So much has changed in education over the years
On my desk, I have a picture of an old one room schoolhouse. I have it on my desk for several reasons. One, it brings back fond memories of others in my family who were teachers and worked in buildings like it. Secondly, it is on my desk to remind me of how proud I am to be part of the professionals who call themselves teachers. Third, the picture is the perfect representation of how far education has come over the years, and it is those changes that have been on my mind a lot since August.
In the past, education was the three R’s accomplished by sitting in rows, doing a lot of recitation, followed up with strict discipline and expectations. The teachers were young, single girls, often not much older than their students. Their extra responsibilities, beside teaching, included keeping the schoolhouse clean and warm so that the children had the best environment for learning. After school hours, they were expected to keep to themselves which might have been quite lonely.
Even though the high educational expectations are still a requirement, classrooms today are so different. Some elementary classrooms still have desks in rows while others have tables with flexible seating available. Flexible seating could be anything from chairs that rock, chairs that allow the students to bounce, sometimes there are even beanbag chairs. Having these options allows the teachers to use special spots as rewards or to help a student who might need the movement to help them focus. Many of the rooms also have different carpeted areas. The carpets are colorful and often have letters, numbers, or shapes on them to help the children practice skills. Having these areas helps both the teachers and the students. The teachers have designated areas for reading, play time, and morning meetings. Moving from place to place helps the kiddos, too, because the movement helps them transition from one activity to the next more easily.
While the teachers work hard to make their rooms appealing and conducive to learning, they also do the same thing with their lessons. Over the last 20 years, students have changed so much. They are used to technology that brings content to them at a rapid pace. Teachers try very hard to use this to their advantage. They research new ways to add this technology to their lessons. Even though we want to be done talking about COVID, the impact of it will be felt awhile longer in the school setting. Now teachers are looking for ways to fill education gaps as well as managing behaviors that we have never seen before. I am so proud of the staff who work with our students. Everyone has been going above and beyond the call of duty. It is because of this dedication that I am confident that each and every student will learn here at Loyal. Slowly we are adding pieces back into the student’s day, too. One of these pieces is field trips. The fifth-grade students went to The Highground memorial in Neillsville. Kindergarten through fourth-grade students went to an author presentation in Spencer sponsored by the Title I department, and the 4K students visited the UW Agriculture Farm. The first-grade students will be going to Turnpike Greenhouse, and the 4K, K, and second grade students will see a play called Captain Friendship, at the LuCille Tack Center.
In November, Mrs. Zarnke will host a Financial Literacy Community Night in conjunction with the library book fair. SOLES, our parent organization that meets the fourth Friday of every month, is hosting a Family Fun Day at Tender Shoots Greenhouse on Saturday, Oct. 22, from 10 a.m. to noon. Youth basketball will also be starting again soon. Parent-Teacher conferences will be on Oct. 27 from 3:30-7 p.m. Please sign up for a time to meet with your child’s teacher. The link for Sign Up Genius is on the school page.
