Yuck humor helps push kids to read

[Guest guest]

Yuck humor helps push kids to read

Teacher of Year makes it fun

By Maeshiro

Staff Writer

Los Angeles Daily News

Sunday, June 20, 2004 -

LANCASTER -- Chapman, a special-education teacher at Verde School,

is known for concocting unusual treats for her students who reach milestones in

reading.

After reading a book and passing a computer quiz, a student gets to put a lima

bean in a can. When the can is filled, Chapman makes what one school official

called " gross food " that reflects a current lesson.

The goodies have included cupcakes covered with chocolate pudding, gummy worms

and stalks of celery for books read about growing plants.

She has made Jell-O hearts, with black and red licorice strings standing in for

veins and arteries, and Jell-O brains.

After her class learned about dinosaurs, Chapman took chocolate pudding and

mixed in Whoppers malt balls, chocolate chips, candy worms and shredded wheat

" to give it a nice texture, " and she called it " Dino Dung Delight. "

" The kids eat them. They complain. They go 'eew,' but they eat it, " Chapman

said. " They all taste pretty good. "

Chapman, 34, recently named Lancaster School District's Teacher of the Year, has

been teaching at Verde for 11 years -- the last seven in special

education.

She teaches 13 students in third, fourth and fifth grades class. Their

conditions include autism and mental retardation.

She took over the special-education class while she was working on a master's

degree in the field.

" I like the one-on-one, " she said about her way of working with the students.

She also likes the challenge.

" The kids are harder to reach. It's more of a challenge to reach them, " Chapman

said.

She said there are days she is tempted to return to a regular class, but her

students have a hold on her. " The kids are so close to getting mainstreamed

into regular education. I just like to help push them along. "

Principal Tara Brown said Chapman has a difficult teaching assignment: to

develop individual education plans for students who are in three different

grade levels.

" She gets results. The data show the children are making a great deal of

progress toward goals (in each one's individual education plan) and toward

state standards and benchmarks, " Brown said.

" She empowers all the kids to reach their full potential. She has high

expectations, and she really empowers the students. She really does believe

that all children can and will learn, which is an attitude that every teacher

should have, " Brown said. " When you have high expectations, you get the results

you are looking for. "

Chapman also serves on school and district committees, makes sure the school's

accelerated reading program is running smoothly, and dresses up as a Dr. Seuss

character, Cat in the Hat, for special reading events.

At such events, Chapman reads from a book she penned, " Homework and Tests, "

mimicking rhymes from a Seuss book, " Green Eggs and Ham. "

Chapman is at school most nights and on weekends to attend committee meetings

and prepare her students' education plans. " It gets to the point where every

day after school I have a meeting, " Chapman said.

Growing up as the daughter of a pest-control business owner and a full-time

homemaker, Chapman initially thought of pursuing a career in business. She

changed her mind after working as a tutor.

" I enjoy watching the kids learn and charting their growth and letting them see

how much they learn over a year, " Chapman said. " It's nice. It makes you

realize that it can happen. They can learn. You've got to find their strengths.

You've got to find what works with each one and help them learn the same things

other kids have to learn. "

Chapman got a bachelor's degree in liberal arts from California State

University, Northridge, and a master's degree in special education from

California State University, Bakersfield.

She lives in Palmdale with her husband, Gregg, and is expecting their first

child in November.

Maeshiro, karen.maeshiro@...