Shatekon’s Burnetter named teacher of year
CLIFTON PARK (Nov. 6) — The Scotia-Glenville Children’s Museum — the nation’s only 100 percent traveling museum, a road show that visits schools, libraries and the like — likes it when teachers have their students prepared for a classroom visit. They like it even more when everyone learns something during the visit.
That’s a big reason why the museum is honoring Shatekon second-grade teacher Julie Burnetter as classroom teacher of the year.
Shatekon second-grade teacher Julie Burnetter will be honored as the Scotia-Glenville Children's Museum's classroom teacher of the year at a dinner on Friday, Nov. 13.
Bennett said Burnetter was nominated by a museum teacher, one of the museum staffers who lead visit schools and lead presentations in the classrooms. According to Bennett, the nominator said Burnetter “had given her additional information that the museum teacher could use herself.”
Burnetter said she feels the same about the traveling museum.
“I get to be a learner with the children,” she said. “It seems like when they come in I actually learn something as well because they bring in so many interesting things.”
Burnetter hopes her class will have the museum visit 3 times this school year if the money is available.
“It’s a great program. The children love it,” she said about visits from the museum. “They get very excited beforehand, they are engaged while the museum is here and afterwards it leads to a lot of things we do in the classroom as well.”
Burnetter, in her fourth different elementary school during 22 years with the Shenendehowa district, has taught every grade between kindergarten through sixth with the exception of fourth grade. She admitted to having a favorite — third-grade social studies — because it deals with world cultures.
“Over the summer I travelled to Honduras with Heifer International,” she said. “I’d like to go to other places in the world.”
The museum will honor Burnetter and museum teacher of the year Peggy Labrie at a dinner on Friday, Nov. 13 at Mallozzi’s restaurant in Schenectady.
“Dr. Robinson (district superintendent Oliver Robinson) started the year by telling us he wants us to bring out the genius in each child,” Burnetter said. “That’s something I truly believe — there is a genius in each child, and our job is to bring it out.”
For more information:
- Shatekon Elementary School, 35 Maxwell Drive, Clifton Park, 881.0580
- The Scotia-Glenville Children’s Museum, 303 Mohawk Avenue, Scotia, 346.1764
