...Dissecting mammals, and DNA-models, hurricane tracking and pellets from owls, cabbage PHs, project-based learning...these are a few of her favorite things… Walking down the ninth grade hallway toward the classroom of everything science, I notice student-work- rainbows shining prismatically from the face of the lockers. Brightening up the beige walls, engaging student work from Ms. Brown’s class offers proof that student learning is gold. As I approach closer, the halls come alive with the sound of learning students. In her second year at Beach High, Ms. Lantonya Brown earned her B.S. in Radiology and her Masters of Arts in Teaching Secondary Science from Armstrong University. With such a tough curriculum, her hobbies have inspired her and motivated her throughout the years. Though she’s a scientific expert, she loves to read just about anything, including comic books while she also enjoys listening to music. But she does not play alone. Ms. Brown has been married for seven years to her wonderful husband, Mark, celebrating eight years soon. Her two daughters, Arielle and Alexa bring joy to the both of them. As a family, they all enjoy playing the video games with their superstar mom and super-involved dad. This supportive foundation encourages Ms. Brown to build a similar foundation of care and concern in her own classroom. As a teacher, Ms. Brown emphasizes learning to grow as a professional, and this year has narrowed her focus on strengthening her classroom management skills with the help of her mentors. Believing that a strong foundation grows from teamwork, these mentors have helped her unpack the complex biology standards and relate them to everyday life. With their advice and student participation, she has established a solid foundation of rituals and routines, consistently referring to them throughout the year, even explaining why and how they benefit the students to the students themselves, giving them a safe, stable classroom in which to learn and impeccable buy-in. And to Ms. Brown, as this foundation is established, engaging students is absolutely crucial. Creating various labs, games, and activities to do with her students, she consistently plans one lab per week with students as she recognizes just how much they enjoy and benefit from hands-on activity in the classroom. In addition, in order to help students encode knowledge through emotional effect, she leads the class in playing educational games such as Family Feud, Kahoot and Jeopardy. These interactive components help students learn the material and make learning feel effortless yet profound. Attitude is everything, she argues. Content should be made personal and exciting; if the teacher is excited, the student will buy into the learning as well. But, even the lives of the best teachers have struggles in and of themselves. Ms. Brown shares that she hasn’t “quite found a way to successfully balance work and home. I don't take work home anymore, but I find myself so engrossed with work that I stay at school late. I love Beach that much!” And we are thankful for that love. Ms. Brown is the early bird who gets the worm and also the person who runs closing time here at school, it seems. But, students benefit from all of the extra blood, sweat, and happy tears she pours into her work here at the school. When considering advice for other teachers in the building, Ms. Brown shares, “Take the time to get to know your students. Support them in their extracurricular activities. Always say good morning to your students, even if they don't return the greeting. That may be the only kind word that they hear from an adult.” Clearly, Ms. Brown understands that relationships with students are the building blocks to learning. And she comprehends that showing care for the students, even when they don’t seem to appreciate it, can break down barriers and encourage them to pursue learning and push through a tough day. And, in case any teacher is wondering, there is method to her relationship building good-kind-of-madness, and it starts from the beginning of the year. When the year first begins, Ms. Brown completes student interest surveys so that she understands how the students learn and what they like. During particular class sessions, she also plays music that the students like during the worktime. But the personal connection is not without sharing herself, and she finds students are shocked to understand that their teacher can have the same interests. She makes sure to share not only her hobbies, but she inquires about students' weekends, homes, days before the class opens. To her, creating “a warm and inviting classroom climate” for students is key. In terms of special moments stemming from this climate, in one particular class, Ms. Brown transferred ownership to two of her more challenging students and allowed them the entire class period to teach her fellow students about Biodiversity. Though she was nervous, the students created not only lesson plans but also labs and activities entirely on their own. And more amazingly, she felt the student taught it better than she could have taught it herself, modeling their teachers’ effective workshop model. She comments, “the classroom still ran like a well-oiled machine and on their evaluation I commented how impressed I was with their work.” For her, this was a key moment in understanding the importance of turning ownership over learning to her students. So it is no surprise that the heart of everything she does is involving students. She embraces Ben Franklin’s advice because it has changed her outlook on classroom management; "Tell me and I forget, teach me and I remember, involve me and I learn." In honor of this month's SuperTeacher Ms. Brown and her favorite educational things, let's plan an activity that gives students distinct ownership and involvement in the classroom. And you, my teacher, might be so very surprised when your walls (and the halls outside your door) come alive with the sound of learning...
1 Comment
Misha D. Cleckley
5/6/2017 05:51:38 am
Congratulations!! You're amazing!! 😘
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