Barbara Sloan, who teaches language arts to seventh and eighth graders at Benton's South Marshall Middle School, believes that "every child has a strength." A responsible teacher, she adds, must "provide experiences and opportunities to develop the strength of each child." Mrs. Sloan emphasizes that a safe, non-threatening learning environment is the necessary point of departure. The reassuring context created by such an environment allows children to experiment, make mistakes, and learn from one another. This year, Mrs. Sloan is seeing one of her "dream projects" materialize; she is converting her classroom into a writing lab that will serve all faculty and students in the school community. "I am collaborating with other faculty members to integrate the curriculum and to incorporate various instructional strategies and resources," she says in describing the project. The project reflects both her interest in the teaching of writing and her belief in an integrated curriculum. Students and teachers, she believes, have much to gain from a teaching approach that reveals "how all subjects fit together."
1966 Murray State University, B.A.
