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KBAY SILICON VALLEY EDUCATION FOUNDATION TEACHER OF THE MONTH
February’s KBAY Teacher of the Month is Kim Cosmas who received a Field Trip Grant to take approximately 120 third graders to the Fujitsu Planetarium.
Grants Gives Students A Solar System Adventure
In November 2011, all the third grade students from Robert Sanders Elementary School and their teachers got on two school buses to take a field trip to the Fujitsu Planetarium at De Anza College. Thanks to a field trip grant from Silicon Valley Education Foundation, the visit to the Planetarium enhanced the students’ study of the solar system so that it was much more than two dimensional lessons. Kim, states, “The other third grade teachers and I were trying to make the study of the solar system come alive for our students and taking them to the Planetarium was a good way to do that.”
Kim’s students watched the "Cosmic Journey: A Solar System Adventure.” According to Kim, “With the show we saw there, the planets and the Solar System became real. The images were really stunning... When the planets came overhead in the Planetarium, many students lifted their hands up to try to touch them -- they were that realistic.”
Kim explains that, with the limited time she has to teach her entire curriculum, sometimes the interactive parts of the learning process - like hands-on activities that make abstract concepts more concrete - are pushed aside. “By taking the students on the field trip as part of their immersion within all of the concepts of space that they’d been studying, we were hoping to increase their desire to learn more about the universe and open their eyes to careers that they may not even have thought of had they not gone to the Planetarium.” states Kim.
According to Kim, the images the students saw at the Fujitsu Planetarium have given them a much richer view of the solar system than they would have had through a textbook study of the universe. “Now, during class when the students are answering questions about the different planets, it’s easy to tell that they are still visualizing the images as they gaze upwards when they think about the solar system.”
Balancing Teaching to the Standards While Engaging Students
There are a million challenges that teachers face every day, but the biggest challenge is the question of balance. Kim ponders, “What can I do to make sure students are gaining mastery of what they are supposed to learn while keeping them engaged, but still follow the frantic pace of teaching all of the many, many standards that are supposed to be taught?” Being with her students is what Kim likes most about being a teacher. “I love listening to my students when they get excited about hearing their vocabulary words in a book that we’re reading, and when they groan when they have to stop - yes stop - reading their books.”
About Kim
Kim has been teaching for six years and has taught kindergarten and second grade classes. She is currently teaching a third/fourth grade combination class. “I was really nervous about being able to teach a combination but overall I’ve really enjoyed it. Not only are my kids completely awesome this year, but they’ve really pushed me to do a better job of teaching the curriculum because they are so eager to learn.” says Kim.
Read more about the KBAY/SVEF Teacher of the Month program.
(link to http://www.svefoundation.org/svefoundation/howwehelp/kbay.php#)
The KBAY Teacher of the Month program is a partnership between 94.5 KBAY FM and the Silicon Valley Education Foundation (SVEF). We at KBAY believe that teachers have a tremendous impact on our children’s lives, so we created the KBAY Teacher of the Month program with SVEF to honor Silicon Valley teachers who are making a difference by creating memorable, interactive and enhanced learning experiences for their students.
About Silicon Valley Education Foundation
As a leading non-profit resource and advocate for students, educators and administrators, Silicon Valley Education Foundation is dedicated to elevating scholastic achievement. Since 2006, more than 750 Teacher Innovation Grants have been awarded to local educators to inspire student learning in and outside of classrooms. SVEF’s mission is to make Silicon Valley the leader in academically prepared high school graduates.
How Can I Support Public Education?
Our local community’s vision is a technologically, innovative Silicon Valley where public school investment results in a strong and sustainable economy and a future workforce is created from local talent. Today, nearly 50% of high school graduates in Santa Clara County are not eligible to attend a four-year California university. SVEF is working with schools to reverse this trend by offering critical math and science programs to prepare students for college and career success. Make a difference in the lives of Silicon Valley students by donating to these crucial programs.
The continued improvement of student achievement in public education relies upon the generosity of our donors and partners. To find out more about how you can help SVEF academically prepare more Silicon Valley students for future success, visit www.svefoundation.org.
