A crucial part of any teacher’s job is to create solid lesson plans that educate and excite their students. Second year students in the Career & Technical Institute’s (CTI) Early Childhood Education program recently presented their plans to a panel of CTI educators and classmates.
Teacher Jesselle Cudjoe noted that all teachers, regardless of grade or setting, must plan out classroom lessons to determine what they want their students to learn. This practice helps her students understand that process. “They need to understand all the little pieces of a curriculum because it’s something they cannot get away from,” Cudjoe explained. “It’s for them to learn how it all comes together.”
While students will get more in-depth feedback if they pursue education in college, Cudjoe said this practice sets them up for what to expect when they pursue the field. She was impressed by their lesson plans, while also offering feedback that will help them improve. “They will not be scared because they have some knowledge of what they’re supposed to do,” Cudjoe said. “Feedback helps them grow and learn.”
Cudjoe hopes to eventually see her students turn the lesson plans into reality by teaching a course in classrooms. “They do help a lot with the students,” Cudjoe said of her students in their work placements. “Leading a lesson is something we’re working up to.”
Leya Greene presented a week’s worth of lesson plans centered on flowers and nature that incorporated art, science, literacy, math and fine motor skills. She noted that the exercise gave her a structure to work with and how she wants her future students to evolve. While she was nervous to present to the panel, she was open to any and all suggestions, including assuring all activities and assignments are age appropriate and sending newsletters to parents with important updates.
“It’s to help parents understand what we’re doing in the classroom,” Greene said of the newsletters. “I don’t mind if somebody tells me, ‘Something is wrong, here is something to fix,’ because it’s just room to grow.”
When Greene was growing up she babysat her siblings and other kids and while she initially wanted to go into nursing, her nurturing skills easily transferred to Cudjoe’s class. She is considering pursuing the education field after graduating.
“This class really teaches you what to know about children, how they act, how they think … it’s incredible to see how their minds work,” Greene said. “It’s a life changing experience.”
