Profile in Educational Practice:
Teresa Luna Models Teaching Excellence

"I will be the one to believe in you until you can learn to believe in yourself."

The first thing my students hear me say on the opening day of school is, "I will be the one to believe in you until you can learn to believe in yourself." I boldly tell them that if they do not plan to leave my classroom on the last day of school as an accomplished academician with a dream for the future then they have signed up for the wrong class! These opening comments are essential because I teach in an inner city magnet school for academics in a public school system in Western Tennessee. We have experienced white flight to private schools, serious funding issues, and a despicable technology shortage. Our students rarely see themselves as scholarship material and would laugh at the thought that they could make a difference in their world. My style of teaching is driven by the desire to reverse this mindset.

Being a creative teacher during an era of high stakes testing is imperative. It is my belief that no student adequately responds to repetitive drills to the extent that is necessary to really learn. Consequently, if students truly understand the need for the knowledge and are inspired to apply it in a way that has an impact on their world, they begin to crave the learning that was formerly drilled into them. As my history classes were studying the unfair tax structures of Europe in the 1700's, they quickly made the connection to Tennessee's budget crisis. After researching, the students were hungry to learn what could be done our state. This project culminated in newspaper exposure for many of the essays that were written and as their representative, I was invited to meet with the governor to present ideas to rescue our education system in light of our state's failing tax structure. Each semester brings new opportunities like this one to take textbook knowledge to higher, more applicable levels.

Recently, I implemented a "Lunch and Learn" program where students choose a topic that has intrigued them from our lessons and invite an expert from the community to further enlighten them. We even arrange for a tasty lunch (nothing like cafeteria food!) to be served to us in an elegant environment. We have had "High Tea" with a British woman who explained the background and procedures of the custom. We have dined in a restaurant while listening to a sculptor explain the genius of Michelangelo. Perhaps the most memorable of the sessions was a lecture by the President of the state Holocaust commission who left us not only moved by what we had learned, but also determined to become advocates of basic human rights.

As the sponsor of the Student Government, I often find myself trying to teach community responsibility along with academics. Last spring our SGA officers began brainstorming about a service project in which our entire school could participate. They decided to take the students from a nearby elementary school on a "Grand Tour of the World" because they had been told that approximately 90% of these children had never left West Tennessee. In one of the most outstanding creative and organizational feats I have witnessed as a teacher, every classroom on our campus was transformed into a different country and 300, mostly underprivileged children were led by guides on a seven hour tour. Their passports took them to Egypt, where pyramids, pharaohs, and hieroglyphics awaited them and on to Italy, where a gondola ride exposed them to the Sistene Chapel, opera, and brick oven pizza. They had lunch at a Korean restaurant, heard Scottish men in kilts play bagpipes, and visited Hollywood, where movie stars (a.k.a. the drama department) demonstrated acting skills. They visited England where they were treated to a concert by the Beatles, visited the Tower of London, and even had an audience with the queen at Buckingham Palace. After visiting 20 countries, these children reluctantly walked back to their own school, forever changed. In the end, the "Grand Tour" possibly had an even bigger impact upon our own students and they have been inspired to plan a "Trip Back in Time" set for May, 2005, where a time machine will transport the children back through the eras of history. Learning and service should be fun---especially if it is to instill in one a lifetime of such pursuits.

