April 9, 2025
Why Teachers Keep Learning
What drives a teacher to stay passionate after more than two decades in the classroom? Patrick Harry, a veteran educator from South Lincoln Pre-K-8 School, reveals the inspiration behind his 22-year journey teaching history and his recent venture into teaching science.
Website: Spotlight 4 Success
00:00 - Introduction to Patrick Harry
00:41 - Patrick's Journey into Teaching
01:46 - Student Field Trips to DC
02:42 - Using ABC Materials in the Classroom
04:25 - Teaching Strategies and Future Plans
WEBVTT
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Welcome to Spotlight for Success by American Book Company.
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I'm Devin Pintosi, your host.
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We are here at the Tennessee Council of Social Studies in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
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We are here with Patrick Harry, who is with South Lincoln Middle School, also a K-8 school, I understand.
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Is that?
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right.
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Yes, sir, Pre-K-8.
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Pre-k-8.
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Yes, sir, Wonderful.
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So Patrick, tell me a littleK-8.
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Pre-k-8.
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Yes sir, wonderful.
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So, patrick, tell me a little bit about what brings you to TCSS today.
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Well, just with my content, I teach.
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I mean, I've been teaching history for 22 years now in Tennessee.
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Anyway, I just enjoy coming to the conference.
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I've not come consecutively in every year, but I do come every chance I get.
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I've been here a handful of times over the years but I do enjoy seeing the vendors and getting some good samples and maybe some of the latest stuff coming out material-wise and whatnot, using the classroom, and I'm just a big fan of that.
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I try to stay on top of things.
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That's wonderful, Patrick.
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Can you tell me a bit about what brought you into teaching?
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Well, just I think back to gosh elementary school days and when I was at age.
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Of course, just kind of, I guess at the time I just kind of had some good teachers around me, fifth grade mainly.
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You know all my teachers I can't take anything away from anybody in particular, but I just kind of the way they made me feel in the classroom, you know, you know, um, I just like to try to give back to the kids, I guess, today, to kind of give the same thing I was given when I was younger that's great, that is so wonderful.
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And can you tell the audience what you uh teach currently?
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oh yes, I'm sorry.
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I teach eighth grade US history and I also teach I'm new to eighth grade science.
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It's a first year teaching stuff.
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I feel like again but you know we're getting there.
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But I've been teaching 22 years now history and I get one year currently of science as well.
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So I do them both.
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Oh, that's wonderful and I understand.
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Occasionally you take groups of students out of the state.
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Yes, sir, we take COVID time.
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We kind of mess this up a little bit, but we had pretty much every couple years I try to take a group of folks parents and students 6th through 8th grade, if not sometimes older.
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Some of the high school kids sometimes reach out to me and we go to Washington DC and so on.
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So I actually have a trip planned for right now.
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We're going to be going obviously we're going to be spring break next week, but next spring break we're going to DC and also Gettysburg.
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That's something else I picked up.
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So that's something I enjoy being a part of as well and putting together and doing my part and so on like that.
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But I just kind of.
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I just enjoy that very much.
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That is wonderful, patrick, and can you tell me a bit?
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I understand you use ABC materials.
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Hope to hear from you soon.
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Bye, bye.
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I guess a few years ago, one of our assistant principals a few years back was kind of sharing about some materials and whatnot and I just kind of, you know, we all kind of adopted some.
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We picked up a sample or two and I love it.
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I mean, I've used the textbook over the years, sure, but ABC materials.
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Truthfully, I have been a big fan of A lot of my Google Slides.
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I make it comes from that content and I just like the way that it's covered and it addresses all the subject matter and whatnot.
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So I'm a big fan of it.
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That's great.
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Have you seen the students' scores improve?
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They have.
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I mean being a teacher.
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It would be great to have being top-notch every year.
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Unfortunately that doesn't happen, but some years are different than others.
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But pretty much since I've been using ABC materials, we've been pretty much I wouldn't say constant, but we have not, you know, we've been up to a decent level.
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Okay, that's wonderful.
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Yes, sir and Patrick, tell me a bit about new things that you're planning with your classroom or things that are bringing you here to TCSS that you want to share Just pretty much like I said, like I was kind of saying already, the fact of coming here and just seeing other materials definitely your materials and just seeing how it can be added to the classroom.
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I'll be honest with you, I'm a lecture teacher and I really get into what I do, but it would be nice to kind of, you know, I kind of need to stop sometimes and regroup and maybe do some more hands-on things in the classroom and, you know, primary sources or whatnot, and let the kids kind of come up with different things as well.
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So that's something I'm challenging myself with that.
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You know we can't do that every day, don't get me wrong.
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Um, but I would like to try to do that so that coming here kind of makes me, gives me some ideas and whatnot, and of all the latest, latest, I guess materials are out that we can use for things like that that's wonderful, pat Patrick.
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Yes, sir, all right.
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Well, this is Patrick Harry with South Lincoln Pre-K-8 School.
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We're so happy that you were able to come here and spend some time with us here at T-C-S-S.
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Yes, sir, thank you.
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Thank you now, bye, bye.
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