Idaho Examiner: Teacher Of The Year, Tedra Balls, receives a contribution from the Southeast Idaho Medical Society"Common Sense News"

http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=TUUGX/1ZDF0&offerid=115126.10000598&type=4&subid=0

http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=TUUGX/1ZDF0&offerid=20738.10000022&type=4&subid=0

http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=TUUGX/1ZDF0&offerid=123504.10000008&type=4&subid=0

http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=TUUGX/1ZDF0&offerid=129915.10000003&subid=0&type=4

http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=TUUGX/1ZDF0&offerid=129320.10000112&type=4&subid=0

http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=TUUGX/1ZDF0&offerid=50252.10000235&type=4&subid=0

Education

Teacher Of The Year, Tedra Balls, receives a contribution from the Southeast Idaho Medical Society

Posted on: December 06, 2007

December 6, 2007

Pocatello/Chubbuck School District’s 2007-2008 Teacher Of The Year, Tedra Balls, receives a contribution from the Southeast Idaho Medical Society

Dr. Michael Francisco and Tedra Balls Dr. Michael Francisco, representing the Southeast Idaho Medical Association, presented a $500.00 gift to the Pocatello/Chubbuck School District’s 2007-2008 Teacher of the Year, Tedra Balls. The Southeast Idaho Medical Association promotes education at all levels and has been a friend and a partner in education with the District for many years.

Tedra Balls Mrs. Balls was the teacher of the year nominee from Century High School. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English and a minor in Library Science at Idaho State University, later earning a Journalism endorsement. She has taught 11th and 12th grade English and Journalism at Century High School since 1999 and taught 9th grade English at Irving Middle School. She is a member of the Idaho Council of Teachers of English and the Idaho Journalism Advisors Association. Last year, she was selected as the Idaho Journalism Teacher of the Year by the Idaho Journalism Advisor’s Association.

The new Teacher of the Year is also “home-grown”. In 1982, she began working as an accompanist for Irving Jr. High School’s choirs. After realizing how much she loved working with youth, she began work on getting a teacher’s certificate and started her career as a teacher there.

During her career, she has mentored five student teachers and numerous student interns from the ISU College of Education and has been a team leader. As a new teacher at Irving Jr. High, she learned from the generosity of teachers who helped her learn from their different approaches and different personalities. She has tried to return the favor. Mrs. Balls believes teaching is so much more than teaching analytical skills and MLA style. “Teaching is loving with your whole heart and looking with your whole eyes,” said Mrs. Balls. “I believe in the value and potential of every student.”

Mrs. Balls has strong feelings about the educational issues of today including the emphasis on assessment, the outside forces that appear to be trying to eliminate public education which has frightening consequences for those less affluent, the influence of poverty and the drug culture, along with a slackening of a moral code. But, as a high school teacher she is most interested in the issue of high school redesign. She believes in the concept of learning communities where students can develop strong academic relationships with small groups of teachers and students working together. The goal is to help students stay engaged and stay in school. Her combined experience in Jr. High and High School, as well as having a front-row seat to the introduction of 9th graders into high school provides her insight into the difficult transition of 9th graders into high school. She is an advocate of partial isolation of 9th graders from older students to make that transition easier and an advocate of the academy concept. “We are on the cusp of exciting and necessary changes in the high school structure,” said Mrs. Balls. “Just as technology has changed our world, we must change our high schools to reflect the new world we live in.”

As the District’s Teacher of the Year, Mrs. Balls represented the school district in the State Teacher of the Year competition. She will represent the District as a speaker at the school’s Highest Honors Dinner, at the Chamber’s New Teacher Luncheon, and other engagements by invitation.