5th Grade Adventures: Discovering the Benefits of Teaching and Learning with Annah Brummitt

In this episode of The Hornet Hive, Dr. Christopher Lewis, a member of the Williamston Community Schools Board of Education, sits down with Annah Brummitt, a 5th-grade teacher at Explorer Elementary. They discuss Anna's journey as an educator and her experiences in Williamston.

Annah shares that she initially taught in a nearby district but chose to work in Williamston to be closer to home after having her first daughter. She expresses her love for teaching 5th grade, citing her passion for the subject matter and the depth of content that can be explored at this grade level. She also enjoys the students' increasing independence and the opportunity to engage in deeper conversations with them.

They delve into the topic of 5th-grade camp, an exciting five-day experience that challenges both students and teachers. Annah discusses the importance of community support for funding and encourages community members to contribute their talents to enrich the camp experience. The conversation also touches on how Annah prepares her students for the transition to middle school, emphasizing organization, problem-solving, and responsible time management.

Reflecting on her experience in Williamston, Annah finds her motivation in the students' growth, relationships, and the progress they make in their learning journeys. She shares her student shout-outs and describes the joy of witnessing her students' accomplishments and perseverance.

In summary, this episode highlights the vital role of educators like Annah Brummitt in shaping the lives of young learners, preparing them for new challenges, and fostering their academic and personal growth.

 

TRANSCRIPT

Christopher Lewis [00:00:19]:

Welcome back to the Hornet Hive. I'm your host, doctor Christopher Lewis, one of the members of the Williamston Community Schools Board of Education. Really excited to Talk with you again this week. Every week, I love being able to sit down with you, to talk with you, to have a conversation about the amazing School district that we have right in our community, but also the amazing things that are happening right here in our community. And some weeks, we talk about specific programs or activities or things that are happening that are engaging kids in different ways. But, also, I love being able to introduce you to the staff that are working with our students every day because some of you have kids in the district And there are others that don't, and that's okay. It's important for everyone in our community to know the amazing people that we have in our schools, Whether you have kids in the district, whether you don't have kids in the district, it is so important to just know about the amazing resources that we have within our schools. This week, we have another great guest with us.

Christopher Lewis [00:01:25]:

Anna Brummet is with us today. Anna's a 5th grade teacher At Explorer Elementary, we're gonna be talking about her own journey and her own experiences here at Explorer Elementary. I'm really excited to have her here and to introduce her to you. Anna, thanks so much for being here today.

Annah Brummitt [00:01:40]:

Yeah. Of course. Thanks for having me.

Christopher Lewis [00:01:42]:

My pleasure. One of the things that I love doing is Turning the clock back. So I'm gonna go back in time just a little bit. I'm gonna go back to that to that beginning point for yourself of Of you coming to our school district, what initially brought you to Williamston?

Annah Brummitt [00:01:56]:

I had been teaching for a few years. And At the time, we'd been living in Williamston, but I was teaching in a nearby district. And then I had just had my first daughter, and I was kinda looking for something a bit Closer to home, and we knew that we wanted to stay in the area. So we really enjoyed the community and being here. So I thought it'd be nice to be able to get a job where I lived, and it just kind of all fell into place to be able to Moved from the 1st district I worked at to here.

Christopher Lewis [00:02:27]:

I know that you are teaching in 5th grade, and teachers sometimes Get to select their grades. Sometimes not. But for you, what do you love most about 5th grade? And what brought you into teaching in 5th grade?

Annah Brummitt [00:02:42]:

So I have taught grades 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th. So I've kind of taught a range, And I do really enjoy 5th grade. I feel like I could be kind of talked into any grade, really. I kind of enjoy moving around and, like, the challenge of learning The different ages and things that you teach. But I really do love 5th grade because I love the content that we teach. I love the math that we do. I love our new bookworms program and the books We read now in the ELA is just so amazing. I love being able to teach just kind of that deeper content.

Annah Brummitt [00:03:13]:

I know we always kind of say In early l, you're learning to read where it kinda switches in 4th 5th that you're reading to learn. And so I kind of enjoy that side of it. And then I also like that they're A little bit older of these mini humans where you can have some deeper conversations with them. And As much as they are still kids at heart, they also are a little bit more independent. We can do a little bit more as far as technology like today. I ended up changing my lesson a little bit, and we got out Chromebooks. And they're working as partners editing the same Google Doc together and just little things like that that you can do that you can't. You could do it with younger kids, but it just gets a little harder and takes more time.

