Misty S. Tucak
SCHOOL: Pine View School CLASS: Second Grade
About the Teacher
I have my Bachelor's Degree from Indiana State University, a Master's Degree from Indiana University, and my Gifted Endorsement from St. Leo's College. I have completed 300 hours to teach ESOL students, my +45 beyond masters, and I continue working on science and computer technologies. Earning grants for our "School House Rock" Production, science projects, and reading materials are goals currently in progress.
I continue learning about the new initiatives and strategies to challenge students, which I thoroughly enjoy. I am Presently teaching Third Grade.
In 1984, I was hired in Indianapolis, Indiana to teach First Grade where I taught for four years. I moved to Sarasota, Florida in 1988, where I was hired at Gocio Elementary to also teach First Grade.
On completion of my Gifted Endorsement, I was immediately hired at Pine View, where I have been teaching for 31 years in Second, Third, and Fourth Grades. This year will be my 35th year of teaching!
I am also a Volleyball, Basketball, and Track coach for grades 6, 7 & 8. I have been coaching for 26 years and enjoy these sports very much. I have served as a high school sponsor for 12 years while at Pine View from 1992-2004. This was such a joy for me, as I had the opportunity to work with students on an adult level where they had flourished from my elementary classroom students, into wonderful adults!
I am currently serving as the Saturday School Teacher for the entire school. I work with illiterate adults, the Relay for Life, volunteer at my children's school, tutor, elementary and middle school students, volunteer at my church, and Special Olympics.
If that does not keep me busy enough , I have a 32 year old daughter, Brittany, who graduated from Pine View, and the University of Florida. Brittany was at Pine View from grades 2-12. She is currently the head of the Trauma Center at Reeves County Hospital in Pecos, Texas where she is also the mother of my adorable grandchildren, Kennedy - age 4, and Jax - age 2. I also am a mother of twins, Tristan and Trinity Tucak, who attend Pine View in grade 5. I love my family, and enjoy spening all of my extra time being their mother. It is the MOST awesome job!
Mission For The Class:
My mission is to provide a qualitatively different learning environment that nurtures a passion of intellectual curiosity, developing honesty, trust, and creativity. This encourages risk-taking, independence, rigor, and innovation, which is my commitment to a tradition of academic excellence and social responsibility.
Students learn best from their own mistakes and helps strengthen those that remain steady towards learning.
I also believe I am the decisive element in the classroom. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It's my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child's life joyous. I can be an instrument of inspiration. I can humor and heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides when a crisis will be de-escalated, and a child humanized.
I know that every child is as varied as the flowers of a garden and that I am blessed with each one uniquely. For each fragile, growing child, I have been blessed with the gift to teach. I am trusted to nurture them, and watch them grow into wonderful adults. It is the special environment of Pine View in which I have the opportunity to give from my heart to each one of theirs, to watch over, and weed this beautiful garden of children!