Houston, TX May 17, 2005

Teacher wins makeover for classroom at Dogan

Lakeshore Learning donated project materials

By KATANIA CASTANEDA
Chronicle Correspondent

Kindergarten teacher Alfreedia Scott, 53, said every morning when she heads to her job at Dogan Elementary School, she cannot wait to get there.

Scott always has enjoyed teaching, but said her work has taken on a new meaning since she won a contest recently to completely make over her classroom at Dogan, 4202 Liberty Road.

Through Project GRAD Houston and Lakeshore Learning Materials, Scott's classroom has been refurbished to include science, math and reading materials, new tables and chairs, storage units and a play kitchen area.

"I am so excited," Scott said.

"It's hard for me to leave in the evening, and I look forward to getting to school in the morning. It's made a big difference.

"I love it."

Scott's classroom now includes the most up-to-date materials used in kindergarten classrooms.

Lakeshore Learning Materials, a company that develops educational products for children, donated $10,000 in materials for the Project GRAD contest "Move Over Extreme Makeover."

Scott was selected from a group of more than 75 teacher applicants.

The classroom makeover took place in mid-March.

Scott said she is most excited about the new reading area, which features a huge colorful carpet and a comfortable red chair for children to sit on.

"With the new chair, reading has taken on a whole new meaning," Scott said. "The kids love to get in that chair."

Scott said she also is thrilled with new science materials that include a kit for teaching complementary colors to the children.

"I can show them that yellow and blue combine to make green, and they just love that," Scott said.

She said that with the new materials the children have been more eager to learn and more open to solving problems on their own.

Susan Paul, early childhood specialist for Project GRAD, said materials like the ones donated by Lakeshore Learning Materials are the wave of the future.

"We are trying to get teachers to teach with materials that reinforce what's actually taught," Paul said.

The idea for the contest arose from concern that many prekindergarten and kindergarten teachers do not have the appropriate teaching materials, said Rosa Woodfork, manager of the early childhood program for Project GRAD.

"As we walked through the classrooms, we saw a lot of good teachers, but they did not have the materials," Woodfork said.

Information about the contest was sent out to all prekindergarten and kindergarten teachers in the Project GRAD system in the Houston school district. The winner was selected based on a written essay.

"Ms. Scott didn't have many resources, and she spent a lot of time making her own materials," Woodfork said.