Rutland Herald: Rutland Vermont News & Information -
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Published on: 9/21/2005
Last Visited: 9/21/2005
Cavendish teacher Jennifer Harper receives flowers and a hug from her principal, George Thomson Tuesday.
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Jennifer Harper, a math teacher by training and the fourth-grade teacher at the school, was selected for a year-long tenure advocating for and representing teachers around the state.
Wiping tears from her eyes, Harper spoke in an emotion-choked voice, accepting an award that she said could have gone to any of the teachers in her school.
"This will all take some getting used to," she said."I want to thank all of my colleagues, students, friends and family who are here to celebrate today with me.This is one of the most exciting honors of my teaching career.It is a very great honor to be chosen to represent the outstanding teachers of Vermont."
As all teachers so honored are asked to do, Harper spoke at the ceremony announcing her award about an educational issue that she feels is important - student exercise and obesity.
"If kids aren't healthy, their learning suffers," she said."The research shows that sedentary kids who eat high-sugar, high-fat diets have high anxiety levels and problems with hyperactivity."
Overweight children are also frequent targets of bullying and don't participate as much in sports and other activities, she added.
"When they don't build relationships, it just makes their situation worse," she said.
Harper said the fast pace of modern life also contributes to the problem, with children preferring to watch TV or play video games than to be outside exercising.She added that parents often have less time to prepare healthy dinners for their families.
"Many parents are stretched to the max, working two jobs to make ends meet," she said."And kids are left to motivate themselves to do physical activities."
Although Harper said teachers and schools can have little influence on children's home lives, schools should encourage activity and teachers should provide positive role models.
"I'm fully aware that while we're trying to meet the academic requirements of No Child Left Behind … losing academic time for physical education seems impossible," she said.
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A Vermont teacher for 13 years, Harper also helped draft the statewide academic requirements for grades three through eight and has been asked by schools around the state to run workshops in mathematics instruction.
Michael Ceravole, chairman of the Cavendish School Board, said that Harper's performance over the seven years he's known her has been something to watch.
"It's really exciting," he said.
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