The 2007-2008 school year is my second year teaching Third Grade at the Ferryway School in Malden.  I earned my Bachelor’s Degree in English, with a concentration in Elementary Education, from Assumption College in 2005.  I then went on to earn my Master’s in Education, specializing in Moderate Special Education, from Lesley University in 2006.  I have always had a love for learning and for teaching others.  To see students make discoveries and make connections to their own life is the greatest joy in my job.

Carol Burdick is the special education teacher in the inclusion classrooms of the fifth grade at the Ferryway School. She co-teaches with the classroom teachers in the mainstream classrooms as well as providing specialized instruction in the small group setting of the Student Support Center. 

I am a 5th grade teacher at the Ferryway School in Malden. My career in elementary education spans over 30 years, during which time I have taught from Kindergarten through grade 8. I especially love the 5th grade and its rich curriculum, which lends itself to collaborative student groupings and instruction, differentiated project work, and student- focused learning.

In 2002, I was one of the four “authors” of the project- based unit created for 5th grade, The Saugus Iron Works Great Adventure. The unit is an interdisciplinary Internet-based unit aligned with the 5th grade Social Studies, ELA, and Science and Technology Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks Standards. The unit has continually grown and developed, especially in the areas of Science and Technology and Engineering, with a positive impact on student learning and achievement.

When I graduated from college in the late sixties, I joined the Teacher Corps. I worked in Boston while completing my M.Ed. at Boston College. During those early years teaching 4th and 5th grade, my students wanted stories about history. All I had from the bookmobile were biographies of dead white men, with George Washington Carver and Clara Barton thrown in.

My students wanted to know what the “regular people” were doing before the revolution and while slaves were trying to escape. I had to do a lot of digging, and often we created our own stories from scraps of information. We had to keep beneath the radar of supervisors who wanted us to cover a given number of chapters, and only that information.

Fortunately, times have changed. The lectures in Voices Rising brought us historians who celebrated the details my 1960’s fourth graders would have loved: how was the schedule of a farm-girl different from that of a mill-girl? What were the ideas debated in the country stores and the lyceum in Lowell? We could understand what motivated the citizens to raise their voices for change.

As the Title One Support Teacher for Grades 5 and 6, teaching and learning crosses all content areas. Assistance with our Saugus Ironworks Project Based Unit has been a Grade 5 focus here at the Ferryway School. Participating in the Voices Rising study forum has enabled me to take a deeper look at our local history. It has also given me the opportunity to collaborate with my colleagues and teachers from other grade levels and neighboring districts.

American History is fascinating particularly when you get the chance to hear about the real lives of important figures from professors who have both studied and taught about these time periods with depth and fondness. The historians shared enormous amounts of information and research. The National Park Rangers were also extremely helpful and supportive of each project. The lectures and field trips were enjoyable and helpful. I will surely incorporate some of the information into future lesson planning and instruction. As a result of this experience, our team will build upon the significant work started by the teacher creators of the Saugus Ironworks PBU.

Involvement in the Voices Rising Project Based Unit during the past year has been an extremely rewarding educational experience. With particular focus on the Saugus Ironworks project, this has definitely confirmed for me that people have and still continue to search for and alleviate social justice issues everywhere to improve the quality of life for their fellow human beings. It is very important to learn about the past in order to improve life for the present and future generations to come.

During my lifetime an awareness of others raising their voices for justice and equality has been instilled and deepened within me. My life began in the Midwestern U.S.A. I have resided in many cities within the United States on account of my father’s business involvements. Being exposed to several populations in the United States and Canada has increased my attention to voices rising in search of equal opportunities for all.

My educational background is basically in the field of teaching. I attended universities in Canada and the United States. Teaching for several years has enabled me to witness the changes, innovations, and foci for students. In other words, I have come full circle many times in the classroom and administration.

Traveling, reading and attending movies are pleasurable activities that are enjoyed when spare time permits. Lifetime learning is an ongoing pastime that is certainly appreciated and engaged in whenever possible. Keeping up with the past, present and future and listening always to  “voices rising” in the contemporary world setting is of utmost importance to me so that one can extend a helping hand to our neighbors everywhere !

For the past thirty plus years I have been employed as a teacher in the Malden Public Schools. During that time I have worked in a variety of positions including teaching grades 5, 4, and 6 in both self-contained and departmental programs.I have also worked as a Chapter One Reading teacher and a Literacy Assistant. This past fall I retired from  a very rewarding career with the Malden Public Schools.