Very early in my teaching career I was asked to help coach an Academic Decathlon team that was going to represent my school in regional and state competition. At that time and until just recently, the school where I taught was an inner city cast-off, full of capable and intelligent kids who had absolutely no confidence. The team that year just about had me convinced that because they were not upper-middle class and privileged enough to go to one of the suburban or private schools that they could never compete academically. The exact moment that shaped my career was, in fact, spent in solitude staring at an academic scoreboard. My team had placed fifth and was proudly packing up the small trophy and heading to the parking lot. It was, they had proclaimed, more than they ever dreamed of accomplishing. But I could not take my eyes off of those scores. To me, they represented settling for less than the team was capable of achieving for the simple reason that society had labeled them as mediocre. A fire rose up inside of me that to this day I still cannot explain. I bent to my knees and promised God that I would spend the rest of my teaching days convincing ALL of my students, no matter how dire their circumstances, that they have potential and can accomplish great things. That was fifteen years ago and since that time I have been privileged to coach the Academic Decathlon team from my school each and every year. I take no credit for the accolades they have received other than to claim that maybe I was the one who lit the fire. These teams have been state of Tennessee champions for the last eight years and in 2004 were crowned NATIONAL Academic Decathlon champions for Division III. All fifteen teams over the years have been interracial and have always included students who were perceived by society as without potential.

Unfortunately, many children adopt the mindset that their background is the greatest predictor of their future. If there is any one theme that has molded my career it is that family income, history of juvenile delinquency, or skin color should never limit a child's dreams. I adamantly tell each and every one of my students that I believe in them, even if they cannot believe in themselves. Although teacher support is essential in the transformation of these young minds, it also takes community effort. Each year, my fellow teachers and I unapologetically make a plea to our hometown for financial resources to be able to carry out our plans. Our community is so proud of these teams, that within weeks our mailbox will be filled with contributions, usually totally over $25,000 a year. These students are the most demanded public speakers in West Tennessee and leave no crowds with dry eyes.

For the past few years, there has been a waiting list to get to try-out for our Academic Decathlon team and the thought of that takes me back to the scoreboard that once brought me to my knees. Children deserve to have school systems and communities that believe in them. They deserve an environment that prepares and inspires them to accomplish great things. Until our society realizes that its primary investment should be in the education of the children who are its future, no matter what their circumstances, I will boldly raise my voice in this effort. There is a national championship academic team in my hometown that is proof of what kids can do when someone believes in them.

Teaching is always rewarding and fun, but it can be made even more so when working hand-in-hand with other colleagues and with people in the community. When I look back on my career, there is one collaboration that I know will have a place in my fondest memories. Several of my fellow teachers and I became enchanted with the whole mentality that surrounds the concept of athletic teams. I happened to be on campus one summer during a football practice and saw 100 young men drenched with perspiration as they drilled outside of our building. I questioned one of them later and was shocked when he responded, "But, Mrs. Luna, the sweat, pain, and hard work is worth it just to get to be on this team!" I shook my head wishing that my students would feel that way about academics.

There was already an Academic Decathlon team at my school, but hardly anyone participated and they certainly did not tell anyone if they did. With the help of several teachers and community leaders, this team has been built into the 2004 national championship Academic Decathlon team for small schools. For the past eight years, this team has been crowned the Tennessee state Academic Decathlon champions and they are possibly the greatest local celebrities our hometown has ever produced. We are often asked what precipitated the change in the attitude of our students and we honestly respond that we began to treat academics like coaches have always treated sports---accountability to one another and the pursuit of a dream. We also began to realize that as teachers, there truly is strength in numbers.

It is now considered an even greater honor to be a member of our school's Academic Decathlon team than it is to be one of our football players. Team members wear their uniforms with pride and younger students frequently ask coaches what it would take for them to participate. But the organization and talent necessary to run this program could not possibly have originated with any one teacher. I know my limits and I am not embarrassed to say that they are many. My favorite "partner in crime," as I like to call her, is our school's librarian, who is truly the brains behind our national championship team. Our years of co-coaching these teams have afforded me some of the greatest cooperative experiences of my life. Math, music, speech, and English teachers from our school help us tutor these students in well attended after school sessions. Our principal is an integral part of our program and has never missed a competition. For each of the last fifteen years, our teams have drilled themselves in math, science, literature, art, music, economics, and social studies. They have diligently prepared speeches, been interviewed, and written essays. Local college professors have assisted in this process by explaining the deeper intricacies of photosynthesis and polishing the team's speaking skills. Businessmen and attorneys have honed the tactics these students need for personal interviews and competitions. It is fair to say that these academic decathlon teams not only belong to the faculty and student body of our school---they belong to our entire community. I have been privileged to join hands with the teachers and community leaders who have worked cooperatively to build these academic giants-for all of us, it has been a labor of love.

