What It's Like To Be... An Elementary School Teacher
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Dec 16, 2025 Yaronda Kilgo, a dedicated elementary school teacher and North Carolina's Southwest Regional Teacher of the Year, shares her vibrant classroom experiences. She discusses using songs and dances to ease kindergarteners into school life and the importance of kinesthetic learning. Yaronda also highlights the various roles teachers take on, from counselor to nutritionist, and the challenges of teacher retention. A touching story about empathy shaped by her second-grade experience and the joy she finds in student breakthroughs makes her passion for education truly inspiring.
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Playful Teaching Builds Rapid Trust
- Yaronda Kilgo uses songs, dancing, and silliness to quickly build classroom trust and engagement.
- She believes laughter and play are what students remember most about learning.
Integrate Literacy Into Math
- Yaronda intentionally weaves literacy into math so students see skills as connected.
- She uses story problems to teach irregular words and grammar within math contexts.
Use Whole-Brain, Kinesthetic Methods
- Use kinesthetic, whole-brain approaches: songs, rhymes, and movement to teach young learners.
- Engage students physically and emotionally rather than lecturing them to sit still.