What I learned this week in Elementary Education
- Student Ambassadors
- 4 hours ago
- 3 min read
Rachel O'Malley
McKay Student Ambassador
Elementary Education
The final week of the semester is here, and I can’t believe it’s already December. My classes this semester have been amazing, I truly learned so much. Not only am I completing the three additional courses for my TESOL minor (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), but I’ve also strengthened my math skills and gained a deeper understanding of special education. The lessons and practices I’ve learned will make me a better teacher and have also brought me closer to Christ. Here are a few things I learned this week that have inspired the future teacher in me:
CPSE 300 Remote: Exceptional Students—Principles of Collaboration
This is the special education class required for all Elementary Education majors, and I am so grateful I took it. It completely changed the way I want to teach in my future classroom and gave me so many strategies to support students with diverse abilities.
This week, we focused on how to help students through research-based math instruction. We discussed the CRA model (concrete, representational, abstract), the importance of creating a language-rich classroom environment, and the value of using varied language when teaching.
We also studied the “Jesus Christ, Teaching Mode of” passages in the Topical Guide, looking for ways Christ adapted His teaching to meet the needs of those He taught. One powerful example was His use of parables, stories that helped His listeners connect more deeply with His message and draw greater meaning from His lessons. As I strive to be more like the Savior, I can use other powerful stories to engage my students and inspire them to have high moral character.
MTHED 306: Concepts of Math
Throughout class this week, we reviewed how to identify and describe symmetry of shapes, find the area of shapes using decomposing and enclosing, and derive formulas for areas of different quadrilaterals. Strengthening these skills has helped me feel more confident as a future teacher as I am now better prepared to guide my students through mathematical thinking in clear and meaningful ways. As we practiced breaking down complex ideas into simple and understandable parts, I was reminded of how Christ teaches us, step by step, with clarity, patience, and love. I feel closer to Him as I recognized that good teaching mirrors His example of meeting learners where they are and helping them understand truth line upon line.
TESOL Classes: TELL 410—Second Language Learning & Teaching, TELL 440—Content Based Language Instruction , and TELL 450—Family School and Community Partnerships
These classes are the highlight of my week because they focus on transforming teachers to better support English Learner (EL) students in meaningful and effective ways. In TELL 410, we practiced adapting lesson plans for EL students and discussed the book Inside Out & Back Again, which offers the perspective of a Vietnamese girl who immigrates to the U.S. and struggles to learn English and adjust to a new culture. In TELL 440, we created WIDA strands—step-by-step goals that help teach ELs at their individual proficiency levels for specific UEN (Utah Education Network) standards—and explored how to make worksheets more accessible for these learners. In TELL 450, we completed our final paper, which involved interviewing a parent whose child is learning English in the school system. We also discussed the importance of providing both equality and equity for all of God’s children.
Matthew 25:32–40 teaches the significance of meeting people’s needs and offering Christlike help, which strengthens my goals as a future teacher and shapes how I want to interact with my EL students. These lessons inspire me to teach with compassion, and to create a classroom where every student receives the support they need.
Although I am saddened that the semester is over, I am excited to take these lessons with me and use them to become more like our Savior, the Master Teacher.
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