“I have always known I wanted to be a teacher and I never dreamed that people outside of my immediate reach would recognize the hard work and innovation that is needed to reach an ever-changing audience. Middle Schoolers are wonderfully unique and I am grateful to spend each day with them.”
Alumna makes Disney’s 100 top inspiring teachers list
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A little creativity can go a long way in a classroom. Just ask Lisa White Farese ’99 Elementary Education and Human Development. Her creativity got her recognized by Disney! She made Disney’s 100 top inspiring teachers.
Lisa says, “While teaching 6th grade, I saw that many of my students were frustrated with learning about commas and constantly receiving red-pen feedback. But I ask you, is there anything fun or creative about commas?”
At the time she was working in Boston – Beantown. Her inspiration grew from a local toy store that had fun pencil toppers, t-shirts, and “stuffed” beans called Bean, Super Bean, and Big Dug (after the big dig). They each had there own stories and she saw an opportunity. Lisa says she extended the backstories of these to match the reasons we use commas. “I made worksheets, games and even got a donation of toys so the students got really excited to use commas correctly and earn a chance to win their favorite bean.”
Lisa says, “Throughout my years in education, many things have changed. But what I know to be true, is students are always inspired by creative effort. I also know that when I am willing to challenge the boundaries of what is possible, learning is transformative.”
Well done, Lisa!
Photos provided by Lisa.
