Penny B. Ferguson's Page
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Penny Ferguson from Maryville, TN, is a member of
the ATA Class of 2002-2003.
Connect with past honorees, suggest creative projects, share your initiatives and experiences.
Profile Information
- Tell about your involvement in education, and your ideals for collegial sharing
- Imagine a classroom without walls—where students from two different disciplines interact on a regular basis and come in frequent contact with the community. In this classroom the students learn from teachers, from family members, from experts in the community, from primary sources, and from each other. Four interdisciplinary projects unite my American literature class with that of my teammate in the American history class as we take an unconventional approach to bridge larger, abstract subjects with cultural and historical education. Each of these activities is designed to introduce more technology into the curriculum, to foster cooperation and joint planning between teachers in different disciplines, and to provide opportunities for students to participate in interdisciplinary projects that teach and reinforce a variety of skills.
Attending and later teaching at the Governor’s Academy for Teachers of Writing has had a great impact on my professional life. In 1986 I attended the first Governor’s Academy, led by writer and teacher Richard Marius, on the University of Tennessee campus. During this two-week, all day workshop, I became the “student writer” once again. I attended small group writing sessions, listened to plenary sessions by published writers, attended classes on writing strategies, and forged friendships. I returned to school in the fall with new ideas and fresh enthusiasm. In 1996, ten years later, I was asked to return to the Academy as a Core Team Leader and writing instructor. Once again, I was inspired to become a more effective teacher as I helped teachers from all disciplines learn more about the craft of writing. Whether publishing articles on teaching practices in the Tennessee English Journal (nine thus far), making presentations at conferences of the East Tennessee Association for Teachers of English, the Tennessee Council of Teachers of English, the National Council of Teachers of English, and the Tennessee Council for the Social Studies, or conducting workshops for surrounding school systems, I remain committed to professional development with the goal of making an impact on my students, my school, and my community.
The second most significant professional experience of my career has been my certification as a National School Reform Faculty Facilitator or School Change Agent. I have been immersed in the Critical Friends Group philosophy and am now certified to teach
professional learning community strategies to teachers within my own school as well as around
the United States. As I work with teachers from all disciplines and all ranges of experience to
look at our own practice and at our student work, I am reminded of the true meaning of collaboration in a safe environment.
- About Me:
- A Tennessee native, Penny Ferguson is a product of the Maryville City School system. She attended Fort Craig and Sam Houston Elementary Schools, Maryville Junior High, and Maryville High, where she has taught for the past 39 years. She received her B.A. degree from Maryville College and her M.A., Ed.S., and Ed.D. degrees from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
At Maryville High School Dr. Ferguson teaches eleventh-grade English and has formerly coached tennis and directed school plays. She is currently English Department Chair, Maryville Scholars Committee Chair, National Honor Society sponsor, and member of the School Leadership Team and the School Growth Committee.
Dr. Ferguson has been active professionally throughout her teaching career. She has taught at the Governor’s Academy for Teachers of Writing, is an adjunct faculty member at Maryville College in the student teaching preparation program, serves on the Language Arts Advisory Board for the State Department of Education, is a past president of the Tennessee Council of Teachers of English, is a frequent presenter at local, state, and national English conferences, and has had nine articles published in the Tennessee English Journal. In addition,
she is a National Facilitator for the National School Reform Faculty and leads/conducts Critical Friends Groups Summer Institutes.
Penny Ferguson has been recognized nationally for her innovative projects and dedication to excellence in her classroom. She was one of five teachers inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame in 2008. Ferguson and colleague Mark White, with whom she team teaches interdisciplinary projects, were named 2003 Disney American Teacher Award winners. The duo have also been named “Unsung Heroes” by Northern Life Insurance Company and “Outstanding Teachers of the Humanities” by the Tennessee Humanities Council. In addition, Dr. Ferguson was one of eight English teachers recognized nationally by State Farm with the “Good Neighbor Award,” one of six English teachers in the nation to receive a National Council of Teachers of English “Teacher of Excellence Award,” and one of 25 teachers in the nation to receive the Time Magazine/Chevy Malibu “Time for Kids” Award.
Penny Ferguson and her husband, Sam Ferguson, retired English teacher from the Blount County School System, have two daughters. Laurie Ferguson is a fourth-grade teacher at New Prospect Elementary School in Atlanta, and Julie Ferguson is the Assistant Manager of Entertainment Marketing for Turner Broadcasting in New York City.
- Website:
- http://maryvillehighschool.org/
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Your profile page reflects such passion, vibrancy, and dedication to the world of education. You'll have much to add here, I can tell. Please share, often!
Have you invited Mark White to join? That'd good. Other passionate educators you know--have them come, too.
I'd especially like to hear about your work in the National School Reform Faculty and Critical Friends Groups Summer Institutes. Would you be interested in putting up a blog that describes some of what you're doing with those groups? Links and resources would be much appreciated, as well.
Hooray! This will be fun. So glad to have you as part of Fireside Learning. Join right in!