Ms. Bearden’s Class Welcome, students!

Welcome to Eighth Grade! I know that you all are about as nervous as I am about beginning a new year. But I want to reassure you that this year will be great & will be different from years before.

All About Me Hello! My name is Amanda Bearden. I am 38 years old and I have lived in Hopkins County all of my life. This will be my 12th year teaching here at James Madison. This year, I will be teaching U.S. History. I hope that it will go by smoothly and that we will have a good time while we learn a lot, too!

All About Me Cont’d Graduated from West Hopkins High School. Attended MCC, took off time after my son was born. Went back to MCC and WKU where I graduated in 2005 with a degree in Middle Grades Education. Emphasis on Social Studies and L.A. In 2010, I received a Master’s degree in Reading & Writing.

My Family I have very close ties with my family and enjoy doing activities with them. I have an older brother, a twin sister, and five nephews & niece.

My Goals My goal as a teacher is simple – make sure the students learn a lot but have a good time doing so. We will participate in different activities throughout the year and hopefully most of them you will enjoy. It won’t always be fun, but you will always be learning.

Things that I like to do I love finding time to spend with my son – movies, amusement parks, Pokémon hunting, etc. I am involved in the Youth program at my church where I also teach a Sunday School class & direct the Christmas plays. I visit my brother and sister, who live away from here, several times a year. I enjoy playing basketball and softball. Also, I enjoy reading and making crafts.

My favorite things MY FAVORITE TV SHOWS MY FAVORITE MOVIES Criminal Minds Law & Order SVU The Big Bang Theory MY FAVORITE MOVIES All Marvel Comic movies Most Will Ferrell movies Beauty & the Beast

My philosophy I know that you will find out that I am easy to get along with. If you follow the rules and procedures of the school and my classroom, we will get along. I want everyone to succeed and as long as you put forth an effort, you will succeed in my classroom.

Classroom Community Our classroom is a community. In our community, we have rules to help us get along with each other. Our class rules are: Be Respectful Be Prepared Be Polite/Helpful Be Positive Be Prompt

When I was your age Favorite show – Fresh Prince of Bel Air and Blossom Popular Music – “You Can’t Touch This”, “Ice Ice Baby”, “Welcome to the Jungle”, “I Can’t Live without Your Love” Favorite Group – Bon Jovi, Poison, Def Leppard, MC Hammer

When I was your age Won county basketball tournament Listened to my tape player Wired remote controls 1st Nintendo Favorite class – Social Studies

Classroom Expectations What I expect from you Your best effort Turn in your work Pleasant attitude Respect Participation What do you expect from me? (list 5 reasonable things)

Let’s Have a Great Year!