Linda Furey, Fayette County's Teacher of the

Year 2000, is described by her colleagues as a very

creative woman who wants to see every one of her students

succeed, not only in the classroom, but in life.

a different drummer," but has developed a rapport

with her students which transcends the average

student-teacher relationship.

"I practice co-respect," Furey said. "I have a lot

of respect for my students and they, in turn, respect me."

As a sixth grade science teacher at Rising Starr

Middle School, Furey said she was shocked to learn of her

newly earned title.

"The biggest reward was being recognized by

your peers; to represent them is the highest honor," she said.

Furey was nominated for the recognition by the

faculty at Rising Starr and was required to complete a

series of questions about her teaching style, greatest

accomplishments, and her opinions on major public education

issues such as violence in the schools and the influence of

technology in the classroom.

"How can you put your soul on paper?" she asked rhetorically.

With a little help from her friends, Furey completed the

paperwork and was selected to represent Fayette County in the

statewide competition for the best of the best.

Even after a week of conducting hands-on labs with her

students and facing the chore of setting up another six

experiment sites, Furey talked about her work with the enthusiasm and

idealism usually found in first year teachers.

"I've taught 11 years," Furey said. She has a master's degree

in education and is state certified to teach kindergarten through

eighth grade. Currently, her sixth grade students are learning about

physical science and the part it plays in their everyday lives.

"We don't even touch the textbooks until we do labs," she

explained.

Furey demonstrated pitch and amplitude before her class with

a guitar and other musical instruments which she routinely

incorporates into her lessons.

Furey described herself as a "hands-on" science teacher

who is also acutely aware of brain compatible learning. Simply

put, an artistic child may be able to explain his ideas more clearly

"I want these students to become thinkers: not teach

them what to think, but how to think for themselves," Furey explained.

In addition to teaching science, Furey works on the life

skills county middle school students are practicing, such as

responsibility, organization, etc.

"She's a master at it," said Bob Foley, a social studies teacher

at Rising Starr.

Fellow science teacher Debbie Carson concurred. "She has

democracy in her classroom," Carson said. "The students

have a say in what they do. In one instance, the students were

dissatisfied with an assignment she had given them so they were

responsible for creating their own. She brought in the life skill

'responsibility.' That's Linda."

Furey was exposed to science in her early years growing up

in Kemah, Texas, a small town just outside Houston. "I went

to school with the astronauts' kids," she recalled. "We used to

have moon dances when there was a space shot," she laughed.

Today, she and her husband, who could be described as a

commercial composter, have two sons and live in Palmetto.

Where does Furey expect to be in 10 years? "I'd like to do

consulting work help teachers be effective in the classroom,"

she said. "I do love my students, though," she added. "I listen.

I know every one of these kids."

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