Former teacher, and her student, has passion for telling stories

I would never have imagined that my fourth grade teacher at Seminole Elementary School would be a good friend of mine in my adult years or would I think I would be writing an article about her.  The teacher I’m talking about is Sue Kotchman, for those of you who had her at Seminole Elementary you may remember her from her maiden name Cusmano. She was my favorite teacher as I was growing up, and one that influenced me in my life. 


Fourth grade class of Sue Kotchman, then Sue Cusmano, during 1979-1980.
 I am in the second row from the back, fourth from the left.

I remember being in her class and always being motivated to do the best I could. I did well in school, and she would challenge me to do even better.  At that point in my life, I actually wanted to be a teacher because I loved her class and going to school.  She made learning fun.

I am probably just one of many that she has made a difference in their lives.  Now that I am a mom, I understand how important teachers are in our children’s lives.

Kotchman was in the Pinellas County School system for more than 32 years. I think my class was one of her first classes she taught.  She was a teacher, curriculum specialist and principal focusing on elementary education.

 About 4 years ago, she suffered a brain aneurysm and almost didn’t make it. She will tell you she’s a walking miracle.  After her health issues, she decided it was time to retire from Madeira Beach Elementary School as their principal.  After retiring, she started writing children’s books.  She published one last year and just recently published another in a series of books.  The books are called “With Love, from Grandma” and “With Love, from Grandpa.” Kotchman told me she always wanted to write books, a dream she has had since teaching.  She writes for fun, and her books help kids learn lessons about life.  Her “With Love” series books deal with the importance of relationships, spending time together and realistic situations. Her first book deals with the relationship of a little girl and her grandma and how she copes when her grandma dies.  How many kids have someone or something die in their life? We all do. It’s the cycle of life.  Kotchman uses her two kid’s names as the main characters in her books.  Her daughter Christal is in the “With Love, from Grandma.” And her son Casey is in the “With Love, from Grandma”.  After she wrote her first book with her daughter in it, when she would read in to students at schools, they would always say you need a book about your son.  You see her son was the first baseman of the Tampa Bay Rays, and kids knew he was her son. Kotchman says the books are realist fiction.  They have some things in them that are true, but the story may not be totally true.  Her latest book has a lot of Florida beach scenery, which helps students relate to the story.

Kotchman goes a step further than just writing the book, she visits classrooms around Pinellas County and reads her books to students.  She says her books are designed to help students with their writing skills. She says very often kids don’t know what to write about and they need to draw from an experience.  Her book “With Love, From Grandpa” does this. The main character has a writing assignment from school and doesn’t know what to write about until he finishes his day of fishing with his grandpa.

Kotchman’s motto is everyone has a story.  She wants to help students develop their writing skills by finding stories in their lives to write about. I guess she’s been instilling this for years.  Now her story is my story for you today.  I’m so thankful for teachers like Sue Kotchman, who make a positive difference in young children’s lives and help promote literacy.

***If you would like Sue Kotchman to read to your students at your school, you can email her at SueKotch11@gmail.com

Teacher Appreciation Week: Thank a Teacher!

This week is teacher appreciation week. It is a time when we get to thank our

children's educators for all they do for our kids. When I think about teachers, I think about how they play such an important part of our child's life.I am so thankful for the teachers I had while going to school. For the most part, I had wonderful teachers who helped me become the person I am today.

When you think about it, elementary school teachers spend almost as much time as

we do as parents with our children during the week. My daughters who are now in second and fourth grade, have also had fantastic teachers so far during their first few years of school. My girls love going to

school and it has a lot to do with their teachers. Both my daughter's have had

teachers that are very caring and nice.

Today's teachers have so much on their plate. Teachers have to be more than

teachers. Because of today's society and the home life of a lot of kids, teachers have had to take on an even bigger role in a child's life. Some of today's educators are the only positive influence a child has.

Teachers today are role models and play a big impact in our child's life.

Middle and high school students awarded the Turnaround Achievement Awards. Pictured with the students is Reginald Roundtree from WTSP, who was the guest speaker

Recently, I was asked to attend an awards ceremony for fifty middle and high school students who turned their lives around. It was called Pinellas County's Turnaround Achievement Awards.

