Meet Mr. A

Stan Aderman - 4th/5th Grade

For Stan Adermann, the experience of multi-grade classrooms, thematic instruction, and parent participation in class began with his own schooling. His elementary school combined kindergarten through sixth grade. “It was a philosophical choice at the school to teach multiple ages together, not because there were too few students.” They worked together on large projects, like building adobe structures and growing a garden full of indigenous plants. His early exposure to arts, music, and many field trips are evident in his teaching today. His class goes out frequently for first hand experiences, and art often figures into his lesson plans.

Parents in the classroom are important to him, too. “The best part of parent participation in school,” he says, “is that everyone has different experiences, talents, and expertise. A parent may connect on something with one or two kids, and that connection might not have been available otherwise.” Parents bring into the classroom diverse professional, cultural and personal qualities that help create well-rounded students.

Having an appreciation for cultures and lifelong friends from around the world have given Stan’s teaching a multicultural flair. Stan’s elementary school drew students from many nations, and he continues to backpack around the globe. If he hadn’t been in Africa until November one year, he may not have started teaching. “After college but before I became a teacher, I was working on ethnographic research with a professor in Africa. When I got back home, I was off schedule to start graduate school, so I did some substitute teaching. I enjoyed working with the kids so much, I went and got my teaching credential!” Room 13 – 4th Grade: Students Like Having a “Cool Guy” for a Teacher

Stan Adermann's 4th grade students have a hard time when pressed for one word to describe him. "Cool," "a guy," and "funny," come up several times each. "Having a guy teacher is different. My other teachers were all women, and they were nice. Well, Mr. A is nice but he's cool, not nicey-nice."

The students like Mr. A, and they are learning, too. Everyone seems to have a favorite lesson and enjoys telling what they've learned. "At my old school, I wasn't very good at math. In Mr. A's room, I'm really good at it. He taught me this "QDPA check" which really helped me." The QDPA check is just one process the students learn to deepen their understanding of a subject. They write the Question, Define the part of the question that contains the math problem, do the Problem as an equation, and Answer the equation in a complete sentence. Then they check their math by reversing the problem and solving it again. This process teaches them how to take a problem apart and solve it with confidence.

Art plays a key part in the class work. "We're learning about culture by decorating skulls for Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), and looking at art from Mexico." Art at Stevenson PACT is often personal to the students. "I like the way we have art time to create from our own imaginations. I like that better than learning about famous artists and doing art the way they did." Mr. A is very involved with Arts Focus teaching clay, and he brings art into every subject he teaches.