Annah Brummitt [00:03:53]:

So I do enjoy that about 5th grade.

Christopher Lewis [00:03:55]:

One of the other things about 5th grade, couple things. You get to go to 5th grade camp, and you just got done doing that and having that experience. So that's one big thing. But, 2, as a teacher, you have an opportunity To prepare them for the change of schools and moving up in the world into that big scary middle school. And so for you as a teacher, talk to me first. Let's talk about for 5th grade camp because, you know, we have to talk about 5th Camp and what that experience is like for you as a teacher versus the them as students. So let's start there.

Annah Brummitt [00:04:29]:

Okay. 5th grade camp. It is Back to back 5 days of running a field trip, pretty much. It's exhausting, but it is very fun. I know by the end of the week, I am just ready to take a nap. I'm not sure who's more tired, the kids or the teachers. It is a lot of work putting it in because we do plan it all ourselves and getting all the supplies together and organizing Just the daily schedule, the volunteers, everything. But just seeing the excitement with the kids and just kinda getting to do something a little out of the routine something different for them, I think, is just fun, especially after these kids.

Annah Brummitt [00:05:01]:

A lot of them have been in the district since kindergarten. I think just kind of Mixing it up a little bit is helpful for them. Just getting outside and introducing them to different ideas. Like, they do archery and they go canoeing and just the different Crafts you might do, or I ran a forensics activity this year, just different topics that we don't necessarily get to in school that we're able to do. I know a lot of times though, they're like, this is school. Why or it's not school anymore. We're why are we writing? Because we do do some writing still, and they have to journal and they come back, and I have them write about all the different They're like, wait a second. It's camp.

Annah Brummitt [00:05:33]:

It's a you know, they want it to just all be a little bit more fun for them. But, you know, we talk about writing and Documenting it is important too so they can remember it and have something to look back on and but it is a fun time. And I know one of the biggest Highlights is always the bonfire at the end of the week. So we have our bonfire lunch and make hot dogs and s'mores, and that's always a really fun time. And it's always really fun watching who can roast hot Dogs and who needs help or s'mores, and it's really fun.

Christopher Lewis [00:06:04]:

I know that 5th grade camp is, As you said, it's completely organized and run by the 5th grade teachers. And I know that The district does fund it, but I know that the costs have been going up. If someone's listening and they say, how can I get involved in some way, whether it be For future camps, to support the camp, to to happen, are there ways in which people in the community can come together to support the camp And what it's doing to help our kids?

Annah Brummitt [00:06:35]:

Yeah. We have thankfully always had a lot of support from our PTSA. So our parent club Has usually helped donate. And then I know this year, I think it was Rotary in the Kiwanis. Kean Roberts, another one of our 5th grade teachers, she really helped get some funding for us This year, but I would say between just donations, but even, like, donation of time, we're always looking for people that maybe have a talent or something that they'd wanna share with the kids to come and donate time whether, you know, it's archery or some other activity that they think the kids would enjoy to learn or it'd be helpful or just a talent that they have to share. I know this year, Pam Ostrander came and did some reading with the kids, which, She's our author that has written a few books. So that was fun for the kids to be able to interact with her. And then Liz Wailagala is another, Adult who comes and volunteers a lot of her time, she is a very talented artist, and she's always working with the kids doing some different art.

Annah Brummitt [00:07:32]:

So that's always awesome. So I think really that would be a cool thing is to have sometimes community members coming in and donating a new talent that they have to share with the kids.

Christopher Lewis [00:07:41]:

I also mentioned with 5th grade, you are preparing kids to move up to that middle school. So as teachers, what are you doing? What are some of the Skills are some of the things that you're doing to prepare these kids to move up into a brand new school, into a brand new way of learning, And moving classes and all those different things. I

Annah Brummitt [00:08:02]:

think one big thing we really focus on is being organized. And we often remind them, you know, you have 6 teachers next year, I think it's 6, Moving around from hour to hour, and so some of them really, you know, working on keeping track of things and bringing stuff back from home. We also talk A lot about problem solving. I think that's a really just good life skill for kids to have. But, you know, especially going up into middle school, just Working on that, whether it's you don't know where to turn something in or needing help on a problem, what are your steps for that? So I'd say those are 2 really big things that we focus on. That and then also that transition time of like, at the beginning of the day, we've really been talking about, You know, you start coming in at 8:40, but when that bell rings at 8:45, you really need to be in your seat and working. And we kind of talk about how it's your passing time at middle school. You get that amount of time, and then You need to be in class ready to go.

