Nancy Tom Dances and Sings Her Technology Messages for Harlandale ISD Students

Nancy Tom knows she has to compete with media for attention in her 7^th grade technology classroom at Kingsborough Middle School. She makes the environment fun and inviting with music and colorful decorations. "I wear a comical hat every day for the first three weeks, just to make myself approachable," she says. She tries to add humor and plain craziness to her classroom. "I want my students to dread being absent from school, for fear that they will miss something exciting that I will be teaching that day!" More than anything, she wants students to learn, be responsible, and to have a commitment to their education.

She co-teaches with teachers from other disciplines on campus. When students interpret data and integrate disciplines, she believes this helps them make a real-life connection and relate the data they collect to the real world. "I believe it is not only my job to teach students the skills they need for today’s technology but also to prepare them to adapt to the technology of tomorrow. For some students, this is the first time they have used a computer. She wants them to stay in school and get educated. She wants them to follow her in becoming lifetime learners.