JUDY BURNS

Mrs. Judy Burns is Norman Public Schools’ 2006 District Teacher of the Year. Mrs. Burns is an 8th grade Social Studies teacher at Whittier Middle School. She has eighteen total years of experience as a teacher with nine years in her present position. She has been married for thirty-six years to James M. Burns who is the pastor of the Memorial Presbyterian Church in Norman. They have three sons, Paul, David, and John.

Mrs. Burns was born into a family of teachers, even though no one in her family was formally educated as a classroom teacher. Both of her parents taught her to be a life-long learner. Her mother was a reader and a thinker who loved to discuss books with her. Her father was a B-52 pilot instructor in the Air Force teaching others how to fly and teaching her about history. The love of learning she experienced as a child continued into adulthood and provided the base for teaching as a chosen field of study.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Judy Burns arrived in Norman in 1984 after receiving her B.A. in History from the University of Houston. She then pursued her secondary education certification in Social Studies from the University of Oklahoma and in 2005 completed a Master’s in Educational and Community Renewal from O.U.

EDUCATIONAL PRACTICES AND PHILOSOPHY

Mrs. Burn’s Personal Philosophy of Pedagogy is represented through “The Three Little P’s.”

Presence: “The research is clear that when students are in school they are more likely to learn. When the teacher is present in the classroom each day, the student is able to focus on the important task of learning the material.”

Praise: “Acknowledging success in even the smallest of tasks is so valuable to people. Praise creates an atmosphere that is conducive to learning and elicits more praise.”

Playfulness: “Students come into the building with a variety of emotions about the day. I always greet students with a smile and a ‘good morning’.”

Judy Burns has become the teacher she wishes she had when she was in school. She said, “I have joyfully practiced, practiced, and practiced! Being the educational leader in an 8th grade Social Studies class is my joy, my gift, my challenge, and my fulfillment.”

2006 District Teacher of the Year Finalists

2006 Site Teachers of the Year