Jerry Krauss from Seminole Lanes who
hosted the Turnaround Achievement Awards

 It was hosted by the Krauss family. They own Seminole Lanes bowling alley. I think this awards ceremony captures the essence of just how important a educator can be. A lot of these student’s lives were changed because of teachers who took time and cared about a student who may have been going in the wrong direction. Some of the students were in trouble all the time, some were making terrible grades and some were missing school all the time.  Because a teacher or coach took an interest in a student and let them know they truly cared about them, these students lives were changed. The stories I heard that day were incredible and brought tears to my eyes. At the ceremony the educator gave you a glimpse of how the student was and how they changed. The student in turn thanked the person who made a difference in their life. Some of these students were going nowhere fast and now they have scholarships to

universities. 

It is important to thank those who make a difference in our child's lives. Thank

you to all our educators. You deserve this week of appreciation and continued

appreciation throughout the year.

Parent/Teacher Conference

By contributing writer and teacher Ree Shapiro

Conferencing with your child’s teacher can be a nerve racking experience.   I am nervous when I go to my children’s conference, and I know what to expect! 

Most teachers want the conference to go as smoothly as possible. Teachers really do not like to give bad news. Many of the academic policies discussed are beyond a teacher’s control.  Teachers follow either State or County guidelines when assigning grades.  Student expectations are extremely strict and must be adhered.

One of the most difficult conferences to have is when a child qualifies as a potential retainee.  Teachers know how scary that is for parents to hear.  This is especially difficult in kindergarten.  Who wants to hear that there child may fail kindergarten?!

Usually though, if this was a possibility, for a child in any grade, your child‘s teacher would have been preparing you for this earlier in the school year.  At your fall conference, the teacher may have expressed concern about your child’s lack of progress or slow progress.  The teacher may have given you skills to work on with your child, or discussed how your child would be given extra help at school.  If your child’s initial assessment scores were low, your child may have been put on a progress monitoring plan.

Even with all this help, expectations are high and your child may still have difficulty meeting them. 

Teachers must decide by late February whether a child has a possibility of being retained and then that child must be made a potential retainee.  There are guidelines to help us with this decision but it can also be a judgment call. 

If your child is identified as a potential retainee, the teacher will have you sign a paper stating this fact.  The teacher should also explain that even though you sign the paper this does not mean your child will be retained.  The term potential is a little misleading.  It means that there is a possibility that your child can be retained, not that they definitely will be.  

Many times a student will blossom in the spring and will all of sudden catch on.  I have had this happen before.  It is always wonderful when that happens.

Try not to enter your child’s conference on the defensive, but do ask lots of questions!  Especially questions on how to help your child’s progress.  Most (I would almost say all) teachers want your child to do well.  Honestly, teachers feel  so wonderful when a struggling student “gets it.”

Go into your child’s conference with the attitude that you and the teacher are a team.  Strategizing together is the best way to help your child succeed.

MOSI (Museum of Science and Industry) Discounts

All summer long until August 26, teachers get in free with a school ID at Tampa's Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI).  Teachers can also get $5 off for up to six of their family members. If you aren't a teacher, you can go on Sunday, August 7, which is Friendship Day! Bring a friend and one of you gets in free. The other buy one, get one deals is August 21, which is Senior Citizen Day and September 3 to 5 for Labor Day Weekend.
You save half price by going on these days.  The regular price for adults is $20.95, seniors are $18.95 and children, ages 2 to 12, are $16.95.

Click here for more information on MOSI

Chuck E. Cheese's Free Tokens

If you go to Chuck E. Cheese's, you need to make sure you visit their web site first. They have lots of coupons online that will save you $$$.  You can also save a lot when you join the Chuck E-Club. I even got a coupon recently for 20 free tokens.

You can also print out cute reward certificates for free tokens.  My daughter just lost her first tooth recently and guess what? Chuck E. Cheese's gives 10 tokens for losing a tooth. There are all sorts of reward certificates. Here's a list: Clean room, homework first, let's get dressed, reading rewards, good night sleep, potty perfect, terrific teeth, done with thumbs, great behavior, great listener, no nose picking, magical musician and good patient. There are also sports ribbons with ten free tokens.  These make for great rewards for your kids.

Teachers free creative resource

Teachers you can be a part of the Michaels family the Knack Faculty. You will get valuable coupons, classroom-related ideas and activities and much more. You can sign up at www.theknackkids.com/teach

You also get 15% off at Michaels if you show your teacher id