Educator of the Week – Maddox
CLARKSBURG, Tenn.- Clarksburg School Pre-school teacher Gena Maddox has a classroom full of four-year-olds. She said she loves their enthusiasm. “This is their first chance to really start learning in a controlled environment, so everything you do is like, ‘gasp!’ They’re excited about everything,” said Maddox. Their excitement keeps Maddox on her toes. “It’s like being on a TV show,” said Maddox. “They’re so used to everything being fast-paced. You have to change with them, it’s just like ‘boom, boom, boom!'” This educator said her students’ learning rate can be just as fast. “We learn all day long,” said Maddox. “You learn your letters, their sounds, how to write your name, your birthday, your shapes, your colors.” While there is quite a bit to take in, Maddox said she keeps her classroom fun. “A lot of our learning takes place through play. When you have big and little, high and low, you can do a lot of that through playing in a house or playing games,” said Maddox. “We do a lot of music and a lot of games.” Maddox hopes that Pre-K will be her students’ building block for life. “Education is very important and I want learning to be fun. The way thing are going now, it’s going to get a lot harder,” said Maddox. “So, if they have a good foundation that school is fun and that learning can be fun, hopefully that will carry on through them through their other years and they’ll enjoy school.”
