Mrs. Learn is a Coach and Teacher here at Buena Park High School. Learn’s students hold a big place in her heart, and things given to her by students like notes are hung up, showing her immense gratitude.
Learn likes keeping her room organized and clean for her students when they come into her classroom, making sure that the whiteboards are clean to be used for the next group of students.
During this week, her third period Academic intervention freshman class was working on drawing a scene from the recent book they’ve read.
The third period Academic intervention class offers an opportunity to 9th grade students that are struggling in areas like reading or math to get the support they need to build confidence, grow in the areas that they are struggling in, and learn important things they need to know throughout life. It’s not just the things they learn that make them want to be in this class, Mrs. Learn strives to make her students know that they can do hard things by helping them whenever they need and explaining things so that they are clear. She also provides examples and gives students ideas for how to do things, allowing them be creative on assignments.
Mrs. Learn teaches Avid and Academic Intervention for 9th grade. She has been teaching for 8 years, and is known for her sense of humor and sternness at appropriate times in her classes, becoming someone her students can rely on.
“I hope they leave my classroom knowing that they can do hard things”, explains Mrs. Learn.
During class, kids work on their assignment asking Mrs. Learn for help and laughing with each other like old friends. She likes working with the kids all day and helping them not only with assignments but whatever they need, listening to her students. She ensures that she engages with her students, making her students feel that they can be comfortable with her, asking for help, or just sharing how they feel.
When asked about what her favorite topic to teach in each class she said, “Probably one of my favorite activities for my academic intervention class is our book Cafe, gets the kids reading and telling each other about the books that they are previewing before we read the book as a class. For my Avid class it’s probably been our Socratic seminars, I really like doing those, it gets them to think outside of the box a little bit.”
It’s clear that Mrs. Learn strives to make the activities more engaging for students, having them talk to their classmates, sharing their ideas about books or different topics, and also making sure that they don’t feel judged for sharing on how they think.
Beyond teaching in the classroom, Mrs. Learn coaches for Flag Football in the Fall and Softball in the Spring, and her athletes often come by to talk to her or just to say hi. Mrs. Learn always waves at them with a bright smile whenever she sees her student walk through the door.
Greeting her students with a smile everyday makes her students feel welcome. For many students, Mrs. Learn is more than just a coach or a teacher; she’s someone that makes people feel seen, heard and respected. She’s not just giving her time helping her students when they don’t understand an assignment, but also getting to know them personally. She gives understanding when life happens, and makes sure they get their assignments turned in and are well supported.
