Francine Burroughs

My Favorite Teaching Moment

I love the Ah-ha! moments in teaching. The moment a student makes the connection between theory and practice, the ultimate learning experience takes place which provides the indescribable satisfaction for me, the educator.

One of the most recent occurrences took place when I was formally observing a kindergarten teacher at my school. It was the beginning of the second marking period. She was teaching phonics to 5-year olds and was trying to assist them in making the connection from phonemes to a short vowel, 3-letter word. There was a girl in her class, Savannah, who was struggling with this connection. I just happened to be observing at the moment in which it "clicked" for her. She actually "got" it and was able to read the word for herself. She was overtaken with such emotion that she began to clap uncontrollably. It was the most natural response she could muster. At that moment, my eyes met the gaze of the classroom teacher and we both knew what the other was thinking. This is why we do what we do!

Why I Love Teaching PLS Courses

In one word, relevancy. PLS courses are so practical that a student can learn a concept one day and implement it into the classroom the next. That, to me, is relevant education.

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