“You are unique; there is no one else like you.” - Marva Collins

1. Marva Collins by Trisha Stragand “You are unique; there is no one else like you.” - Marva Collins

2. Personal • Born in 1936 in Monroeville, Alabama • Attended Escambia County Training School • Attended Clark College (Atlanta, Georgia) • Married and had 3 children • First Teaching Job – Teaching typing, shorthand and book keeping at a local high school • Taught 14 years in her neighborhood school

3. Westside Preparatory School

4. Westside Preparatory School • Her Theory: “ Inner city children should be taught the same way other children are taught because all children want the same things out of life.”

5. Westside Preparatory School Goals and Beliefs: * Teach the WHOLE child * All students are teachable * Motivate the students to make something worthwhile of their lives

6. Positive Slogans • “You are unique, there is no one else like you.” • “Success doesn’t come to you… you go to it.” • “The world moves aside to let you pass only if you know where you are going.” • “You can do it!” • “Say good-bye to failure. Welcome to success!”

7. What do YOUdo on the first day of school?

8. Westside Preparatory School Classroom Management * Worked the room * Praise * Classroom Rule: “Behavior contributing to the learning process or benefitting another child is acceptable, anything that took away another’s child’s right to learn is not.” * School Creed

9. Westside Preparatory School • Curriculum • Used classical literature like Shakespeare to learn to read for values, morality and universal truths • Taught daily phonics lessons • Helped students write daily compositions about what they read

11. The students’ accomplishments • Each child made progress • Reading levels for each child improved • Test scores were higher • Students became more motivated, confident and determined

12. Her Accomplishments • She started five schools using her teaching style. • She appeared on 60 Minutes, Good Morning America and 20/20. • Warner Brothers made a television movie about her life. • She was presented with the Jefferson Award for Benefitting the Disadvantage, the Humanitarian Award for Excellence, and the Legendary Women of the World Award.

13. Her Accomplishments • She received doctoral degrees from many universities including Amherst, Dartmouth, Notre Dame and Clark University. • In 1980, President Reagan considered Collins for the post of Secretary of Education (but she declined). • She was awarded the prestigious National Humanities Medal from President Bush in 2004. • She has written several books about her teaching style.

14. The Critics

15. Tools to Remember • A teacher must excitestudents about learning. • Goodteachers learnalong with their students. • Remember to teach the wholechild. • It is important to developthe right attitude in a child. • Praise is essential in building up students’ self esteem. • Every child can learn.

16. References Collins, M. & Tamarkin,C.(1990). Marva Collins’ Way. New York, Penguin Putnam Inc. Dweck,C.(2006). Mindset the New Psychology of Success. New York, Ballantine Books Marva N. Collins-Biography. (n.d.)retrieved April 8,2011, from http://www.marvacollins.com/ biography.html. St. Pierre, S. (producer).(1979). Marva Collins 1979 Part 1.retrieved April 8,2011, from http://www.youtube.com /watch?v=vu3QIVDEgO5Q&feature=related