BACKGROUND

Chad Hill has always worked with children, from coaching young sports teams to volunteering at church and spending his summers working at a day-care, so becoming an elementary teacher was a natural fit, he said.

Hill earned a liberal studies degree from California State University at Chico and spent 13 years teaching fifth grade in Kelseyville, Calif. When he and his wife, Michelle, decided to adopt two international children a few years ago, the family relocated to a less expensive area so Michelle, also a teacher, could become a stay-at-home mom. They heard about Columbia from another couple who adopted a child from Russia.

"Columbia rose to the top with the eMINTS program and technology, and" Parkade administrators "and I had a good first impression." Hill is now in his second year of teaching first grade at Parkade.

TEACHING STYLE

Hill considers himself an organized, structured teacher, but he is flexible enough to change his methods to fit students’ needs. He uses games and fun activities to teach skills and joins other first-grade teachers at Parkade to celebrate special events. On Friday, for instance, the children were allowed to come to school in pajamas in celebration of the holiday movie "The Polar Express." And earlier in the year, Parkade honored the 50th day of school by wearing all things 1950s.

Hill also is known for rewarding "fantastic" students every day by allowing them to take home Bubba, the classroom teddy bear.

Last month, Hill’s parents took Bubba back to California, where the stuffed animal is visiting students from Hill’s old school in Kelseyville. Students there are e-mailing photos and daily reports to Hill’s students at Parkade, creating lessons in geography and literacy.

CLASSROOM

On one wall in Hill’s class is the Writing Wall of Fame, where kids can display their best works and compare them to professional writing. This year’s students will be on the board in coming weeks, replacing the best writing from last year’s class. On an adjoining wall is the mathematics wall, where students are reminded of what they’re expected to learn and can display their own examples.

WHY TEACH?

Hill likes the challenge of setting high standards for his students and watching them meet those expectations, which he raises every year.

Although he didn’t plan it, Hill is glad he landed in a first-grade classroom. "I love that I can turn them around," he said. "If a fifth-grade student came in behind, there would be a large gap" between that child and advanced students. "If you catch them early enough, you can make drastic changes quickly."

Hill also has become a fan of Parkade Elementary.

"I love that Parkade is focused on how to improve instruction and has targeted areas for improvement as a school or a grade level," he said. "Just seeing this staff work together as a team, you just want to be part of something that’s progressing and moving forward all the time."

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