Ruth Maxwell reads to her first grade class on Friday, April 4, 2012. She says that she tells the story time is their opportunity to lie on the ground or otherwise relax after lunch. Maxwell teaches first grade at Nolan Elementary.
ABOUT THE FINALISTName: Ruth MaxwellAge: 57Education: Bachelor of science in special education, early childhood and elementary education from East Tennessee State University; master of science in elementary education from Cumberland University.Experience: Thirteen years at Nolan Elementary; 29 years as an educatorPersonal: Widowed; two grown children.PULL QUOTE: “This award is more than deserved, but she readily gives credit elsewhere – to her students, to her colleagues, to parents who support her. She’s in it for the right reasons, which is seeing her students make academic successes.”FUN FACT: Maxwell is afraid of heights, but she enjoys skiing. She took a class devoted to it during her college days at ETSU, and recently she coasted down the snowy hills of Crested Butte, Colo.
When Ruth Maxwell walks her class down the hall to the Nolan Elementary School cafeteria, she holds up a bathroom plunger for all to see.
A teacher hoisting a plumber’s best friend before lunch may not immediately make sense, but as Maxwell might say, neither do first- graders.
One thing she knows: “BE QUIET!!” doesn’t really work with Signal Mountain 6-year-olds. “You’ve got to pull tricks out of your hat all the time,” she said.
Those tricks helped her become a finalist in the elementary school division of the inaugural Times Free Press Excellence in Education awards.