Hi, I'm Stacey Burt. I'm a math and science teacher enjoying my 11th year in the classroom. I hold an undergraduate degree in elementary education and a graduate degree in special education with a concentration in gifted and talented education. I teach 6th grade at The Discovery School, a magnet school serving gifted and high-achieving students from her school district, in Murfreesboro, TN.

Technology plays a vital role for students at our school, as grades 4-6 are issued MacBook laptops to use in and out of the classroom each academic year. Our school curriculum is based on the Schoolwide Enrichment Model (SEM) created by Dr. Joseph Renzulli, where students participate in enrichment clusters once a week for two hours. There they investigate topics beyond the regular curriculum and based on student interest.

My classroom is organized to encourage creative thinking, independent problem-solving, and open-ended discussions. From the "alternative seating" (yoga balls) to the student-created tessellations covering the ceiling tiles to the cozy indirect lighting, students and visitors soon realize the atmosphere was created with comfort and accessibility in mind. Accessibility to books, (all genres), to hands-on kits and science materials, and to technology (hand held GPS's and probe ware), all of which is available for students to use at school or at home.

Teaching is my passion and I have found that I am constantly reminding myself of two things:

1. Make it Relevant
2. Make it Count

I feel I owe it to my students to give them all I have every day with every lesson I teach. I believe that the educational journey is one that teacher and student should take together. Each year I am in awe of how much my students actually teach me.

I want students that enter my classroom to feel safe and willing to take risks, make mistakes, giggle, and most importantly, become the primary stakeholders in their educational story.

• Watch my classroom tour video.