NAME:
Ms. Judy Whitman
SCHOOL:
Fontainebleau Junior High
CLASS:
American History - 7th Grade Social Studies
SCHOOL PHONE:
985-875-7501
Coming from a large family headed by a father who was a teacher and coach, it
was easy to see the many rewards that a teaching career could bring. In
fact, two of my brothers also followed in Dad's footsteps - one a teacher
and the other a counselor - both in high schools. I, myself, have been a
teacher since I was twenty-one years old and I am happy to say that I cannot
imagine my life any other way. I recently calculated that I have taught
over FIVE THOUSAND STUDENTS during my teaching career. A lot of names to
remember!
I have taught at many other schools during my "experienced" career:
Henry Ford Junior High (Avondale)
Metairie Grammar (Metairie)
Roosevelt Junior High (Kenner)
Ella Dolhonde Elementary (Metairie)
Meisler Junior High (Metairie)
Boyet Junior High (Slidell)
Mandeville Junior High (Mandeville)
At home, I have what is called an "empty nest." My three children are either
married or working or both. Not one teacher out of the bunch......my two
girls, Jessica and Melissa, are both nurses working together on the same
floor at East Jefferson Hospital. Like his sisters, my son Patrick has also
chosen a medical career, but a different type. He is a firefighter and
paramedic here in Mandeville which means he works on more medical emergencies
than he does fires.
This summer has been especially eventful for my family as I had a daughter
and daughter-in-law both pregnant and my other child was building a house
here in Mandeville. I am now the proud grandmother of brand-new baby girl,
Ryleigh, born on June 30th. I also have three other AWESOME grandchildren -
a boy, Dante(11), and two girls, Sydney(10) and Macie(8). We are all
anxiously awaiting the arrival of my son's child, Mackenzie Faith, any day
now. Her mother, Stacy, is my "favorite" daughter-in-law (actually, she is
my only one!), but she seems more like a third daughter to me. My wonderful
son-in-law, Craig, pitched in college and never stopped playing baseball so I
also get to enjoy watching him play.
As you can imagine, much of my time is spent with family. With(almost) five
grandchildren, there are many ball games, recitals, and ceremonies to
attend. My other interests are reading, music, dancing, NFL football(always
a diehard Saints fan), traveling, and enjoying sunsets over the Tchefuncte.
My main goal for your class has to do with the world in which you live
today. It is VERY different from the world in which I grew up, but it is
crucial that you, as students of the twenty-first century, THINK GLOBALLY.
Research tells us that well over 80% of you will travel, work, and/ or live
in other countries. Even if you do not live abroad, chances are great that
your company will have offices or business outside of our shores.
It is my hope that the following more specific objectives will help to
attain this most important goal:
1. Foster positive beliefs in our world and in our government
2. Produce conscientious and involved citizens
3. Validate the study of history, geography, sociology, anthropology,
political science and economics
4. Prepare for ILEAP competencies
5. Communicate effectively
6. Problem solve
7. Access and use resources
8. Link and generate knowledge
9. Exercise citizenship
