Assistant Editor Jerry Lindsey wrote these interviews.
Dana Bass, Northside Special Education
Dana Bass will be a new face for the preschoolers, but her experience and excitement to be teaching will easily create a positive bond with the kids.
“I realized very young that I wanted to teach,” Dana noted. She added, “I want to be with children, and I am really excited to be in Morrison!”
Born and raised in Polo, IL, Bass graduated from Western Illinois University. She has three years experience employed by Headstart.
With understanding of the special needs of many Special Education students, Bass says they can expect consistent routines to follow and a consistent schedule, to aid their learning and desire to succeed.
Her family means a lot to her; she always looks forward to spending time with them, as well as time with her cat at home. When time allows, she will have her nose in a book to relax.
Bass reminds parents that she has an “Open Door Policy” and is always willing to talk and answer questions. “Just ask!” she urges.
Megan Modglin, Southside 4th Grade
Southside students assigned to Megan Modglin’s fourth grade class are going to enter a room of excitement and high energy.
Simply put she says, “I just love being around kids!”
Modglin followed her father’s educational choice in entering and graduating from Oral Roberts University, a Christian university in Tulsa. OK.
She feels that a key role she must fulfill is to provide the kids with a ‘safe environment’ to learn. “Kids are different today, and they need a lot of positive support. I enjoy getting to know them!” she offers with a smile.
Modglin reflects on the part parents play in a child’s success. She assures them, she will provide a safe environment, and that they can expect her respect for their efforts in supporting their child.
Away from school, Megan enjoys participating in sporting events with the kids, reading, and running.
Modglin closed with these comments, “I am excited!…I love this community.”
Allison Ross, Morrison Junior High ELA
The Morrison Junior High School campus will have a new face, as Allison Ross leads the instruction of the ELA courses. She ends in Morrison after a long journey that covered a Washington state Elementary and High School education, a South Dakota College degree, before shorter treks to Tennessee and Wisconsin, and finally anchoring in Northwest Illinois.
Allison smiles as she notes that her initial ambition was to enter Nursing, but she enjoyed helping her roommate with her educational studies so much, she changed her major to Education. She has never regretted the decision.
Ross describes herself as “active and always moving. The students will see these actions in their lessons. “My kids will have fun learning!”
Communication with the home is an important piece in any child’s ability to learn, and she plans to keep the home informed. “I feel that informing the parent(s) of the positives is just as important as the negatives.”
Away from the classroom she enjoys camping, hiking, and boating and participating in the small town activities.
“I love the small town atmosphere, and I am really excited to be here,” she said in closing.
Amber Wright, Southside 4th Grade
Amber Wright will enter as a teacher in the Morrison Southside fourth grade and complete a long journey that began in the Morrison kindergarten.
Following her graduation from Morrison High School, she earned her Teaching degree from Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL, and accepted a position in Rock Falls Junior High School. After seven years teaching and eight years raising four children as a “home mom,” her youngest is entering Kindergarten. This allows Wright to return to the classroom.
Recognizing that the environment has greatly altered since her last employment, she welcomes the challenge with great excitement and fresh energy, to assist the kids toward a successful learning experience.
Understanding the position that the parent plays in a child’s success, Wright will be supplying a bi-weekly newsletter to each child’s homestead. It will allow the family to know what is transpiring in the classroom and how they can assist and support.
Wright notes that her classroom will be a “fun place to learn.” She is proud to point out the large library that is available to her students. She hopes of introduce them to the enjoyment garnered by reading.
Wright summed up our time by simply stating, “I’m really excited to be back!”