Our Focus: Meet Jamie Baumann, Fourth Grade Teacher at Harrison Elementary School.
“I became a teacher because I knew firsthand the impact teachers can have on students. School was a place I wanted to be as a child, in part because I was fortunate to have teachers that offered calm and consistency while maintaining high expectations for me. I strive to offer the same support to my students every day. At Harrison, I serve in a school of educators who create an environment where our students believe they are capable. That ignites a spark that will carry them into the future, wherever that path may lead.
As a teacher, I love teaching science, and science naturally lends itself to inquiry. The lesson plans the district curriculum team has provided have been written with robust opportunities for hands-on experiences. Seeing students construct an egg shield to explore how materials can help absorb kinetic energy or design and build a Rube Goldberg machine to explore energy transformation is a way to make learning come to life. Opportunities like these enhance the teaching and learning in our elementary classrooms.
One of the learning strategies I utilize is the 5E structure. The 5E structure the lessons follow does a great job engaging the students from the very beginning, which excites them about exploring the concept through hands-on tasks and investigation labs. The students’ understanding is clarified and deepened as we come back together to synthesize our discoveries. Next, we make connections to other concepts or discuss this concept’s application to our life. The final step in this format is evaluation. Effective teachers constantly evaluate the students’ understanding in order to guide the next steps of instruction, and I love helping students continue to deepen their understanding.
Keeping students engaged, encouraged and motivated to do their best is fundamental to my work as a teacher, but ultimately, I want my students to know that they are safe and loved in my classroom. Here, they can get help with whatever they need, and I am truly here to be a safekeeper. I love my students, and they know they are loved. A teacher did the same for me as a child, and I know the gift that love can be for a lifetime.”
- Jamie Baumann, fourth grade teacher at Harrison Elementary