EATING AN OREO was part of a lesson in writing for Tillie Gotcher and Elliott Lucks in Brooke Cottingham’s first grade class. The next day, the class will be popping popcorn “to get them excited about their writing,” says Cottingham. (Photo by Bob Vlach)
KINDERGARTNERS Thomas Powers and Elida Banda will contribute their abstract art to what will become part of a glow-in-the-dark dragonfly in the hallway. (Photo by Bob Vlach)
ISAAC DAHL and Sam Wulpi discussed problems faced by immigrants on their perilous journeys to Ellis Island in New York during fourth grade social studies. (Photo by Bob Vlach)
By Bob Vlach
Woodford Sun Staff
School days are busy, but first-year Southside Elementary Principal Paige Samples appreciates having teachers and support staff who want to work together for “our kids and each other.”
When the Sun visited Southside on Monday, teachers were working “incredibly hard,” Samples says, because they want to go above and beyond to ensure instruction engages their students.
Stephanie Wells was taking fourth graders on steamship trips taken by millions of immigrants to Ellis Island in New York. Selling as many tickets in steerage as they could, Wells asked students, “What problems would that cause?”
Overcrowding and the spread of illnesses were among the many serious problems faced by the immigrants on their perilous journey to America, they agreed after sharing ideas in small groups.
“Being in the classroom is absolutely my favorite part” of my job, says Samples. “I love to watch our teachers teach. I love to watch our students learn. Obviously, I’m always going to be a teacher at heart, so I love to be in classrooms. … But I also love being in the lunchroom. I love to be in the gym … where kids are…”
In art class, Leah McAllister asks kindergartners from Shanda Warthman’s class what abstract means. It’s not a picture of them and their mom, brother or dog, she tells them.
“Abstract means it’s just fun colors and shapes and designs,” she says. “So you can create however you want on this piece of paper.” Eventually, their art will become a part of a glow-in-the-dark dragonfly in the hallway created with “magical neon paint sticks.”
Students in preschool teacher Emily Hancock’s classroom begin their school day – mornings and afternoons – playing before singing their “Hello Song,” she says.
“My goal in preschool is to get them ready for real life … the social skills so that when they go (to kindergarten) they can play a game without flipping over a board.” Other learning lessons focus on understanding their feelings and being able to problem-solve.
“If they go to kindergarten knowing their letters,” Hancock says, “that’s awesome. But I would rather them be able to go to kindergarten and (be able to) express how they feel.”
In first grade, Brooke Cottingham was teaching her students about procedural writing by explaining the steps to eating an Oreo cookie. “… We all might have different ways to eat an Oreo,” she tells them, because some people “straight dunk it in the milk,” while others twist the two halves and pull them apart before eating an Oreo.
Tomorrow, her class will be popping popcorn “to get them excited about their writing,” says Cottingham.
‘Learning beyond walls of classroom’
Project-based learning (PBL) requires a lot of planning and getting community partners involved, but Samples says teachers are always willing to do that extra work because they know PBL works.
“… It takes learning beyond the walls of the classroom,” she said. “It allows the students to see: how does what I’m doing and learning within a classroom apply and connect me to the real world.”
Most recently, a Biz Bash gave fifth graders an opportunity to learn real-world concepts like marketing and economics. And other students got to experience being consumers who need to plan and consider their budgets before making purchases, Samples says.
“So it really became a … full-school PBL because everyone was interacting in different parts of that economic cycle,” she adds.
The teachers’ dedication to students doesn’t stop at the end of a school day because “they(‘re) going to kids’ ballgames and archery tournaments and academic team meetings,” Samples says.
Fortunate to not have a lot of staff turnover, Samples says Southside also has “culture keepers” who help continue a cycle of excellence. “And … when we do have an opening,” she continues, “we’re very strategic in those that come work for us. We’re very clear about our high expectations and what it means to work here … our commitment to each other and our commitment to working hard and learning new things.”
Because they spend so much time together striving toward a common vision of doing what’s best for kids, Samples says, “We work really hard, and we have a good time doing it.”
And when she wants to brighten a tough day, she tells the Sun, “There are lots of spots in this building where I can go have a bright spot because we’ve got bright spots all over this building.”