Debra Murray

34 years...12 in Physical education and 22 in elementary classrooms, 20 of those years were in multi-age classrooms by choice. Voluntarily transferred several times in my career to become involved in different MA classes. Writing for education and creatively otherwise for 35 years. Have received several awards for technological integration into the curriculum and for leadership. I am now retired and partner in an educational consulting firm. Website:kellmurreducation.com...I'm the MURR part!

relate everything to the real world, have an interactive classroom filled with drama and other fine arts areas as well as technology, focus on self-discipline and all aspects of rights and resultant responsibilities in the school and "real world" part of students lives. MUST focus on multiple intelligence theories and match curriculum to student needs not the other way around.

Honors and Awards I have been very lucky in my career to work with people who appreciated and took note of initiatives and earmarks of my teaching. *I feel honored to have written article and speeches for the Cape Breton Victoria Regional School Board and the Cape Breton local of the NSTU for over 20 years. *I have articles published in the national magazine, The Teacher as well as the provincial teacher’s magazine Asviso. *In 1982 I was a winner in the American Song Festival for my lyrics, “ Heritage.” *In 1986 one of my poems about Remembrance Day was published in the American poetry Anthology. *In 1996 the Cape Breton Victoria School Board set up an initiative called ITAC (Integrating Technology Across the Curriculum.) Teachers were asked to send in proposals as to how they would use technology to enhance curriculum on a daily basis and selected winners would receive a pod of computers with internet access and a classroom printer. I was a successful applicant in that program and from there my technology use in the classroom took off! *In 1997 the Center For Leadership Development (Cape Breton local) awarded me with a plaque for Leadership and Dedication in Education. *In 2001 the Nova Scotia Department of Education awarded me a certificate of excellence which exemplified the spirit of education. *In 2002 the community and staff of St. Joseph Elementary in Sydney Mines gathered to play and perform some of my songs on a special dedication CD called Voices of our children. The CD was used as a fund raiser for the school and received some acclaim on local radio and television. *In 2007 the Cape Breton Victoria Regional School Board Instructional Support and Technology Committee presented me with a plaque for exemplary use of technology in the classroom along with $1000.00 to be spent on curriculum based technology for my classroom. *In February of 2008 I was a presenter at a board wide in-service in the CBVRM sharing experiences and know how regarding teaching in the multi-age classroom. The in-service was attended by elementary teachers across our board. Since that time, my consulting firm partner and I have held several in-services for our board in which I either presented teachers with curricular materials or worked with other board staff connecting their jobs to their lives. In 2009 I was responsible for writing a series of Olympic newsletters for use in the classrooms around our board and wrote an Olympic song praising Canada’s athletes that was made into a CD distributed to all schools in the board and sung by all students in the board simultaneously on a designated day at a designated time.

After graduating from Sydney Mines High School in 1971 I applied for and was accepted to the Nova Scotia Teacher’s College in Truro, Nova Scotia where I spent three years attaining a degree in physical education and as well a degree in elementary classroom education. That college stay gave me a TC 4 in both programs and afterwards, I attended the college again for summer courses as well as summer courses at St. Mary’s in Halifax and the College of Cape Breton ( now Cape Breton University) in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia to upgrade my license to a TC5 in both PE and elementary education. Continuous in-servicing through my board has given me many opportunities to add to my knowledge of curriculum including and especially) technological integration into the curriculum. In 1986 I graduated from the University of Children’s Literature in Redding Ridge, Conneticut having completing their two year course in writing for children in one year.

My objectives as a teacher were highlighted by my desire to bring humor, self- discipline, promotion of self-esteem and respect as well as independence and objectivity to the many students and staff members I have worked with across the board. As a retired teacher my objective is to continue to write educational, inspirational and technological materials that may be used in the education system ( as well as other venues) and as well, to continue my song, poetry and other creative writings. I feel my areas of skill and expertise to include having taught consistently with a sense of humor, respect, responsibility and pride. I have made it my mantra to see the child as more important than any book or philosophy. I am experienced in writing curriculum based materials in all subjects, creating technology based lesson plans for integration of technology into the curriculum, ( I was seconded by the CBVRSB in 2006 to write curriculum based technology lesson plans for distribution to teacher p-3 from the board web site: www.cbv.ns.ca under Technology Integration Teacher Resources. I enjoy creating novel study, book corner, guided reading and center activities based on curriculum for the classroom and in particular, the multi-age classroom. I have twenty two years of teaching experience in multi-age classes. I am a writer ( songs, poetry, picture book manuscripts, greeting card inserts, speeches, dedications and essays) and I feel I have the ability to mentor teachers especially those working in multi-age elementary classrooms. In 2006 the elementary curriculum department of the CBVRSB seconded me to write a document that gave classroom teachers activities to integrate the concept AHL ( active healthy living) into their curriculum. The result was a booklet for each grade primary to six that contained 30-50 activities, 15 poems and a series of interactive, student friendly web sites. The booklets are now in use in all classrooms in the CBVRSB as a supplement to the health curriculum. In 2008 the elementary curriculum department of the CBVRSB seconded me to partner with another teacher in the development of a web site that brings the history of Nova Scotia coal mining to young learners. The site also provides teachers and students with a collection of curriculum related activities and information which I developed based on the picture book, Archie the Pit Rat Hero. The web site can be accessed at: www.coalnovascotia.org In February, 2009, I was a presenter at a board wide in-service for teachers primary through six on the topic of strategies for use in the multi-age classroom.