Keeping school fun is sometimes a challenge, but teachers know it is one of the keys to learning. If kids enjoy the classroom experience they are more likely to work hard and achieve success.
Washington Primary School second grade teacher Joanne Tures is an experienced faculty member and she understands how important the classroom atmosphere is to learning for her students. So she strives to keep the youngsters looking forward to their school day activities and makes sure they deliver.
The Washington second graders don’t moan and groan when it comes time for their daily math lesson. That’s because it’s fun. Take one recent day for example. “We used fidget spinners to practice math fluency,” Mrs. Tures said. “First, they played by themselves. They spun the spinner and answered as many problems as possible until the spinner stopped moving. Then the kids played in teams of two. One child spun the spinner and told their partner when to start and stop. As the children played these games, they rotated their seats so they could play with different partners and solve different problems which were located at each seat.”
It seems simple enough and it is, but rather than listen to their teacher lecture on and on about a particular concept, the Washington second graders enjoyed some hands-on learning fun. That keeps class exciting and keeps the youngsters yearning for more.
Mrs. Tures obtained a BA degree in elementary and special education at St. Joseph’s College and a master’s degree in reading at St. John’s University. She holds a professional certificate in administration from Stony Brook University.
A graduate of East Islip High School, Mrs. Tures earlier taught in Farmingdale, Lindenhurst and East Islip. She has been a Huntington UFSD faculty member for two decades. She served as the Associated Teachers of Huntington secretary for four years and as an ATH rep for six years.
