Published: March 14, 2009 12:05 pm      

Education excellence

Local instructor featured in teaching magazine

ASHLAND — A local teacher has had the honor of appearing on the cover of the March issue of Kentucky Teacher, a magazine published by the Kentucky Department of Education for teachers, school administrators, parents and others with education concerns.

Vickie Maggard Elswick, a teacher at Boyd County Middle School, was the subject of a story about technology in Kentucky schools. Elswick is the school’s technology coordinator and teaches keyboarding and exploratory computer applications and she trains staff.

In the magazine story about her, Elswick’s principal, Bill Bobblett, praised her work.

“She is the consummate teacher,” he said. “By teaching students responsible technology skills, Vickie instructs her students to the fullest with regard to responsible technology use. Vickie’s students are always prepared to tackle almost every aspect related to technology.”

She said she knew to survive in her career, she would have to embrace technology.

“I honestly think that requirement for change is why I have never had even the slightest bit of burnout in my career. I am always finding some new technology tool or resource, and change has guaranteed that my job has always been fresh and interesting to me, which I hope also means it has been fresh and interesting to my students,” she said.

Elswick, 54, of Greenup, graduated from Wurtland High School and received her bachelor of arts from the University of Kentucky and a master of business education from Morehead State University.

She said she didn’t always know she wanted to be a teacher.

“I loved business courses (economics, typing, accounting, etc.) because I thought they were so practical and so relevant to life,” she said. “Those things were a part of every career and even one’s personal life. I felt that I could make an impact in teaching others about these very useful skills and concepts.”

She said technology has made her a better teacher, too.

“My lesson plans are better designed because the Internet makes so many resources available to me and my students,” she said. “My content is timely because I have access to the most up-to-date information. My presentation of information can better meet the individual learning styles of my students. Technology enables me to use text, videos, graphics, animation, interaction, etc.

“Most importantly, technology enhances the quality of work that my students do. I do truly enjoy technology, and I love learning about every new tool and resource.”

Finding herself on the cover of Kentucky Teacher came as a surprise to Elswick.

“I received an e-mail from someone last fall asking if they could ask me some questions about technology. In January, I received another e-mail wanting to know if they could come to our school and take some pictures of students using technology,” she explained. “The next thing I knew I had a call to my home from my principal telling me that I was on the cover. I had no idea!”

The best part of the featured position in the magazine was the reaction from her students.

“The reaction that touched me the most was from a former student who is now in high school,” she said. “He called and left a message that he asked be forwarded to me. He said he had just seen the cover and the article, and he wanted me to know how proud he was of me. Life as a teacher doesn’t get much better than that.”

LEE WARD can be reached at lward@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2661.