MINNEOLA, Fla. — There's no shame in making a mistake in Annie Reynders’ class at Grassy Lake Elementary School in Minneola. She says it's an opportunity for everyone to learn.
What You Need To Know
- Annie Reynders teaches fifth-graders
- Reynders encourages students not to get discouraged when assignments are challenging
- Here’s how you can nominate an A+ Teacher
Reynders likes to maintain a positive atmosphere in her classroom.
She says, "Kind of switching their internal dialogue. You know, instead of saying like, 'I'm dumb, and I'll never get it. This is hard but I can keep trying, or this is hard and I can ask for help'."
During a recent visit to her classroom, students working together in groups were looking at historical documents. They were busy pulling evidence that they could use in their writing to explain why so many colonists died in Jamestown.
"As a teacher, you're trying to think several moves ahead and coordinate activities for lots of different personalities in children. You know, plan things ahead of time so it doesn't devolve into chaos. Their future success depends, in part, on me and my efforts each day,” Reynders says. “There is no time to waste, which inspires me to make each day count. My inspiration to continue teaching comes from being part of the team of educators that teach the children in our community. It would be impossible to do this job on my own. When people say, 'It takes a village to raise a child,' I consider myself inspired to be part of that proverbial village."
Her students are also encouraged to not get discouraged when the assignments are challenging.
Reynders says, "So teaching them that you kind of fall into the learning pit sometimes and it feels uncomfortable, but if we ask questions and use strategies and work hard, we can get out of there and we understand things much better actually from our mistakes."
Reynders says the atmosphere in her classroom echoes through the entire school.
She says, "We all believe that kids can do things, and I think that everybody in this school holds high expectations for kids and that’s a place I want my own children to be. My inspiration comes from knowing that while I am only one step in a student's journey, I have just one year to make a lasting impact before they advance to the next grade. I choose to make that impact a positive one."