I try to make
learning enjoyable. I use children’s literature through out the
curriculums. I also bring into the classroom real life learning
situations. While reading a recipe to bake cookies is fun and
motivating it also provides a real purpose for reading and a fun
review writing activity. Curiosity, motivation, enjoyment and
purpose are all part of a good elementary classroom environment. I
am a teacher who strives to motivate her students to learn through
curious situations, enjoyable literature, and applicable real –
life experiences. |
Philosophy of
Teaching Reading:
- I teach
children to read using systematic and repeated phonetic awareness and
rules instruction. I combine rules with hand motions, signs, and
pictures to make recall easy. I also believe in the importance of
early phonemic awareness instruction.
- I teach
children to read and increase fluency as we read instructional level
books over and over building word recognition and fluency. I believe
early reading students who read and reread passages orally as they
receive guidance and feedback become better readers. Choral reading,
partner reading, readers’ theatre and tape assisted readings are good
ways to do this.
- I value the
importance of record keeping and reading assessments. Using
diagnostic tools to spotlight areas of need is valuable.
Vocabulary
instruction is important both when it is directly and indirectly
taught. I keep a classroom full of books and read all the time.
I also use guided reading to introduce new topics and new vocabulary
Good readers have a purpose for reading
and are active thinkers as they read. So comprehension instruction is
also a key element in reading instruction. Answering my questions,
having students generate their own questions to answer, using
organizers to relate concepts from the print, recognizing story
structure and summarizing stories are all part of comprehension
instruction.
Mrs. Jurden and her
daughters, with her favorite author,
Patrica Polacco, autographing her favorite book, Thundercake.
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Email: Trona Jurden
Phone: 972-429-7052
Room #407
Class Schedule Link
Homework Link
Note To Parents Link
Project Assignment Link
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Photos: (powerpoint)
2006-2007
2007-2008
2008-2009
2009-2010 |
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Quotes & Thoughts:
"...that
is why every morning it's off to school I go, cause the more things that I
learn, the more things I will know." -- Go Fish Guys
"take chances, make mistakes, get messy"-- Ms. Frizzle
"My spelling is wobbly. It's good spelling, but it wobbles, and
the letters get in the wrong places." -- Pooh
"I
like a teacher who gives you something to take home to think about
besides homework." - Lily Tomlin as "Edith Ann"
"Good
teaching is one-fourth preparation and three-fourths theater. "
- Gail Godwin
"Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are
endless." - Mother Teresa
"Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks". - Matthew
12:34
"The man who does not read good books
has no advantage over the man who cannot read them."
- Mark Twain
"The
mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be ignited." -
Plutarch
"A teacher is one who makes himself progressively unnecessary."
- Thomas Carruthers
"A
teacher who is attempting to teach without inspiring the pupil
with a desire to learn is hammering on cold iron. " -Horace
Mann
"Teachers who inspire, know that teaching is like cultivating
a garden, and those who would have nothing to do with thorns
must never attempt to gather flowers. " - Author Unknown
"The whole art of teaching is only the art of awakening the
natural curiosity of young minds for the purpose of satisfying
it afterwards." - Anatole France
"Instruction begins when you, the teacher, learn from the
learner; put yourself in his place so that you may understand
. . . what he learns and the way he understands it." -
Soren Kierkegaard
Mrs.
Jurden in second grade
when she was a little girl.
My
Favorite Books:
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Thunder Cake
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On Orange For Frankie
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Thank You Mr. Falker
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The Bee Tree
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Frog & Toad
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George & Martha
- The Empty Pot
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The Last Treasure
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Mrs. Frisby & The Rats of Nimh
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Princess School
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Little House on the Prairie
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Charlotte's Web
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Little Women
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Charlie & The Chocolate Factory
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Tom Sawyer Abroad
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Betsy, Tassy, Tib
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Summer of the Monkeys
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My Favorite LINKS:
www.americaslibrary.gov
www.bookhive.org
www.bookadventure.com
www.bensguide.gpo.gov
http://www.yucky.discovery.com
www.mathplayground.com
www.starfall.com
www.earobics.com (game
goo)
www.funbrain.com
www.aplusmath.com
http://www.whitsend.org |
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