Teacher Spotlight
The Voluisa County Teacher of the Week is Louise Chapman
Her goal: Build excitement about science
December 13, 2007
Class: I teach environmental science to second through 12th grade throughout Volusia County. I have been teaching here since 1984. I direct the Environmental Service Learning Legacy Project, which involves 14 schools at three habitats: estuarine, wetland and scrub.
Family: I have a son, Alex Champan, and a daughter, Stephanie Cap, and a son-in-law, Jim Cap.
Reason for teaching: I wanted to help others to learn the joy of learning and the excitement of science.
Greatest moment as a teacher: Taking 90 fifth-graders from Manatee Cove Elementary School in Orange City to Matanzas Beach last year. Seventy of those students had never seen the ocean.
Most embarrassing moment: I fell into three feet of mud in Rose Bay while training students to use a seine, a type of fishing net. I got stuck in the mud.
Who is the person you admire most and why? I admire all the teachers I work with because it is a tough job, but I was most inspired by Steve Shewey, a former student of mine who recently became teacher of the year at his school. It is so amazing for a teacher to see what happens to former students and to learn from them and to see them do remarkable work with challenging students.
Favorite movies: Mysteries are my favorite.
Last book you read: Last Child Left in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv, a book about how kids are environmentally deprived. That book led me to become the environmental teacher.
Favorite hobbies: I like reading, arts and crafts and walking around nature preserves.
If you weren't a teacher what career would you chose and why? An animal behaviorist because I have always loved working with animals. I worked at Yerkes Regional Primate Center at Emory University in Atlanta during my graduate student days.
Louise Chapman was nominated by her former student and colleague Steven Shewey.
Volusia school teachers will be profiled throughout the year. E-mail Eileen Marie Simoneau at vteachspot@ mac.com or call her at 386-561-7356 or fax 386-851-7918. Include your name, phone number and why you would like to see this teacher profiled.
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