For Gilroy teacher Brandy Davis, forging a safe and personalized
classroom environment not only lets students feel comfortable
learning, it means they are vested in education, hopefully for
life.
For Gilroy teacher Brandy Davis, forging a safe and personalized classroom environment not only lets students feel comfortable learning, it means they are vested in education, hopefully for life.
Covering the walls of Davis’ second-grade classroom are student projects and even pictures of themselves hard at work. Davis wants her students to know that the classroom – along with the books and discussions held inside it – belongs to them.
“Just giving them that real ownership of what they’re learning leads to improved test scores, probably, but more importantly, it leads to them valuing their own education,” Davis said.
She, along with two other second-grade teachers at Eliot Elementary School, spend time getting to know their students’ personalities at the beginning of each school year so they can incorporate their experiences into lessons.
“I think the most important thing before any teaching can be done is to establish a connection between yourself and all your students, to know what their interests are,” Davis said. “We learn something a lot quicker when we are enjoying what we’re learning or can make a connection.”
Davis continues connecting with her students by showing what she is teaching.
“She brings her class alive with enthusiasm and technique and effective strategies,” Principal Diane Elia said. “She does a lot of creative activities.”
For example, earlier this year, Davis and her fellow grade-level teachers brought to life a book in which two characters go on a camping trip.
Students arrived at school to find pitched tents, lanterns and other equipment from the story in the middle of the classroom. The interactive display was important to give students an experience they might not get at home, Davis said.
Students also get to interact and learn from each other through partner talking.
“We teach a lesson, we ask a question, and instead of just the old days – where one student was called on – there’s an opportunity for the kids to talk to themselves first,” Davis said. “So it really empowers the kids to learn from each other. And there’s more learning that goes on because you’re making more use of the educational minutes.”
The five-year teacher has taught at Eliot since beginning her career. Her tenure also matches that of Elia’s as principal of the school. Elia called Davis, whose mother used to teach at Eliot and is now at Antonio Del Buono, a good fit with the school – and the profession.
“You almost have to watch her, I have always said she’s the most natural teacher I have ever seen,” Elia said. “She just has a way of talking to the kids. … She’s very artistic, so she uses a lot of diagrams and pictures and things that artistically make things easy for the kids to view.”
While going above and beyond the textbook, Davis said she collaborates with her colleagues and uses practical teaching strategies to help her students achieve at their highest level.
Receiving time out of class to meet helps Gilroy teachers learn from peers, either by talking about lessons or observing each others’ classrooms.
“It really builds a sense of trust among teachers and … gives us an opportunity to observe strategies that we may not have thought of,” Davis said.
The teachers also share information about each of their students, so that all three get to know the students on a personal level. The camaraderie between teachers trickles down to the students, Davis said.
“I think most importantly, it’s a sense of trust among the teachers, which leads to all of us knowing all the second-grade kids,” Davis said. “I think that leads a lot to the students’ success because we all know all the kids, and we can all help them succeed. It’s a sense of family with the kids.”
Teachers at Eliot use methods of teaching reading and writing that are targeted to students learning English. More than one-third of Eliot students are still learning English. A literacy facilitator on site helps teachers organize literacy lessons and provides examples.
“They are strategies that really are meant to help (English-language learners), but I think they are just good teaching strategies that help all kids learn,” Davis said.
Using skills learned from a math coach at Eliot, Davis said she gets students involved in the subject so they feel more like mathematicians working in the field.
“They’re thinking about strategies, rather than just the standard algorithms to attack math problems,” Davis said.
Elia said the three second-grade teachers at Eliot are one of the strongest teams in the district.
“The second grade in general has gotten good results” on standardized tests, Elia said. “They team very well, they share kids. They apply the strategies that they’ve learned effectively, it’s a real team effort right now.”
Davis also credits Elia with giving Eliot teachers the freedom to use the creative activities that make students love to learn.
“She still keeps us accountable … but she also has that trust in us that our first priority is our kids and their success,” Davis said. “The students pick up on that and knowing that their education is valued, I think leads to success.”
