Music can be heard down the halls of Long Elementary School as Lisa Bazan and her class take a couple of minutes from their day to participate in what she calls “brain breaks.”
For this fourth grade teacher, “brain breaks” serve as time between lessons to get her students bodies active and their minds ready to be engaged for future learning, she said. It’s a break her students welcome as they finish their song and immediately know its time to get back to their desk and get focused on what is to come.
Teaching for over a decade, Bazan sees every year as an opportunity to set students on the path toward life long success, and she uses her love of learning to help show her students potential passions and career paths.
“My ultimate goal is to teach them the objectives that are expected of course, but to also ultimately have them truly engaged in what they are learning and love what it is we are teaching,” said Bazan. “I love engaging our students and honored that their parents give me the opportunity to share their lives with them
To keep her students engage, she will often hold class outside and try and relate her lessons to real life scenarios. The change in classroom environment also helps her fulfill her love of teaching science, and inspiring her students to further their interest in the subject.
“I’m very passionate about science in my classroom,” said Bazan. “I take everything they do and try to apply it to science, theories or math. I especially hope to inspire the girls in my class to develop a passion for the subject.
With “brain breaks” and scientific theories already taking place, Bazan has added the task of creating lessons that utilize technology as well. As a digital classroom teacher, she’s seen her students become more resourceful when it comes to lessons, more engaged and more focused on the tasks that need to be accomplished.
“It’s amazing how empowered the students have become,” said Bazan. “They are increasing their level of engagement, taking more risks and taking it upon themselves to search for as much information as possible regarding anything we talk about. They are becoming more resourceful and are not depending on me to teach the material.”
Community service is something that Bazan tries to instill in both the students in her classroom and the school’s Student Council. As sponsor, you can always find her thinking about what the next project will be for her students and what she can do to teach them the importance of giving back, she said.
She attributes the success of her students to the support she receives from her campus and family and looks forward to helping the students at Long succeed each day.
