Phone: 719-382-1430
Email:
Degrees and Certifications:
Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, Georgia State University
Hello! Welcome to Mountainside and our class page. I graduated from Georgia State University in 2007 with a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education. After teaching 5th grade for 2 years in Atlanta, Georgia, I moved to Colorado with my family. This is when I joined the Mountainside family and I have been enjoying teaching in the military community ever since! I have taught both 2nd and 4th grade here at Mountainside, and feel right at home in the Fort Carson community.
I was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, and joined the Marine Corps right after high school. My duty stations included Cherry Point, NC, and Iwakuni, Japan, along with a six month float in the Mediterranean. While on the ship, I was lucky enough to visit Puerto Rico, Spain, Italy, Sicily, Malta, Greece, and Turkey! I have dabbled in other careers such as telecommunications and insurance, but ultimately found my home in education, where I plan to stay.
I have a wife, Angie, who teaches preschool at Weikel Elementary on post, and my two wonderful children Avery and Andrew have been brought up in district 8 schools, including Mountainside. When not in the classroom, my family and I enjoy Colorado with hiking, skiing, camping, riding bicycles, and also traveling to new and exciting places.
I look forward to working with you and your child this year as we grow our minds and character together!
“Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of true education.”
- Martin Luther King Jr.
Students and parents,
I have distributed usernames and passwords to the students, so now you will be able to log on and access your entire math series...the workbook, tutorials, lessons, videos, games, additional practice, virtual math tools, etc. To sign in, click the link below:
https://connected.mcgraw-hill.com/connected/login.do
I will also have this link on the "Math" page on my website.
Take advantage, and enjoy!
Our class has adopted a new program that lets us learn and exercise at the same time. Our local Colorado Springs newspaper, The Springs Gazette, thought it was newsworthy! Check out the article here: http://coloradosprings.com/walking-classroom-features-learning-by-podcast-in-fresh-air/article/1595790, which I also posted below:
Sitting in class all day can get "kind of boring," said 10-year-old Adrianna Moreno.
"You want to look around at stuff, and then the teacher tells you to pay attention, even though you're still listening," said Adrianna, a fourth-grader at Mountainside Elementary School in Fountain-Fort Carson School District 8.
That's not an issue during "The Walking Classroom," an idea from a national nonprofit organization that takes kids outside for a podcast lesson.
"It's great," Adrianna said. "You can look and listen at the same time."
On three mornings each week, the 22 students in Shawn Solon's fourth-grade class at Mountainside get out of their seats, put on coats, insert earbuds and embark on a brisk 1.25-mile jaunt.
"The first time we did it, they were exhausted," Solon said.
While walking for a half-hour around their school, which is on Fort Carson, students hear lessons on MP3 players on all kinds of things: grammar, the Civil War, biographies of important people such as astronaut Neil Armstrong and others. There are 105 kid-friendly lessons, all attuned to Common Core State Standards, a set of goals and expectations for knowledge and skills that Colorado schools are required to use. Wednesday's walking classroom featured instruction on how to summarize a story, using the tales of The Three Little Pigs and Cinderella as examples.
"I remember the stuff better," said 9-year-old Gavin Sibayan. "It helps me think."
Getting the blood flowing early in the morning stimulates the brain and the desire to learn, according to the creators. The award-winning program is designed to strengthen the physical, mental and academic health of students while they walk, listen and learn.
The link between exercise and cognitive function is indisputable, said Solon, who earned a grant worth $4,000 from the Oak Foundation to obtain the program and equipment.
"I've noticed increased focus and decreased fidgetiness in class," he said.
It took awhile for him to gain approval for the program, which started last month when the second semester began.
"Technically, it's a field trip since we're leaving the school campus," Solon said.
That required permission from officials from the school district and the Army post, as well as parents.
"I saw I needed a different way to motivate students," Solon said. "I wanted to get out of our usual routine."
A good health message (Wednesday's was "be aware of your surroundings") precedes the tutorial.
Another missive, such as the dangers of bullying, wraps it up. Voices of children and adults are featured on the custom-made podcasts.
"It's very fun," said 9-year-old Aidan Patrick. "You get exercise, so you're not sitting in a chair all day."
"You get lots of fresh air," chimed in classmate Jenna Blum.
Wednesday's morning temperature was around freezing, which Solon said might be near the breaking point, as the walking classroom doesn't happen if the weather is too bad.
The children walk in a line with a partner along a training path for soldiers, with Cheyenne Mountain as the backdrop. Students take a quiz on the material when they return to class.
"They love it," Solon said. "They always ask if we're going to go."
