Teacher of the Week: Rachel Heslin and Lauren Gagnon
We head over to Susquehanna Valley High School for this week's teacher of the week to see how two teachers work together to provide a unique classroom dynamic.
Teacher of the Week is sponsored by Springbrook.
Rachel Heslin and Lauren Gagnon are math teachers who co-teach at Susquehanna Valley High School.
They both started their careers in special education in an elementary school before being brought together last year.
Speaking on last year's class Heslin said, "We'd already developed such a nice thing going at the end of last year, we were super pleased with how things went, so we were hoping they keep us together and then when they ended up doing it, it was awesome."
Gagnon said, "Mrs. Heslin and I are so lucky to be able to coach, teach, and build this program together. We're really loving, working with each other, working with the students, and it's just a really special thing that sustainability is promoting. "
They have similar teaching styles but they each bring their own personality into the classroom and bounce ideas off one another.
They also incorporate movement into their lessons to keep the students engaged.
"It's a method called building thinking classrooms. I'm part of that program. Makes the students have to get up and do work at vertical like whiteboard spaces where they're working. So we've just incorporated a little bit more movement by doing things like that number line," said Heslin.
Along with that, having two teachers allows them to more effectively help students not only learn the curriculum but also how to be better people.
Heslin says, "We want you to do well, we want you to do well in your regents, we want you to be successful, but if they end up leaving and they're fabulous humans too, I feel like I did a good job."
"Having two people there to play off each other and add their thoughts and get to all of the students when they need us, it's career-changing," said Gagnon