Behind every great student is a great teacher. These teachers make learning fun by thinking outside the box and creating classroom experiences that resonate with their students. They serve many roles in their schools, as spelling coaches, school bee coordinators and judges; more often than not, they are motivators who encourage their students to be the best they can be. In the “Teacher Feature,” we celebrate these educators and their commitment to their students' education.
We are right in the middle of spelling bee season for schools and local communities across the country, and it is only fitting that this week's featured teacher is a proponent of spelling and vocabulary in her own classroom. Ms. Jennifer Lee is a fourth grade teacher at Parsons Elementary School in Suwanee, Georgia. As a result of her work with students throughout the year, Ms. Lee encourages them to succeed in academics as well as their extracurricular pursuits.
Gretchen Huff, the school's media clerk who nominated Ms. Lee, believes that students who spend their fourth grade year in our featured teacher's classroom leave "fully prepared for fifth grade," and this is a testament to the hard work that she puts in each and every day. One subject that Ms. Lee particularly emphasizes in the classroom is spelling and vocabulary. Although the school's administration takes on the job of conducting the school-level spelling bee, Ms. Lee works to prepare her students for her classroom bee and beyond by making spelling fun. Along with weekly spelling and vocabulary lists, she uses word webs and projects to reinforce proper spelling, teaches Greek and Latin roots in class and assigns nightly spelling homework through a separate web program. Her work paid off this year during the school's spelling bee when her fourth grade student came in second place after a one-on-one spelldown with a fifth grader.
With spelling as in all things in the classroom, Mrs. Huff explains that Ms. Lee has high expectations for her students, but "she also adjusts where she needs to so as not to overwhelm a student to the point of shutting down." It is this awareness of others and the world around them that Ms. Lee imparts to her students, along with the academics that will help them succeed in the fifth grade and beyond. These soft skills are often learned by example, and by holding her students accountable for their academics, their citizenship and their behavior, Ms. Lee ensures that her students learn not just academics but also how to work in a community.
The Scripps National Spelling Bee would like to thank Ms. Lee for making spelling and vocabulary a priority in her classroom. With the academics and people skills that Ms. Lee imparts, we have no doubt that her students will become the next generation of readers, writers, speakers and listeners.
If you would like to nominate an educator for an upcoming “Teacher Feature,” fill out this brief survey about the teacher you wish you nominate.