Annah Brummitt [00:08:56]:

And they're like, what? What? We only get you know, they were shocked by the amount of time. And I was like, yep. And, you know, that's tiny little bathroom, filling up water bottles. So I think also just helping them focus on when it's a emergency leaving during lessons versus Not. Because I think sometimes a lot, you know, get up and walk around. And I do wonder when they get to the middle school, when they get to move that every hour, knowing it's coming, if that helps a little bit. But just kind of Talking about being responsible, what are things that you need, what can you take care of now? With that transition between that and organizing, I think those are 2 big things that are important.

Christopher Lewis [00:09:29]:

Appreciate you sharing that. Now you've been in the district now for a few years. You have, You worked in in the upper elementary. You're working with many different kids, and you're having a lot of different experiences where you're working with lots of different kids, things that are probably positive, negative. You know, there's things that sustain you and and definitely fill your bucket as you say to the kids or drain your bucket as sometimes you might have as well. So as you think about your experiences that you've had thus far in the district, What has sustained you over the years in our district, and what makes Williamston a great place to work?

Annah Brummitt [00:10:04]:

You know, I really love working. Just the kids that come every day. I have actually in front of me right now some shout outs. This year, my class has been so awesome about Complimenting each other. I usually do these student shout outs, and they fill them out and their name and who they notice doing something positive. We talk about our buzzwords a lot and Just helpful things that we see around the classroom. And I think just seeing them growing those relationships with each other and then also seeing them accomplish some new things that Learning wise, that might have felt really hard or when kids are really struggling just seeing that progress they made and helping them with that perseverance and problem solving. I think that's Been really helpful in keeping me teaching.

Annah Brummitt [00:10:45]:

It's working with the kids.

Christopher Lewis [00:10:47]:

Definitely can. And and reading those shout outs and And hearing the students' voices as they share things with you either during the day or at the end of the year. And I've talked to other teachers that have kind of their file that they keep things in and sometimes go back to to be able to review and put that smile on their face. There's definitely lots of different things that teachers do to be able to maintain I'm gonna say their sanity at times, but also to maintain that positive Look in that optimism that they have as they move forward because, you know, it's a challenging profession, but definitely something that is so rewarding When it comes to working with the kids and seeing them thrive and survive as they move forward.

Annah Brummitt [00:11:30]:

For sure. I have a little envelope that well, it's a little bigger envelope that I Keep some stuff in there sometimes. And then I've been coaching cross country now a couple years for middle school, and it's been fun. I don't have anyone in this district yet that's old enough that I've seen. But when we've been at meets, I've actually ran into previous kids that are now in high school that were juniors and seniors last year getting ready to graduate. And they ran up to me and said, hi. And it's So fun to see the things that they're accomplishing and how tall they are now, and it's just really great to have those connections still years later.

Christopher Lewis [00:12:02]:

Probably soon, they might be taller than you, so you never know.

Annah Brummitt [00:12:04]:

Most of them are usually by the end of 5th grade.

Christopher Lewis [00:12:07]:

Now teachers are storytellers as we were talking about. They keep things from those kids. They reflect on those things, whether it's memories, you know, whether it's other things that they just They they go back to over the years. For you, can you share a story with me that, for you, epitomizes The experience that you've had thus far as a Williamston staff member?

Annah Brummitt [00:12:30]:

So I started coaching middle school cross country last year at Libby Merrill, which has been Super fun. And I think I'm really enjoying seeing the students outside of class. So now that I've coached a couple years, I'm seeing my students that were in class with me or that I knew that were in other classes. And I'm getting to watch them grow, not just academically, but also just as people. And I think that's been really Awesome. And this year, we had a really awesome team. Successfully, they all did really well, but also it was just awesome to see how much They've matured and how they're developing as such kind and thoughtful kids. And that's just something I think that I really hold onto and really enjoy being around.

Annah Brummitt [00:13:15]:

And I think it's just a nice it's a change, you know, out of the day. And I really enjoy working with Them on that side of things too, and not always just in the classroom.

Christopher Lewis [00:13:26]:

Well, Anna, I just wanna say thank you. Thank you for all that you do To engage our kids, to work with our kids as they're going through that 5th grade year, as they're getting ready to move on and move out of Explorer into Williamston Middle School. It's such a pivotal time for their education and for their transition. And It's so important to have teachers like you in those roles to be able to help them to manage that. But I truly appreciate your Your time today for being here, for sharing your story, and I wish you all the best.

Annah Brummitt [00:13:59]:

Thanks,