Heritage Elementary teacher likes seeing kids solve problems

“I discovered it was teaching the children that I really loved. It was such a joy to watch them learn and grow,” she said. “As I went through my educations classes, I quickly figured out that my passion was teaching. While I could do that running a daycare, the classroom is where I really wanted to be.”

When she started, Willicut taught pre-K and kindergarten, convinced it was the only age she would ever teach.

“When I was given the opportunity to teach fifth grade, I was very hesitant, but in the end I could not be happier. I love this age and the new experiences I’ve had with upper elementary,” she said. “This is why I like to tell my kids that just because you haven’t done something doesn’t mean you can’t or that you won’t enjoy it.”

The Today’s Pulse found out more about the Heritage Elementary School teacher, who also holds a master’s from Louisiana State University.

Q: What do you enjoy most?

A: I enjoy the people I interact with every day — the kids and my co-workers. When you teach in an elementary, you can't help but smile: There is always a child who says or does something that brightens your day.

My co-workers are like family. We can share ideas, problems, strategies, brag on kids, help each other out when needed or just have fun.

Q: What is the biggest challenge?

A: The biggest challenge is time. We have the required curriculum in each subject area that our students need to master, and it can be a great deal of material to teach in nine-and-a-half months.

At the same time, we want the children to have experiences that go beyond the curriculum. Teachers are very good at finding creative ways to give the kids these experiences, yet tie them into the curriculum. We have learned so much about problem-based learning, where we can let the kids apply their knowledge to real world problems and activities.

Q: What is your teaching philosophy?

A: I believe all children are capable of learning, though they may learn at different rates. Learning is a developmental process, and kids' brains develop differently. As teachers, we have to adapt our teaching to the kids in our classroom, not expect them to adapt their learning to our way of teaching. Teaching is also a learning process; we can always learn new, better or different ways to reach children.

If you set higher expectations for students, they will be more likely to reach their potential. There are always students who have amazing potential but do only what they need to in order to get by or to make the A or B they are expected to make. However, if you set the bar a little higher, nine times out of 10, they will go for it and soar.

We need to teach our students to be problem solvers and not be afraid if they don’t always succeed the first time. They need to be given the chance to learn from their mistakes and try again, rather than teachers telling them how complete a task. Teachers need to give them the tools to succeed and guide them when needed.

There is always more than one way to solve a problem. Even after all my years of teaching, students will find a solution a math problem using a method that is very outside the box and one I never thought of. I love it when this happens, you can practically see the thinking happening in your classroom.

Q: What is a favorite memory?

A: I think one of my favorites will always be my first year of teaching when I taught pre-K in Baton Rouge, La. It was an all-day pre-k program at a public inner city school, and it was the absolute sweetest group of children. I had a set of twins in my class, Terami and Jeremy, and they were quite the duo. They would come to school, some days one with two right shoes on, the other with two left shoes, but always with a story to tell me that was usually a pretty tall tell. This class loved to learn and came to school eager and full of love every day. Since it was my first year of teaching, I don't think I really embraced how special this group was, but looking back, they were a group to remember.

My other favorite memory is not a single moment, but the moments when a student comes back to you and tells you that you that they loved your class and learned so much from you. It’s those moments you know you’ve made a difference.

Q: What are your hobbies?

A: Whenever I have free time, I am probably reading. I also enjoy cooking, and I like to spend my summers traveling.

Q: What is something people may not know about you?

A: I was born and raised in a small town in Texas, Rotan, population 1,800 and had 27 people in my graduating class. I was a baton twirler through high school and college and even had a small twirling scholarship.