Here is the back story: for our last week of Place-Based Education class, one of our assignments was to interview a TSS Alumni and write about how they got to TSS, what they are doing after TSS, how they relate to their place, and how they incorporate place in whatever they are doing now.
I was able to interview a woman who graduated from TSS ten years ago and is not a high school biology teacher at the Jackson Hole Community independent School in Jackson Hole. She was really inspiring and I enjoyed hearing about how she got to and from TSS and what she is doing with her life post-TSS. Not to mention, she is not only the school's biology teacher, but a photography/art teacher! Boom! She's my hero - incorporating art and science into her job!
But anyways, this morning, we did not have class (since we finished Place-Based Education the day before), and a fellow graduate student, Mary Beth, invited me to visit her TSS Alumni over the pass in Idaho. Her alumni is a pre-kindergarten teacher at the Teton Valley Community School. Of course, I agreed to visit with Mary Beth when I found out I was going to be able to work with and observe little ones!
We headed over the pass around 7AM MST and spoke with her almuni about what a normal day was for her class. Erin, the TSS alumni, gave us the path map (so TSS typical) and what the day would look like and invited us to participate and play with the children in whatever activity they were doing.
The little ones were so cute and incredibly creative. Previously in the week, they had been learning about cooking and what it takes to make food. So during their morning activities, which consisted on playing with everything in the room: arts & crafts, reading books, playing with the overhead projector and shapes, to working in the pretend kitchen. One small group of children were playing with the overhead projector, making shapes and patterns on the screen while another group of children were 'making and baking' food dishes in the kitchen.
They (all on their own) decided to combine the two by creating a show for everyone to watch on the overhead projector and to provide food for the show viewers. It was so cute and clever!
Our day was so jam-packed with cuteness and fun. Not to mention, we were both able to float around to the other grades and observe what the older students were up to in their classes. The campus for this school was also really cool. The buildings were constructed from an old house and garage and each class had their room; even one class was stationed in a YURT! So cool!
I definitely learned a lot from Erin and what she did post-TSS and where she was at TVCS. She also gave us great insight about how she works with students, especially the little ones, and how she incorporates place into her teaching.
She is a phenomenal teacher and I really admired how personable she is with her students: giving them a lot of individual attention, care, support, and of course, love. So remarkable and interesting because I feel you rarely see that love in a lot of schools.
Not only did she give love to her students and welcomed Mary Beth and I into her classroom, but her students definitely made us feel welcomed and loved. They drew us pictures, asked us to sit with them, read to them, they gave us hugs, and definitely told us they loved us! So cute feeling love from little ones that did not know you at all. During nap time, I had one little one sit in my lap and ask me to read her a bunch of books! Mary Beth had the same happen, but also had the little one fall asleep in her arms! So adorable!
It was great to visit with Erin and work with the Pre-K little human beings. They were incredibly intelligent, fun, and awesome to work with and play with! I really appreciated Mary Beth for allowing to tag along and meet Erin and the TVCS students. It's really awesome that TSS has such great connections and bonds with their alumni and how willing and supportive they are to let two current graduates come and observe. Such a wonderful and awesome opportunity for experience and exposure!
Until next time (with older students),
TheChristyBel | |
| She fell asleep in Mary Beth's arms during Nap time! Precious! |
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