Tiffany Dormire, 1st Grade Teacher at Magruder ES, is Teacher of the Month – April 2013
Meet Williamsburg’s Choice ~ Teacher of the Month April 2013 Tiffany Dormire
1. How long have you been teaching and teaching at Magruder Elementary?
I have been teaching twenty-five years total. I have spent sixteen at Magruder Elementary.
2. What drew you to teaching, teaching at Magruder Elementary and was there any particular reason you chose to teach 1st Grade?
My sixth grade teacher, Mr. Tucker, is the reason I was drawn to teaching. He made learning fun, exciting and relatable every day. I left his class as a twelve-year-old knowing I wanted to make kids excited about learning the way he did for me. Teaching at Magruder Elementary is like teaching with a school filled with Mr. Tuckers. I am constantly learning from the great people I have the pleasure to teach with daily. Teaching first grade is an adventure because I get to build their foundation for reading and channel the energy of six and seven-year old children into an excitement for learning new skills. No two days or children are the same, so it is never boring!
3. What do you want your children to be able to do when they leave your classroom – that you know will prepare them for further education and life in general?
When my students leave my classroom I want to have given them a firm reading foundation and love for learning. I want them to know beyond a shadow of a doubt they are capable of big things and need to always try their best to reach their potential.
4. If you could ask parents to do one thing to help their children’s academic success what would it be?
If I could ask parents to do one thing to help their child’s success I would emphatically say read to and with your child daily.
5. Are you from Williamsburg? If not, where are you from, what brought you here?
I am from Virginia Beach originally. My parents moved to Williamsburg a while back and I wanted the blessing of having my kids grow up close to them. I also love the small town feel and the friendly people in Williamsburg. I will never forget when my husband and I first moved in our house sixteen years ago and we realized we had forgotten to buy light bulbs. We called Jamestown Feed and Seed and asked if they carried light bulbs and when they were closing. They told my husband they did sell light bulbs but were getting ready to close. When my husband told them we had just moved to town and needed suggestions about another place that might be open they said they would stay open until we got there. We were both shocked at that small town friendliness. We continue to see that even as the town has grown.
6. Do you have any life lessons that children in class have taught you – maybe a short story about kindness, sharing or just a First Grader’s perspective?
A funny first day story that taught me about a child’s ability to take adults at their words goes like this…In trying to build enthusiasm on my first day of teaching I told my students the following, “I am so excited about spending this school year with you. We will learn to count better, add, subtract, become great authors and illustrators, measure, count money, discover cool things about animals and plants, follow maps and become brave scientists who do experiments.” When I finished one of my students raised his hand and asked, “Sounds good. And so what are we doing tomorrow?” From that day forward I realized how much my students would be taking me at my word, so I needed to be the best role model I could be.
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