TERESA LUNA VITA

EDUCATION:

Union University
Jackson, TN
B.A. History/English (1979)

Memphis State University (now University of Memphis)
Memphis, TN
M.S. Counseling (1983)

PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS:

Licensed by State of Tennessee Department of Education
Current professional license was issued in 1990 and will expire in 2010

Type of license: Professional Level III
(Attained Career Ladder III status--earned by a one year testing, critiquing, and observation process)

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

• Teacher----Crockett County High School 1986-88
• Teacher----Jackson Central-Merry High School 1988-2003
• Teacher----Madison Academic Magnet High School 2003-Present
• (Have coached Academic Decathlon Team 1990-Present)

HONORS, AWARDS, RECOGNITIONS:

• Chosen as Tennessee's White House Presidential Distinguished Teacher in 1995. The award was presented by President and Mrs. Clinton at the White House.
• Voted by the Tennessee Education Association as Distinguished Classroom Teacher for Tennessee in 2000. Also selected as Jackson-Madison County Teacher of the Year in 2000.
• USA Today First Team All-American Teacher of the Year, 2002
• Appointed to Gov. Phil Bredesen's Transition Committee for Education 2002
• 2003 Distinguished Alumnus Award-Union University
• October, 2004-Recognized by Council for Christian Colleges and Universities as one of the nation's top 21 alumni.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND STUDENT ACTIVITIES:

1. SPECIAL TRAINING:
1. Have taken seven study tours of Europe to better prepare for teaching Honors World History and Modern European History courses.
2. Have done self-study courses in subjects such as History of Music, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, Ancient and Modern Civilizations, Improving test-taking skills, Contemporary Issues, Asian and European Politics, World Literature, Religion, Constitutional Law, and other areas. These studies provided more background knowledge in teaching advanced courses and coaching the Academic Decathlon Team.
3. Have attended numerous seminars and inservice training sessions on effective teaching methods, reaching the hard to teach, classroom management, technology in the classroom, and many other topics.
2. SIGNIFICANT LEADERSHIP ROLES:
1. Curriculum writer for four courses taught in local school system (97-99)
2. Designed year-long lesson plan guides for several social studies courses (95-99)
3. Conducts inservice training sessions on "Effective Teaching Strategies" (99-01)
4. Chairman of the History Standards Committee for school system (97)
5. Board Member---Tennessee Academic Decathlon (01-present)
6. Conducts seminars each semester at local university on "Effective Teaching"
7. Have led community-wide study tours of Europe (90-01)
3. CO-CURRICULAR, EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES:
1. Coached Jackson Central-Merry's Academic Decathlon Team (90-03). This team won seven consecutive state championships (97-03) and represented Tennessee at national tournaments in Utah, Rhode Island, California, Texas, Alaska, and Arizona. The 2003 team placed 11th in the large school division.
   --Currently coach Madison Academic Magnet High School Academic Decathlon Team. This team won the 2004 Tennessee state championship and the United States Academic Decathlon national championship for small schools-held in Boise, Idaho.
2. Dance Team Coach (99-00)
3. Cheerleader Sponsor (89-91)
4. Volunteer tutor for struggling athletes and learning disabled students (95-present) 10+ hours per week
5. Frequently speaks at local clubs and organizations to promote education and raise funds for local educational endeavors. (97-present) 12+ per year
6. Partner-in-education coordinator with local businesses (97-98 and 03-present)
7. Partnership with local newspaper to promote student involvement in politics and journalistic writing (98-present)
8. Leadership Jackson advisor and speaker (local Chamber of Commerce program to train business people to be community leaders) (2000-present)