Blue Water Woman--spring 2017

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innovative educator by dale hemmila vivian cruz Brenda tenniswood 8 SPRING 2017 BlueWaterWoman.com Innovation. Education. Students. Learning. When you talk to Brenda Tenniswood you hear those words a lot. She is passionate about supporting the teachers and pupils in St. Clair County through her position as director of education services for the county’s Regional Education Services Agency (RESA). Tenniswood’s passion and commitment to supporting the seven school districts, their teachers and the 22,000 K-12 students served by RESA in St. Clair County is why she has been named Blue Water Woman Educator of the Year. Tenniswood was nominated for the award by Rachel Verschaeve, RESA’s education technology consultant. “Brenda has earned the respect of students, teachers and school administrators,” Verschaeve said. “In particular she is a role model for female educators, demonstrating for them how females can be strong leaders, effective communicators and compassionate women all at the same time.” While in her current position for just two years, she brings a wealth of education experience to her job following a career that includes service as a teacher, principal and assistant superintendent in the East China School District. Now, Tenniswood fills a leadership role in providing innovative curriculum opportunities for the RESA-connected school districts and meets monthly with school district superintendents, principals and curriculum directors. Her motivation? She wants to make a difference in the classroom and therefore in students’ lives. “I want teachers and students to be part of a very vibrant learning environment,” she said. “I want learning to be fun. I went in to this to make a difference.” While student education is the outcome, she wholeheartedly helps drive the process by providing innovative ideas and support for the educators. “RESA has very dedicated people and I am blessed to work with a phenomenal team,” she said. “We are really passionate about teaching and learning and we are committed to ongoing teacher professional development.” One project she was tasked with at RESA combined a unique student learning experience with professional development opportunities for teachers. Called the “Challenge 4 the Future,” the project placed high school students and teachers in teams partnered with local businesses, who presented them with a real-world business problem to solve within two weeks. The first year of the program in 2016 was deemed a success. “Last year helped build partnerships with businesses in the community,” Tenniswood said. “Teachers and students learned 21st century proficiency skills. It was a win-win all the way around.” The program is now in the process of recruiting teachers and students for 2017. An additional innovative program Tenniswood is moving forward is called “Classroom of the Future” where she will help distribute $200,000 in grant funds to the seven districts to allow a group of 13 teachers to re-invent their classrooms and teaching environments with new and unique furniture designs to enhance and encourage learning with the intent to keep students engaged. Shepherding these two programs plus working with her colleagues to develop and support ever-changing curriculum possibilities keep Tenniswood engaged as well. “I’m an avid learner and I love to read,” she said. “I probably have seven professional books going at the same time. It’s critical that I keep up with the latest in curriculum education if I’m going to lead others.” All the while she keeps a constant focus on the words that are peppered through her conversations. Innovation. Education. Students. Learning. “I like to interact with so many dedicated professionals,” she said. “I like helping people stay focused on what’s truly important—teaching and learning.”
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Blue Water Woman--spring 2017

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