Haley Maturi's Kindergarten classroom at Merriman Park

Haley Maturi’s Kindergarten classroom at Merriman Park

Lake Highlands area students are back to school today, and their teachers have been preparing for weeks to ensure everything is just right. I asked six LH area teachers – all recent LHHS graduates – to share their tips on creating an inviting learning environment and bringing out the best in every child.

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“Some of the best ideas for designing a classroom come from fellow teachers,” says Katherine Willard Fauss, third grade teacher at Hamilton Park Pacesetter Magnet and 2004 LHHS grad, who admits she sometimes walks into other classrooms to gather new ideas. “Other ideas emerge from reading aloud to students. For example, I read a book to my students called The Boy Who Loved Words by Roni Schotter, which is about using objects around you to influence word choice. At one point in the story, words fall from a tree.” Her students created their own word tree and filled it with new vocabulary words they picked up as they read.

“I, like many teachers, am an avid Pinterest user,” says Anna Ferguson Coutant, 2005 LHHS grad and fourth grade teacher at Merriman Park Elementary. “I also follow a few blogs – what did teachers do before the internet?”

Megan Williams is new to the game. She’s fresh out of the University of Texas and will teach fifth grade at Wallace Elementary.

“I had to design several classroom layouts at UT, but honestly, so many ideas now come from Pinterest, teacherspayteachers.com, blogs and Instagram. These resources have been very useful, especially to a first-year teacher starting from scratch. I’ve been stocking up on supplies like rugs, books, containers and shelves, and I’ve been to estate sales and thrift shops in search of books for my classroom library. Half Price Books donated several hundred for my class – it is wonderful to see businesses supporting teachers and offering their resources to us.”

And their magic formula for motivating students?

Not magic says Beth Solomon, a second year fifth grade teacher at Wallace and a 2009 LHHS grad. Just getting to know them as people.

“I find out what my students enjoy, which may be anything from sports to music to video games to crafts and more. Once I understand more about each student, then I am able to know what is motivating for him or her and how I can incorporate that in my classroom rewards and within my lessons.”

“My class will be a learning laboratory where students are eager to see ‘what’s next’ and continuously question their findings,” adds Williams. “I want them to experience fun, messy and sometimes unpredictable learning. I will encourage them to take risks and use their imagination and creativity to think deeper.”

“We want them to know they can accomplish anything and that they are smart,” agrees Haley Maturi, a first-year Kindergarten teacher at Merriman Park. “Making sure they are excited about learning is number one. When a teacher begins a new lesson, it is important to find something that will hook our students. If one is struggling, we motivate him or her by giving them small goals to work toward. The great part of bringing out the best in a child is realizing that I had a hand in doing that.”

Fauss, now beginning her 7th year teaching, has advice for the new teachers among her.

“A mentor of mine once told me that if parents know you are their children’s advocates and working in their best interests, then you will more than likely have a great year.  I want the parents of my students to know early on that I am on their team. Be proactive with parents and communicate with them regularly. Don’t be afraid to ask parents what their kids say about school at home. This gives me great insight into what is working well and areas I need to tweak. Also, don’t be afraid to ask for their help. Parents are eager to know how they can be helping their children academically and personally.”

“The hardest part is being your own worst critic,” continues Fauss. “As educators, we want nothing more than to see our own students achieve and succeed. We have to remember that each day we are making a huge impact, but we might not always see immediate results and that is hard to accept sometimes.”

Coutant, a new mom herself, has a unique perspective.

“When it comes to dealing with parents, remember they trust you with the most important people in the world to them – their babies. Always put yourself in their shoes, and remember constant communication is important. I love knowing everything my little angel does while I’m away, good and bad.”

Laura Toler, fourth grade teacher at Highlander, a private Christian school, adds one more item to her back-to-school checklist.

“Aside from planning lessons, decorating my classroom and organizing supplies, an important part of my back-to-school preparation is prayer. I’m praying for my fellow teachers, faculty and staff as we work to best ‘train up a child in the way he should go, so when he is old he will not depart from it.’ I’m praying for my kids to experience both joy and peace about their first day back to school. I’m praying for my kiddos’ parents in their various and extensive work behind-the-scenes to ensure their child has another successful school year. And I’m praying that my students know I love each and every one of them already, even though I haven’t met them yet.”