At Cherokee Elementary School in Johnson City, first-grade teacher Karen D. White addresses her students' multiple intelligences through open-ended teaching strategies such as journaling, learning centers, creative dramatics, free exploration and play, and small and large group instruction. She created a program called Dear Time Reading to promote a love of literacy, foster critical and creative thinking, build social skills, and encourage independent study of other curricular areas through the use of literature. As a result of her strategies, all of her students leave her class reading at grade level. Mrs. White actively seeks participation from family members to chaperone field trips, help with special activities, and provide assistance in the classroom. She is a mentor teacher and trains volunteers to provide assistance to students in the Accelerated Reading program.
1986 East Tennessee State University, B.S.
