JISD Feature Teacher explains her job

Every month, a JISD teacher gets to explain his or her job and what they are presently working on in the classroom.

This month’s teacher is JES 2nd grade Math and Science Teacher Taryn Weaver. The Gordon native graduated from Tarleton State in 2008 and went to work for Mineral Wells a month later. She spent three years there and then went home to Gordon for seven years teaching first and second grade.

Taryn and her husband Curtis, a Jacksboro native, decided to move to Jacksboro to give their school age kids more opportunities.

“We decided to take a leap of faith and Curtis came back home,” Weaver said in her speech.” We are so glad that we did. I feel like this is where we belong and we love our Tiger family.”

Weaver created a short video that showed what kind of things are going on in her classroom.

She said she likes to do a lot of work in groups and have students collaborate in groups. She enjoys what she calls math talk to discuss thoughts and how they came up with their answers.

In helping the students learn place value, I set up a “place value corn hole game”, this allowed the students to get some activity and hands on practice by using the “corn hole” to write the different forms of numbers that they got their bean bags in.

All students participated by having their own place value chart and writing their classmates “points” in the different place value forms.

“They absolutely loved this activity and still ask to play it a couple of months later,” Weaver said.

While learning about the attributes that make up shapes, using modeling clay and toothpicks and the attributes they are working on.

As shapes were being constructed, students would have to use correct academic vocabulary to describe their shapes. Being hands on is a great way to get kids to learn in Weaver’s mind.

“Over my years in the classroom, I have learned that if students can get their hands on something, it will help them get a deeper understanding of the concepts that I am trying to teach them,” Weaver said.

Working on keeping kids active in the face of COVID, Weaver videoed the morning song.

“Every morning, my homeroom students and I get up and sing and dance to our “ready to learn song”. I let them get their wiggles out and know that it is ready for the day!,” Weaver said. “ I think they also enjoy it because I have no rhythm whatsoever, so they get a little laugh at the teacher before the day starts.”