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David Woolf

David Woolf
David graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a double major in Economics and Organization and Human Resource Management. Before joining TeachersCount, David taught math in Brooklyn, NY and physics and chemistry in Westchester, NY.

Lions to Lambs DVD Contest

Lions to Lambs DVD Contest.  As the saying goes, March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. Teachers know that this saying can also be applied to many students over the course of the school year.

Contest Question:
In 200 words or less, tell us about a student you had who began the year as a disruptive influence but finished as a valuable member of your class. What methods did you use to help the student be a more effective learner? Did you find a way to use the student's unique energy as a positive force in the classroom?

And the winner was...Michael Eklund!!! Here is Michael’s entry, which won him ten DVDs from Miramax:
“I teach eighth grade United States History. During the passing period as students are entering my classroom I play music. The students know they are supposed to be in their seats (I have their journals on their desks) answering the question of the day (written on the board) by the time the music stops or the bell rings, whichever comes first. I vary the music daily to try expose the students to a wide variety of musical styles and artists. When a particular student was especially challenging last year I determined his current musical tastes and incorporated those appropriate songs into my playlist. I would then tie the songs into the days question or sometimes the days lesson itself. I would also expand his musical choices by presenting other artists that I thought he would enjoy. He went from one of those students who would stroll in at the last second before the bell to arriving as early as possible in the passing period because he wanted to hear the day’s musical selection and try to figure out how I would tie it into the day’s lesson.”

Michael has been teaching eighth grade United States History at Kenilworth Junior High School in Pateluma, California for the past seven years. In additon to teaching, he has coached soccer and leads the eighth grade trip to Washington, DC each summer. He has been married for twenty-four years and has three daughters, ages nineteen, seventeen and thirteen.