Light Bulb Moments
A blog post by PTNT Corps Member, Sadie Taylor

This week at site was absolutely spectacular! I left every single day with so much energy because I saw the ways my kids were starting to open up and get comfortable in a space where we are learning, leading, listening, respecting, and being friends! The biggest thing I took away this week relates to a goal I have for this summer. In September, I start my last semester of college and begin my full time student teaching position! I am so excited to start that journey but I am also very nervous because I don’t feel 100% prepared to be in a classroom all alone. That’s why I have set the goal this summer to learn about the best ways to have my classroom flow and keep my students engaged.

At Cockrell Hill UMC, we have a wide range of ages in the elementary group and sometimes I notice the older ones getting bored and acting out because they are not being challenged. I know now that without challenging the children in our classroom, they begin to get bored and start to not want to be there. As a teacher, although I will have the same age kids, each one will be at a different level and will need more or less challenging work to keep them engaged. At site, I was able to differentiate what I was doing with each similar age group, and I could see them flourish and engage with the curriculum and want to be there!

I find it so important to lead children to “light bulb” moments! Sometimes they are struggling and not understanding what is being taught and start to give up. After some more instruction, they begin to get it and eventually fully understand and give off these moments that you can see in their eyes that just scream “I DID IT! I CAN DO THIS!” I want so many of these light bulb moments this summer and have been trying to challenge my students to get to a point where they are finally understanding something new and get excited about their learning!