Teachers are this world’s innovators. They develop unique, engaging lessons for their students every day. In this new series, teachers at Nelson Mandela Elementary will be highlighted, alongside their classroom paraprofessionals, for their creativity in the classroom. Our first spotlight falls on 4th grade teacher Ms. Callie Burks and her classroom paraprofessional, Mr. Jaylan Ashley. Together, they are working with scholars on a long-term project of growing different plants in their classroom. The scholars are learning about different types of plants as well as the science behind how to care for them and accurately describe the different parts of the plants. The scholars are currently planting zinnias, which have flowers that are fastgrowing, and are often eaten by butterflies. Mrs. Burks says she also plans to plant tomatoes with the scholars later this term. This project does a great job of providing an enriching topic for the scholars in addition to their normal reading, writing, and math. Ms. Burks and Ms. Ashley have done an excellent job keeping their scholars interested in their learning while satisfying Mandela’s mission to maximize the educational success of all scholars.
