A lot has changed in today’s education philosophies, standards and tools for learning, but visiting representatives from Senior Citizens of RIGA (SCOR) found that many of the basics at Churchville Elementary School (CES) remain the same. “It is still all about the relationships between the teachers and their students. Our challenge remains creating an atmosphere where every student is engaged; where they are given the skills needed to take a world of information and make sense of it,” says CES Principal Dave Johnson.
Over 60 seniors, some retired from the school district themselves, toured three different grade-level classrooms (kindergarten, first grade and third grade) at the elementary school, in a visit arranged by SCOR Program Director Pat Jacobs. Visitors had the opportunity to sit in on highly-energized classes to see how small groups often work separately in the same room on related projects. They saw new technology tools in action, including interactive lessons in early literacy and math presented using Smart Boards, iPads, Netbooks and desktop computers. “The teachers were awesome,” says Jacobs. “One big difference our folks saw is that lessons used to be one-size-fits-all. Now teachers are more challenged. They help students individually with real-time feedback to ensure that everyone, at all levels, is participating and understanding.”
CES students were happy to demonstrate their blogging skills and expertise with tools like Google Earth, which makes the world more visual and easily understood, and Google Docs, which makes collaboration simple.
The SCOR group is considering a visit to Churchville Middle School next year. “This was so positive,” says Jacobs. “Folks talked about the visit all day – we’d like to see the changes as children move on to the next grades.” The district would welcome them. “All of us look forward to every opportunity to connect with our community,” says Johnson. “We love to share the exciting things that are happening in education.”
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