ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, April 30, 1996 TAG: 9604300102
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: MARCUS AND CONNIE THOMPSON SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES
One Saturday last month, hundreds of children joined in the challenging Odyssey of the Mind competition for the Blue Ridge Mountain Region in Radford.
Dozens of local elementary, middle and high school pupils won recognition for their creativity and accomplishments. We wanted to share the story about one local educator's odyssey spirit.
A little over a year ago, our family saw a very special teacher at Christiansburg Middle School volunteer her time to challenge and coach a seven-member team.
During last spring's season, she inspired and encouraged her team. She, and coaching partner Ken Skidmore defined the challenge, and worked to assure the group learned team skills. Even though the '95 team did not reach the state competition, this coach encouraged each member to include the lessons they had learned in their life's toolbox.
Last fall, we had another chance to see her influence when our son was assigned to her vocational class. Our son is a good student, but at the suggestion of vocational skills (i.e., work), he has even volunteered to go to the dentist! As the semester progressed, this teacher inspired our son to include new skills in his life. He even started sounding like Tim Allen of ABC's Tool Time. He even got fired up about the family purchase of a palm sander, wanting to know the grit of sandpaper, the horsepower and warranty information. What a change.
This teacher, along with Skidmore, again volunteered to coach the Amusin' Cruisin' odyssey team for Christiansburg Middle School. This year, the students' long-term project was to build a battery-powered vehicle that would do many different feats in a limited time. No suggestions or hints from coaches or parents were allowed. The cost of materials for the vehicle, costumes and props could not exceed $100.
Through basketball, hockey and the start of soccer season, the Amusin' Cruisin' team worked on its project. Before last month's competition, the team felt "relatively" confident. The teacher, knowing her kids, challenged them just to give it their best and have fun!
See in your mind's eye five boys and two girls from Christiansburg Middle School "jumping with joy" as they won first place in the 1996 Amusin' Cruisin' for Division II of the Blue Ridge Mountain Region.
Also see a small contingent from Christiansburg - coaches, classmates and family members - erupt into cheers as the Christiansburg schools finally broke into the state Odyssey of the Mind competition, which was held at Radford University on Saturday.
Sitting in the back row of the Christiansburg group was the coach. She was someone who brought to life the old Chinese proverb, "If you give a person a fish, he will eat only once. But if you teach him how to fish, he will eat the rest of his life."
We wish to recognize this vocational education teacher for her contributions to our community and for her tireless efforts in preparing Christiansburg's children for the rest of their lives. She, like many of her fellow teachers, is teaching this next generation to have better problem-solving skills and the logic and confidence to make our world a better place.
Thank you, Linda Morales-Burton, for being a great educator.
LENGTH: Medium: 64 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshot) Morales-Burtonby CNB