Tammy Steffenson

Name: Tammy Steffenson

Email: tsteffenson@ridgerunners.net

Position: 1st Grade Teacher

Experience: 3 Years

Favorite Web Sites:

I am Tammy Steffenson, I was born and raised in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.  I graduated from Broken Arrow High in 1986.  I married my high school sweetheart, Norm, in June of 1988.  Norm is a plumber and owns Norm’s Plumbing and Drains.  We have three wonderful children. Rebecca “Becca”, she is 18 years old and is a Senior at Grove High School.  Adam, he is 15 years old and is an 8th grader at Grove Middle School.  Benjamin “Benny”, he is 13 years old and is an 7th grader at Grove Middle School.  Our children are very active in the athletic programs at Grove Public Schools, so we are always on the go.

My family moved to Grove 10 years ago.  I became involved in the Grove Public Schools by volunteering and substituting.  After 2 years, I was fortunate enough to get a job as the Library Clerk at the Lower Elementary.  I worked in that position for 3 years.  I attended night classes at NEO A&M College, while working for the school.  When I completed all the classes I could without quitting my job, I resigned to attend college full-time at NSU in Tahlequah.  I was very blessed to have been able to come back to Grove to complete my Full-Internship with LuAnn DuBois.  I graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Education in December 2004.

 

Upon graduating, I was able to get a job at the Grove Lower teaching the Computer block class for the Spring of 2005.  I was very excited to be offered a job for the 2005-2006 school year, as a Kindergarten teacher.  I taught Kindergarten for 2 years and I loved it.  I began teaching First Grade the 2007-2008 school year.  I have been the Middle School cheerleading coach for the last 3 years and will also be the Freshman cheerleading coach the next year.

Teaching First Grade has been a wonderful, fulfilling experience.  Being able to teach children to read is the best thing ever.  The experience of seeing a non-reader become a fluent reader is really amazing.  I believe that having the opportunity to make a huge impact on a child’s life is best, most rewarding job.  I hope to continue teaching First Grade for a long, long time.

 

CLASS RULES

• Please listen and follow instructions.

• Please raise hand before speaking.

• Please keep hands, feet, and objects to oneself.

• Please be respectful at all times.

• Always say “Please”, “Thank-you”, “Ma’am”, and “Sir”.

First Grade Behavior, Reward & Discipline Plan

In the First Grade Classroom, we practice using Good Character, Manners and the Golden Rule “treating others how we would want to be treated”.  There are four overall procedures that our classmates need to follow daily:

• Be on task.  During a lesson, the students should participate and be working on the assignments that have been given.

• Be kind to others, no put-downs.

• Be prepared to learn at all times.

• Follow all classroom rules and procedures.

(Classroom rules are posted in the classroom and are gone over periodically as needed.) 

Making mistakes is part of the learning and growing process.  We all make them.  In our classroom we have a Discipline Chart to help monitor each child’s behavior on a daily basis.  If a student does not follow First Grade Behavior plan or Classroom Rules and Procedures, the student will move their card down one section on each occasion that he/she has a problem. 

The Discipline Chart is as follows:

• Outstanding Student.  (All students start here each day.  If a child’s card stays here all day, they receive a trip to the treat or reward box.)
• Warning! Use brain tools and follow rules. (1st Warning, the child is visited with to discuss the problem and how to correctly handle it next time.)

• Stop!  You and I need to find the best way to have a better day. (2nd Warning, the child will talk with the teacher again, with hope we can stop the problem at this point.  Now, the child will lose playtime from recess.  They will have to walk 2 laps during recess.)

• Time to give it your all.  (3rd Warning, Once again talk to the teacher about how to better handle the situation, and why this is a bad choice.  Now, the child will lose playtime from recess.  They will have to walk 4 laps at recess and a note will be sent home to the parent to sign and return.)

• Oh no! Principal’s office you go.  (The child will once again talk to the teacher about how to better handle the situation and why this is a bad choice.  Since, all other options have a utilized (talking to the student, loss of recess and note to parent) the child will now be sent to the office to visit with the principal.  Depending on the action or problem at this point, the Principal will talk to the child as well, possibly take away other items, or call for your child to be picked up by you, if you marked no for corporal punishment or spank the student if you marked yes to corporal punishment.  A note will also be sent home stating what has occurred throughout the day for it to get to this point.)

Homework

• Reading Assignments   Monday – Thursday
• Math Assignments       Monday – Thursday
• Spelling Test                 Wednesday and Friday
• Math Test                     Friday