Meaningful Learning Experiences from My Early Childhood Years

Mikaela Campbell

McKay Student Ambassador

Early Childhood Education

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Look back at your elementary school years. Maybe you loved having times-table ice cream sundae days, making a holiday craft, or book-sharing time. Whether big or small, there are so many learning experiences in elementary school that come through play and lessons from a teacher.

There was a lot I loved in elementary school, whether that be reading, art projects, or the monkey bars. There were so many meaningful learning experiences that made an impact on me later in life. One that I will focus on is a writing activity I think I did in third grade. We all read a story together (I don't remember what book it was), but I know it used a lot of imagery, alliteration, and personification. Afterwards my teacher instructed us on writing our own story using what we learned from the book. Over that week, we practiced different ways of writing a story. One day, we wrote our own individual mini-stories and read them in small groups. On another day, we wrote a paragraph to then switch with a classmate and continue each other's stories, then switch again. I didn't know it then, but I can now see the value of what my teacher was doing. She taught us all together, but then gave us the opportunity to work independently and to work with our classmates. I was able to gain skills in both creativity and collaborating with others.

Elementary school is full of both instruction and experimentation. I loved experimenting with new words in my story, such as "leaves rustling in the wind" or "a river gliding gently down a bank". What my teacher taught had a huge influence on my life. I had loved writing stories in the past, but I was delighted to learn ways that made my writing more advanced and fun to read. Teachers do make an impact, even if we don't always see it.

I loved sharing my new and interesting stories with my family, friends, and teacher. This helped me to build my social skills and gain confidence in my abilities. I have never been the most extroverted student in class, but storytelling gave me something I could share. I was proud to share my skills with my parents and felt a lot of support from my teacher. It's often a challenge to learn a new skill, but I felt successful. Looking back, experiences like this helped me feel like I was a good writer throughout my time at school. I was also able to feel less discouraged about other subjects I struggled with, like math, because I could recognize my strengths. Understanding my potential helped me build my skills in subjects that were more challenging for me. From this learning experience, I learned a lot about myself, my skills, and my interests.

Today, I still love to write. For the rest of elementary school and later into my middle and high school years, I enjoyed English and writing. In fact, for most of my childhood, my dream job was to be an author. It wasn't until my sophomore year of high school that I was more drawn to careers directly related to teaching. Through consistent development of my writing, I have become a more successful student. Whether it has been through writing a book report in middle school or composing an essay in my language development class today. What I started learning as a child has translated into the skills I acquire now.

We know that school can shape multiple areas of our lives. As an Early Childhood Education major, I have explored the cognitive, physical, social, emotional, language, and many other areas in child development. So what can learning experiences in school do for spiritual development? Quite a lot, actually. From the lesson I had in third grade, I better understood stories. Since I gained a higher understanding of stories, I could more easily understand Christ's parables and teachings. Day by day, I have used this knowledge to read about and become a more dedicated disciple of Jesus Christ.

It's truly incredible how much can be learned and how a lesson can be so meaningful for years to come. I'm grateful for my elementary school teachers, and I look forward to being one. My hope is to inspire and impact a student's life as my teacher did for me. Recognize that you, as a teacher, even in the youngest grades, can make an impact!

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