The Bennights

Getting to know me better:  I was born in the U.S.,  but grew up in Vancouver, Canada.  My family moved to Washington when I was a teenager and I graduated from Mountlake Terrace High School.  I only finished 1 year of college as a young adult; I was considering becoming a nurse.  I lived in Washington DC for a couple of years, then moved back to Washington State, where I  worked at a bank, then  married and had my own preschool/ daycare while starting my family.  I started working at Kilo Junior High in 1994 as a paraeducator when my sons were in elementary school and during that time I finished my Bachelor's Degree and Teaching Certificate by going to school part-time.    The 2009-10 school year will be my 8th at Pacific. 
My hobbies include reading, gardening, photography and sight-seeing.  I have 3 cats (is that too many?).  My husband is also a teacher, and my oldest son is in college (CWU) to become a Japanese language teacher.  My youngest son is going to GRCC to become an auto mechanic.  My 25th wedding anniversary was in July 2008.
 Someday I would like to teach in Japan or China, get a dog, see the Pyramids of Egypt and the Taj Mahal.  I look forward to meeting and knowing all of my students, and I hope you love Pacific like I do.
Some of my personal beliefs about school and learning:
My personality is pretty "laid back", and I try to always be warm and positive to my students.  I trust and respect people automatically and expect the same in return.   I like to laugh and joke.  I don't consider myself to be perfect; I make mistakes and try to learn from them.  I believe in second chances for my students, but I also believe in natural consequences for misbehaviors, and give detention and referrals if necessary; reacting firmly and strictly when the education of other students is disrupted.  I believe and expect that all my students can learn math, that includes each and every one.  I don't accept many excuses and hold people accountable for their own decisions to get their work done or face consequences if they choose not to,  just like in "real life". 

I treat all students fairly;  this includes saying "no"  when necessary, and grading students according to how they have met the assessments, standards and other expectations I mentioned on other pages of this website.  I rarely  give extra credit  I have built- in systems to support students to be successful in math class, however, students will get the grade that they earned, not one that I randomly picked for them.  Students who get A's sometimes thank me for them, and seem confused when I reply that they should thank themselves... their "A" is a record of their own steady progress and achievement, not something I gave them as a present.   Likewise, there's no reason to be angry with me for a failing grade, it is a reflection of a student's own choices and behaviors.  I give progress reports regularly (about every 2-3 weeks ) so students can track their grades throughout the quarter.   







 

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