Lynnell Fox – Greenwood Elementary

I want to let you know about a teacher that I believe is one of the finest teachers in the state! Her commitment to the children is unsurpassed. Let me tell you about this special teacher. Her name is Mrs. Lynell Fox, she teaches at Greenwood Elementary in American Fork. Last year my daughter had her for 1st grade. One of the initial things I noticed about her that sets her apart is her very peaceful and quiet demeanor; never have I heard her raise her voice, yet she has perfect control over her class. Mrs. Fox is so loving and tender with each of the students, and she genuinely cares that they learn and grow to be the best they can. Another thing that was so wonderful was the support that she offered in helping them to learn the vital skill of reading. Mrs. Fox truly assisted the children in developing a love of books. One of the ways that this was evident was the fact that the “book fairy” would visit Mrs. Fox’s class on a regular basis. Greenwood is a lower income/ Title 1 school, and many of the children’s parents don’t have money to buy books, so Mrs. Fox, using her own funds, would purchase books for each child in the class, gift wrap them and leave them on the children’s desks, the children would be overjoyed upon arriving to school to see that the “Book Fairy” had come again. My daughter treasures the books that she received, and loves having books that she personally owns.

There are numerous ways that Mrs. Fox has helped the children at Greenwood Elementary, but none so close to my heart as the unselfish way that she helped my daughter over the summer. My daughter struggles with reading, and at the end of 1st grade we found out that her reading skill was too low for her to qualify for help from summer school. When Mrs. Fox found out that Jana was not going to be invited to attend summer school she offered to tutor her during the summer months, receiving no compensation. Nearly every weekday during the summer, when Mrs. Fox should have been on vacation, she was either meeting us at the Library or coming to our home to tutor Jana, bringing with her games and books and all kinds of things to make reading fun. One of Jana’s favorite lessons was when Mrs. Fox brought with her a package of cotton candy and had Jana write sentences about what it felt like, tasted like, and reminded her of. The one on one help that she offered was invaluable, not only did she help Jana increase her reading skills before she began second grade, she also helped a shy little girl know that somebody besides her family loved her, and was willing to go the extra mile to help her!

In addition to my experience with Mrs. Fox I am enclosing letters from 2 other parents who agree that Mrs Fox is one of the finest teachers there is, and one that we would really like to be acknowledged for all that she does.

Sincerely,
Jennifer Barton

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I would love to see Mrs. Fox receive recognition. My son had her as a teacher two years ago, and my daughter currently has the privilege to be in her 1st grade class. She is not only the world’s best teacher but a friend to each and every one of her students.

Mrs. Fox is a very gentle, soft spoken person, but her quiet tone is very effective and her class responds very well without her having to raise her voice. I respect her for the control she maintains with her class, which is not always easy with 1st graders. Her classroom is very structured and the students know what she expects of them.

I have had the opportunity to be her room mother twice, and she is always planning activities that she feels would most benefit her students putting all her energy into helping these kids have a great learning experience while having fun. For example, after the end of year testing, she walks the children to the nearest McDonalds (which is 5 blocks) to buy each child an ice cream cone as a reward for their hard work and efforts. Our school also participated in our first every jump-a-thon for a fundraiser this year, and it was a huge success. Mrs. Fox was the only teacher who sponsored $1.00 per each child in her class to jump for 5 minutes.

I realize that there are many teachers out there that put in extra hours and use their own resources for their classrooms, but I know for a fact there is no other teacher out there like our Mrs. Fox! She goes over and beyond what any other teacher would. She puts her whole heart, soul, energy and life into her students, our children, and because of her, these children will make a difference in the world. She means the world to our children!

Sincerely,
Chery Morgan

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Mrs. Fox loves her students, and her students know it. They know it in the way she treats them with kindness and respect. I have volunteered enough in her class to see first hand the relationship between Mrs. Fox and her students. For instance, my daughter gets very nervous of new situations. Before school started, we were looking at the class lists and saw that my daughter had Mrs. Fox who happened to walk by at that moment. I introduced them to each other. Mrs. Fox asked Rebecca if she was excited for school to start. Rebecca told her that she was scared of the “new kids” she didn’t know. Mrs. Fox got down at Rebecca’s level and told her that she was also a little scared of the new kids, too, but that they would be like a big family. That helped Rebecca immensely. She was excited to go to school after that.

Mrs. Fox wants to see children succeed especially in reading and writing. She has a book fairy that comes every month while the children are at recess. The book fairy leaves a clue that the children follow to find where a book for each of them has been left. Receiving his/her own book every month helps these students to be excited about reading.

Last year Mrs. Fox had a few students that were struggling with reading. Right before summer break started, she offered to tutor each of those students a couple mornings each week at the school without charge during the summer. She wanted to make sure that the students had every opportunity to progress in their reading and not be left behind. One of my friends took her daughter several time a week for one on one tutoring with Mrs. Fox. My friend is extremely grateful for Mrs. Fox going the extra mile to help her daughter with her reading. And it was a great help to this student.

Mrs. Fox allows the children hands on learning. For a writing assignment, she gave each student a bug catching net and asked them to go home and for a week catch bugs. Then they were to write about the bugs they caught. The children were thrilled to have their own bug nets and it made the writing assignment that much more enjoyable. Another time, Mrs. Fox gave each child a bag of cotton candy and asked them to touch it, smell it, and taste it. Then they were asked to write about the cotton candy and how it felt, etc.

My daughter had to have surgery in the fall. Mrs. Fox came to our home the day after Rebecca’s surgery. She wanted to know how she was doing and presented her with a card from each student in the class. She told her that they loved and missed her.

Mrs. Fox is wonderful with her students. That she loves them is evident in the way she treats them. She truly desires for each student to learn, especially to learn to read well and to write and express themselves. Making learning fun and productive is her goal.

Mrs. Fox’s motto for teaching is: “If you love them, they will learn.” She teaches because she loves children and loves learning. She was excited to accept a job in a Title 1 School where she felt she would have the greatest influence. She knows that if a child can find someone who believes in them and loves them, their potential is endless. One of Mrs. Fox’s greatest contributions to teaching is her love for children no matter what problems or difficulties they bring with them, her patience, and her own love for learning. She worked on her ESL endorsement so that she would have a better understanding of children who are here learning a second language. She wanted to know the skills and techniques that would help her help them be successful.

Mrs. Fox’s classroom is a safe, stimulating environment where children can risk and try new things without fear of failure. In her classroom, they never say, “I can’t” but they say, “I’ll try.”

Sincerely,
Suzanne Allen