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Teacher of the Year 2000
Walter Fair is the Teacher of the Year. Although he is in residence for only several months of the year, a member of the "Snow Bird" species, he has made his presence known and felt. Before he had the chance to shake the Florida sand out of his pants cuffs, he was commandeered to work on the Education Committee of the Computer Club. Some of us knew he was a man of many talents and wanted to enlist him before word of those talents got spread around. He accepted enthusiastically (a keyword when talking about Walter).
How fortunate the Computer Club was and is to have Walter as a member. He immediately volunteered to help in classes already scheduled and then taught Computing I, Microsoft Word, and Picture It! 2000. But his coup was his Lecture Series in Computer Basics.
The Series was billed as a FREE introduction to basic computing for Computer Club members. Needless to say, FREE was the attraction and the registration was quickly filled. The closely kept secret was that not many folks knew what a super experience was in store for them. In the final analysis the word FREE was ill chosen for no amount of money could pay for the lectures that Walter delivered.
The first session was eagerly awaited, well attended and well received. The handout was well though out and well presented. He covered the material in an orderly fashion, spoke well and clearly and injected a bit of self-effacing humor to enhance the message and the lesson. I will not repeat his lesson plans here. However, there is no doubt in my mind that his approach to computer basics went a long way to solidify the earlier classroom experiences that some |
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of you may have had. I won't deny that I was a bit chagrined to see some of my former students in the audience. I worried that I may have performed a disservice but quickly dispelled those thoughts and jumped on the bandwagon. Each of the four sessions
was extremely well attended, the handouts clearly designed and the homework assignments well thought
out and manageable as evidenced by the very few questions which were asked when the opportunity was given to do so.
Those of us who had the good fortune to sit in on Walter's lectures came away with great respect for the computer but, even better, with a healthy curiosity to venture forth and to explore on our own with a bit more courage. For those who could not avail themselves of
this lecture series, I can only say, "What a shame!" But, take heart, Walter has promised to repeat this series
next year and to prepare a more Advanced Computer Basics Series.
Thank you, Walter, for sharing your wealth of computer knowledge and your expert teaching skills and style. You have been one of the shining lights of the Computer Club and have unequivocally earned the Teacher of the Year 2000 Award.
********COMPUTING I CLASSES*********
A Computer I class from 9-10:30 will begin on September 11, 2000
Another Computer I class from 3-4:30 will begin on September 18, 2000
Registration is completed at the Activities Desk. There are only 9 spots in each section and the rule is first come-first served.(6 sessions)
Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted.
John Lennon
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