Spend 15 minutes with Cindy Greetham and one thing becomes clear: The Lakebay resident was destined to be an educator.
Greetham grew up in Eatonville, where both of her parents were teachers. The 45-year-old even married a teacher — her husband Jim teaches at Gig Harbor High School.
For the past five years, Greetham has taught fourth grade at Discovery Elementary in Gig Harbor, where her goal has been to help students uncover anything they find interesting. She starts work at 8 a.m. each day but often stays at school until 6 p.m., working more than the 7 1/2 hours she is assigned.
But that time is worth it, she said, if her students complete fourth grade feeling accomplished and prepared.
Greetham said she feels most successful when a child looks at her and realizes they can do something. She spoke with the Gateway this week about the WASL, parent involvement and how technology has changed her profession.
Peninsula Gateway: Why did you choose the grade level you now teach?
Cindy Greetham: My student teaching was fourth grade. And I loved the age. I think I like them best, because, by the fourth grade, they are solid readers, normally. And they have a sense of curiosity that’s really built up. And they have a sense of skills, and you can launch them further from those.
PG: What do you consider the greatest challenge facing education today?
CG: Resources to help students with needs that are not necessarily academic. They come to us with all kinds of needs that are not something we’re used to dealing with ... I have had students who have had conditions like depression or are homeless. Those needs impact their ability to learn ... If we’re a team with the community, that’s where the help comes from, but within the school system, we don’t have lot of ways to manage that and get those resources from the community smoothly yet. There are ways, and we find them, but it’s not a smooth thing.
PG: How do you feel about the WASL as an assessment tool?
CG: I’m probably one of a few teachers who does not oppose it, because I feel if students can actually accomplish the tasks on the WASL, then they are very much prepared ... to advance on to skills that are appropriate for the next level of learning. It’s been a fault, I think — maybe at the state level but also trickling down to us — that we have not, from the very beginning, promoted that test in the correct light. We don’t teach to the test; we teach to standards that the state and the voters of the state have told us they’d like our students to be at.
PG: What impact does parent involvement have on student education?
CG: It’s everything. Parents who are involved — and they don’t necessarily need to be at the school or in the school, but if they are aware — they give their children such a gift. We need their partnership, because we don’t know everything about their child. They are the best judge of the things that affect them that we may not see. They are the best teammates as far as encouraging their child.
PG: If you could improve the current education system in one way, what would that be?
CG: Smaller class size. Everybody says that, but it makes a huge difference in how I meet the needs of my students, because some have very individual needs. And I need time with each one of those kids — even those kids whose needs aren’t glaring, you need to take time to figure out what their needs are. The fewer you have, the more successful you’re going to be. The average third- , fourth- or fifth-grade class at Discovery is between 25-30 (students).
PG: What new teaching innovations and technology would you like to see added to the classrooms?
CG: Peninsula does a fabulous job already. Like right now, I have a Smart Board, (and) I have a document camera; soon, I’ll have a new projection unit. I have just about every technological thing ... I can’t imagine what they can add, unless it was something hot off the press.
That’s probably the greatest change I’ve seen in my 19 years. Technology is far beyond — and the access to information makes my job easier to do. The kids and I can access stuff on a whim. If we’re talking about something, and they want to know what the world’s fair looked like — poof! I have a picture right away.
Do you know a teacher on the peninsulas you’d like to see profiled in The Peninsula Gateway? Suggest them for Profiles in Education, a new feature on the Schools page.
Once a month, a teacher or administrator from any public or private school in the area will answer a series of questions about their experience in education. E-mail your suggestions to paige.richmond@gateline.com.
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