This week, we asked our newest teacher in the Lower Elementary One class to share some of her favorite stories that illustrate those moments of joyful discovery when an idea really clicks for a student and the “aha!” epiphany brings new life to learning.
Elsa’s Beyond Bead-Counting Story
[Elsa, a long-time Children’s House teacher at Inly, took on a new role this year as a Lower Elementary teacher.]
This year has been a unique experience for me and every day is full of aha moments. I am so fortunate to be able to see the progression from Children’s House to Lower Elementary, which is amazing and AHA! The children who were just beginning to “learn to read” are now “reading to learn.” Children who, a year ago, worked hard to write their name or a one-sentence journal entry are now researching a subject they are passionate about.
We have all discovered the awesome math materials available in LE. It no longer is just counting beads…we are adding fractions with different denominators, doing double-digit multiplication and long division, and loving the challenge!
[This post originally appeared in Rhythm & News, the Inly School newsletter, on April 3, 2009.]