Meet the Teachers!
During the month of August, we partnered with celebrity activist Kristen Bell and the Kids in Need Foundation to Supply a Student this back to school season. For this exciting campaign, Kristen drove her followers to our Supply a Student landing page where guests could do one of two things.
- Nominate an under-resourced teacher to receive enough supplies for their entire school. Each week throughout the month of August, Yoobi will randomly select a nominated teacher to receive supplies for their school this back to school season.
- Help us make an even bigger impact this back to school season by purchasing dedicated Supply a Student supplies that Yoobi will send to KINF. For every item that is purchased Yoobi will double the give - giving an additional Yoobi item to our friends over at KINF to distribute to deserving teachers and students through their network.
Through the Supply a Student program we hope to have help even more incredible students and teachers get the essential supplies they need this back to learning season!
Now, on to the teachers! We are excited to share with the yoobi community the selected nominees from this amazing campaign!
Ms. Brittany Payne is a first-grade teacher at Arizona City Elementary. She is from Casa Grande, Arizona and lives with her wonderful husband and has the cutest puppy ever! (we think so too!) Ms. Payne is entering her seventh year of teaching and her fifth-year teaching first grade. She loves teaching in Arizona City and working with the same families year after year. A few reasons why she loves being a first-grade teacher are; being able to watch the students become confident readers and the excitement around her students losing their first tooth!
Tell us about your students and school and how Covid 19 has impacted your classroom? Arizona City Elementary School has around 600 students from Pre-school-8th grade. We are a Kids at Hope School meaning, our philosophy is that "All Children Are Capable of Success." After our district sent out surveys, we learned that only 50% of the students in our area had access to internet and/or a device. Every student was able to check out a device, and a hotspot if they needed one. My class has 16 students. Although the pandemic has brought a lot of struggles, it has given me the opportunity to become close to my students and their families. I see their struggles day to day with virtual learning and I appreciate their hard work and patience as we work through this together.
How do you keep your students engaged? Whether its virtual learning or in-person, students love positive feedback. Once you acknowledge that one student is sitting nicely, they will all sit up and pay attention. My students love earning points with Class Dojo and picking prizes. I also try to incorporate a lot of videos and movement throughout the day to keep students engaged.
“Thank you so much for the donation! The students and staff here at Arizona City Elementary School will be so excited to receive their school supplies. We are so grateful. Thank you!” – Ms. Brittany Payne
Ms. Lyna Nguyen is a third grade ESL/bilingual teacher at Goudy Technology Academy in Chicago, IL. Ms. Nguyen is truly a product of her neighborhood, growing up in a Vietnamese family in Uptown, Chicago. She attended CPS and then the University of Illinois at Chicago to earn both bachelor’s and master’s degrees. (you go girl!) For seven years, Ms. Nguyen has taught at Goudy Technology Academy! For Nguyen, every one of her students are one of her babies. She makes it a point to know everything about her students’ lives outside her classroom. Ms. Nguyen chose to teach in the Chicago Public Schools system so she could reach Chicago’s kids. “I’m never going to leave. I love Chicago,” she said in a recent article
“We’re excited! My kiddos will be even more excited! Again, we are incredibly thrilled for the generous donation!” – Ms. Lyna Nguyen
Ms. Dagostino Elberson has been working in the school system for 4 years now. However, this is her first year in a first-grade classroom! She tries her best to provide differentiated learning for each of her students, to succeed and feel confident in their abilities. Ms. Dagostino Elberson loves to make school a fun and safe place for her students by providing them with a hands-on experience in order to prepare them better for the future. Her favorite part about being a teacher is the excitement to learn that she see's in her students every day!
Did someone nominate you or did you submit yourself? I was nominated by friends and family and had no idea!
How did you hear about supply a student? My cousin told me about it! “ I don’t know if it was a story or a post but she mentioned it there and I thought “I know a teacher who needs some supplies!” So I clicked the link to the Yoobi website and put your info in” is what she said.
Is your school doing distance learning or modified classroom? We are currently doing modified classrooms and one teacher from each grade level is doing online learning. I am in a modified classroom.
Tell us about your students and school and how Covid 19 has impacted your classroom? I am at a transformation zone school. My students come from lower income families and receive a lot of support for our staff and community. COVID 19 has impacted my classroom by lowering my class size and changing the way I teach. I have to modify groups and centers. My students also miss being able to hug and play with their friends the way they used to.
How do you keep your students engaged? I keep my students engaged by using a lot of arts. I try to incorporate song and dance into everything I teach. I make up songs as I go and my scholars love it. I also try to relate the work to things they know and can relate to.
