EDITORIAL: Putting the 鈥榝un鈥� in fundamentals
Most of us can look back on our formative years and recall a teacher who went off-book (literally) to capture their students’ attention and make learning new or difficult concepts both attainable and enjoyable.
Maybe it was the teacher who danced around the room singing lessons, or perhaps it was one who used over-the-top props to help their students grasp complicated ideas.
Two area teachers have been recognized by the state for showing that learning and fun don’t have to be mutually exclusive.
Maddie Loring, a fourth-grade math teacher at Jefferson-Morgan Elementary School in Greene County, and Jennifer Nesser, a fifth-grade science teacher at Clark Elementary School in Fayette County, are among 12 finalists for Pennsylvania’s Teacher of the Year Award. The annual award goes to an educator who goes beyond the textbook to make his or her classroom a place where students can thrive.
Teachers have incredibly difficult jobs, and the pandemic didn’t make anything easier.
A report issued last year by the nonprofit Annie E. Casey Foundation ticked off a number of findings that weren’t terribly surprising: lower math and reading scores for elementary and middle school students, higher rates of absenteeism, and continued gaps in achievement between low-poverty and high-poverty areas.
That’s why the way educators like Loring and Nesser teach their students is so important.
Both women said they look for unique and often hands-on approaches to engage students and make sure the lessons stick.
Earlier this year, Loring showed up to class in a white lab coat, stethoscope around her neck, to teach her class place values. Nesser uses what she called “wow experiments” – like putting a rubber band around a watermelon to teach students about potential and kinetic energy – to keep them ready to learn. (No word on whether students needed rain coats to fend off an exploding melon.)
One commonality between the women is their desire to make the classroom a place that’s fun. As Loring told the newspaper’s Garrett Neese, “It’s not about what’s best for me, but just doing what is genuinely best for kids and giving them a memorable experience that they will cherish.”
While she and Loring were the ones who were recognized, Nesser said the selection of teachers from this small area is telling.
“I think it speaks volumes about our teachers around here,” she said.
She’s right.