To find out what students think is going well in schools, we asked our Educators Rising students to share their favorite learning experience from the past year.
Pushing through fear
Sarah Ann Jenson
Every year in choir, there is a contest, and every year I was too scared or shy to enter. My sophomore year, though, I finally tried it and had the time of my life. I got so many critiques from judges and so much in-person learning. It was a very good opportunity and experience for me to push through my fears.
Sarah Ann Jenson
11th grade | Harrisburg High School | Harrisburg, South Dakota
Hearing a professional’s journey
Milan Aranda
In my intro to education class, we had a teacher come in to give a presentation, and it was great to hear their perspective. It was so interesting to hear their journey of how they ended up where they are. I learned great tools to use in my own classroom!
Milan Aranda
Freshman | Northwest Missouri State | Maryville, Missouri
Researching and hearing from peers
Brooke Hess
During one of my classes in the education pathway at my school, we learned about advocacy topics and were told to write essays on these topics. Not only did I learn a lot about my topic from researching, but hearing peers’ perspectives on these topics made me feel as if I had found others who had similar beliefs.
Brooke Hess
12th grade | Sheboygan North High School | Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Macey Jean Kelso
Educators Rising competitions
The best learning experience I’ve had this year is getting to compete at the Educators Rising state AND national competitions. I came home with so many new tips and tricks, ways to go about certain things, and a better mindset that I can overcome challenges that I face. I chose the absolute right career path.
Macey Jean Kelso
12th Grade | Nevada Regional Technical Center | Nevada, Missouri
Songs from history
The best learning experience I’ve had is when my AP World History teacher had us practice for a portion of the test using songs from the ’80s. We had seven different songs about the Cold War, and we were told to write about how these songs showed the public’s view on the Cold War. This allowed us to practice timed writing in a way that was fun.
Lio Pinson
10th grade | Paul Laurence Dunbar High School | Lexington, Kentucky
Hands-on learning
The best learning experience I had by far last year was at our on-site preschool with my Foundations in Teaching class with the Nevada Regional Technical Center. We had hands-on experience like I’ve never had with any class prior. During a whole school year with a preschool class, we were able to fully learn what it was like to carry out curriculum, create lesson plans, adapt to changes, and take on other responsibilities teachers have. Actually having these responsibilities instead of just hearing and learning about them really shows you whether you want to be a teacher before you go to college.
Lane Gregory
Freshman | Haskell Indian Nations University Freshman | Lawrence, Kansas
This article appears in the September 2023 issue of Kappan, Vol. 105, No. 1, p. 68.
