THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, June 10, 1994 TAG: 9406090183
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 27 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARK DuROSE, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: 940610 LENGTH: Medium
Last year, however, she began working full time as a teacher's assistant when her youngest child turned 10. This year she was selected as Teacher's Assistant of the Year for all secondary schools in Virginia Beach.
{REST} Heath, who assists sixth-grade math teachers at Brandon Middle School, was chosen May 18 at a reception held by the Virginia Beach Education Association.
Heath, 39, was ``totally surprised by the honor,'' she said. ``I expected it to go to someone who's been in the (school) system longer. When I won the nomination from my school among seven candidates, I figured the odds were a lot more in my favor than going up citywide.''
Despite her proficiency in math, Heath figured the odds wrong. Other staff members at Brandon, however, were less surprised.
``Patty Heath is the kind of T.A. every principal looks for,'' said Brandon Middle School principal Jon Harnden. Harnden himself was chosen out of 23 secondary school candidates as principal of the year.
``She's a self-starter,'' claims the top principal. ``She sees a problem, and goes to work on it. And the proof is in the high percentage of sixth-grade students who got high scores on the math portion of The Passport Literacy Test - some of the highest in the school district.'' The PLT is a test annually required of all students to gauge their skills in the three R's: readin', writin' and 'rithmetic. Their scores can determine their promotion to the next grade.
``She's definitely a main reason that last year and this year the PLT scores were so high,'' agreed Lisa Allen, one of the 12 teachers Heath assists and the lead teacher of the sixth-grade math program. ``She was instrumental in developing the computer lab and computer program students use to learn math. In addition to being in the lab, and working one to one with students having problems, she has been in all 12 classrooms every week, working there, too.''
It was actually by taking advantage of the furthering education programs offered by the Virginia Beach school system that Heath received the training she needed for the computer lab. Over the last two years, she has enrolled in eight math and computer classes offered at a variety of Beach schools.
That initiative was what impressed the awarding body, and Lisa Allen. ``I've never heard her say `no','' offered Allen, ``or `I can't do that.' She gives 110 percent all the time.''
Although the award earned Heath recognition from her peers, an honorary plaque and a dozen roses, her favorite part of the honor came from her students.
``A few times,'' said Heath, ``I've walked into the class, and the kids have just started clapping.''
by CNB