By Kate White
In the first week of September, the English and math teachers at Fairbanks had the opportunity to attend the Rural Teachers Collaboration at the North Union Board of Education office.
Teachers in both departments came from rural schools in the nearby area, including Triad, Elgin, Pleasant, Mechanicsburg and North Union, as well as many curriculum administrators. This group of teachers discussed assessments, resources and item analysis for the state tests.
They worked in small groups, attended workshops and listened to a lecture, among other activities. Overall, these teachers wanted to discuss how to better serve students, network with area teachers and to improve test scores.
Diane Smeenk was one of the teachers who attended. She said it was very nice to be able to talk to other advanced placement course teachers, since most rural schools only have one advanced placement English teacher.
They were able to talk and compare notes, as well as possibly grow from the conversations they had. Smeenk said they hope to meet again by the end of the school year to further compare and contrast their experiences as teachers.