Suzanne Lak, a second-grade teacher at John M. Sexton Elementary
School, has received the 2012 award for excellence by the National
Council of Teachers of English.

The Donald H. Graves Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Writing
recognizes teachers in grades K-6 who demonstrate an understanding of student
improvement. Applicants were judged on a reflective essay and the submissions of
student writing samples. The award was established in
2001.

Lak received her National Board Certification in 2010 and is a member of the
Tampa Bay Area Writing Project. She says the TBAWP Summer Institute is one of
the reasons she has had so much success in teaching writing.

Suzanne has established an impressive and comprehensive writing workshop in
her classroom,” said Suzette Burns, principal of Sexton. “She provides
experiences with mentor authors and genre studies, and offers opportunities for
her students to explore imagination and curiosity in a safe, secure writing
environment. She is encouraging and allows students freedom to express
themselves through their writing.”

Teaching Craft

During the certification process, Suzanne formed the following beliefs:
•students learn best when material is presented through various modalities
•students need exposure and immersion in the writing process
• developingwriters require support
• authors are the best mentors
• integratingtechnology into writing is crucial
• genre studies provide in-depth cross-curricular studies
• writers need a purpose
• writing should be
shared, valued, and celebrated.

On Thursday, Nov. 15, Lak will be honored as the recipient of this
prestigious award at the NCTE annual convention in Las Vegas, Nev. The National
Council of Teachers of English has 35,000 members worldwide and is dedicated to
improving the teaching and learning of English and the language arts at all
levels of education. For more information, visit their website:http://www.ncte.org


Tagged as:annual,awards,elementary schools,honored,teaching craft

Young poets shine in the spotlight

April 2, 2012
instudents

First, the second-graders studied various poets and their works.

Then, they used some of the writing techniques and strategies they'd learned
about to create a full anthology of their own poetry.

And on the Friday before spring break, students in Suzie Lak's second-grade
classroom at John M. Sexton Elementary School in St. Petersburg took center
stage and read their original works to a classroom full of visitors.

Lak's classroom was set up like a mid-20th century poetry cafe. The kids wore
black clothing and berets made out of felt.

They started with a shared, class reading, went through their original pieces
of poetry and ended with a poem that the students created together.

More than 40 family members came out to celebrate the students' writing.

Tagged as:elementary schools

Cast your vote to vault Sexton teacher and her students to victory in contest

June 1, 2012

instudents,teachers

Suzanne Lak's bulletin board in her second grade classroom at Sexton
Elementary School has been chosen as a finalist in a national bulletin board contest
sponsored by TeachHUB.com, an online resource center for educators provided
by the K-12 Teachers Alliance.

Lak's "Poetree" display contains original poems created by her students.

The board was chosen "based on overall look, creativity and the educational
value of the classroom/bulletin board display," according to the TeachHUB
website. The winner of the Battle of the Boards will receive a $250 cash prize
and will be determined by votes by visitors to the site. Voting ends at noon
Monday, June 4.

Clickhereto cast your vote in support of Lak, her students and Sexton Elementary!

Tagged as:competitions,elementary schools,poetry