| A New Magazine for Teachers - Tidewater Teacher | | Print | |
| Written by Phyllis Johnson | |
| Tuesday, 03 October 2006 | |
 When class is over, the last thing a teacher wants to find is fifty
pieces of mail in his or her mailbox. That’s some of the many reasons why
Great Bridge resident and Deep Creek Middle School math teacher Dory
Suttmiller decided to launch Tidewater Teacher magazine.
This publication will be published by Jones Printing with the graphics layout being done by Adam Roy and Roy Brubaker, freelance graphic designers. After a year of conceiving the idea, Suttmiller will see her efforts come to fruition this November when the first issue is delivered to 305 schoolsin the Tidewater area. The circulation will be 15,000-20,000, with initially fifty copies delivered to each K-12 school in Chesapeake,Hampton, Norfolk, Newport News, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, York County and the Williamsburg/James City County area. A bimonthly magazine, copies will help meet informational needs of over 25,000 teachers working in this area.
For this 40 year-old teacher, wife and former school bus driver and ten year stay- at-home mom to Matthew, age 21; Drew, age 19; Casey, age 16; and Luke, age 14, she has learned the value of multi-tasking and being on the lookout for new and improved ways of doing things. She parlays this experience now as an editor just as she has as an educator who has loved teaching since she started her first year at Northside Middle School in 2000. Ever since that year, she has worked for the Chesapeake City School system. “When I visit different schools, I’m always seeing great ideas. It’s good to pass those ideas around. Tidewater Teacher will be a good way to do that,” said Suttmiller. The former Pittsburgh native is the daughter of a Methodist minister. She honed her creative eye at West Virginia Wesleyan, two hours from Pittsburgh. It was there that she earned a degree in design and met her husband, 43 year old Steve Suttmiller who works as an athletic trainer for Norfolk Public Schools.
Suttmiller is also considering publishing a supplement called “Tidewater New Teacher.” “That supplement would be directed toward college grads bound for teaching careers. It would help principals when recruiting and contain interview tips,” she said. For the present time, she is focusing on launching Tidewater Teacher alongside teaching remedial math in middle school, sometimes working in small groups, ten at a time. She does a lot of group work and hands-on activities to help students who need help for SOL testing. Her typical hands-on approach to life in general had her doing a lot of research on editing and publishing to produce Tidewater Teacher. “When I first went to Jones Printing, the owner showed me some layout. After that, I went to workout at the gym and happened to see a TCC catalog and saw a course on layout. I considered learning more about layout and after asking around some, I ran across Adam Roy and Roy Brubaker, my freelance graphic designers who are producing a magazine that I will be proud of,” said Suttmiller. The lineup of resources to be covered is a source of her pride as well. “This publication will feature a continuing education list where teachers can go for various degrees. Fundraisers will be made known for school groups choosing ways to raise money. There is also a section where colleges will be listed alphabetically as to the location of their local branches.” Museums and other attractions will benefit as they will alternately feature “Beyond the Classroom” articles to spotlight for potential class field trips. Producing the magazine is proving to be an enjoyable and educational journey for Dory Suttmiller. What makes it so exciting for her is that it’s based on something she is passionate about. This venture marries both of her favorite interests; education and creative design. Her advice to others who would like to start a business n a field that excites them: “Make sure there’s a demand for it out there. Do something you’re passionate about.”
Hampton Roads public school districts to receive fifty issues of
Tidewater Teacher bimonthly:
First articles will be based on: |
“I saw a need for this magazine because often helpful resources and
information isn’t delivered to teachers in a timely or easily available
format. If we all pool our resources, we can get more accomplished,” 
“I’ve always loved color and design and creating the magazine lets me use
those skills in my life. We’re publishing an 8 ½ x 11 glossy full color
magazine, durable enough for a two month shelf life since the magazine
will be bimonthly. I studied other magazines for a while and saw that a
magazine published in full color stands out a lot.”