Tennessee teachers looking for a fresh start in the new school year

The new school year is underway across Tennessee and teachers, administrators, parents, and students are looking forward to new opportunities and clean slates.One challenge teachers throughout the Volunteer State face each year is combating the annual “summer slide” that students experience after a hiatus from the classroom. Since COVID-19, teachers have been working hard to combat pandemic related learning loss and that’s still a concern, but students experience a small amount of learning loss every year while on summer vacation.Because of this, teachers typically spend time at the beginning of each school year reviewing concepts and curriculum from the previous year.DeJuan Parker, a tenth-grade English Inclusion teacher at Memphis Shelby County Schools, says ensuring his students are prepared for the year ahead is always a priority.“The biggest challenge is getting the students back on track since COVID and also the loss of learning from the summer,” said Parker. “My approach (this year) is the same, give my students 100 percent.”Different strategies can be employed to combat learning loss.Crystal Summers, a fifth-grade English language arts and science teacher in the White County School District, views each school year as an opportunity to learn from her students. While the course subject is the same from year-to-year, the students are different and bring a different set of challenges, learning styles, and skill sets.“I always change things up based on the group of students that come to me,” said Summers. “My primary goal for this year is to make sure that my students set learning goals for themselves.”Outside the classroom, a Tennessee implemented a new Third-Grade Retention Law this year, requiring all third-graders in the 2022/2023 school year to pass the English language arts section of state testing to move onto the fourth-grade.Statewide, 60 percent of third-graders failed to meet those testing standards on the initial try last year. Some students met them on a test retake and others filed a successful appeal but many students needed summer school to advance and some also need fall tutoring.Literacy isn’t just a concern for third and fourth graders either, teachers at all grade levels are focused on ensuring their students are reading at their grade level.“By fifth-grade, students should be reading to learn instead of learning to read. This isn’t the case for the majority of fifth grade students,” said Summers. “For those who are not on grade level, everyone in the building needs to come together to find the best ways to remediate and fill in those learning gaps.”Above all else, teachers are focused on student success and helping them reach their goals.With literacy and bridging the learning gap serving as two critical focuses year, teachers like Summers are still eager to meet their new students and embrace the changes that come with each new class.“This will be my eighteenth year of teaching,” said Summers. “Even after all of those years, I still get nervous and excited for a new school year.  I love my job, and I love how it is always changing.  Teachers must first be learners, and they must always be willing to continue to learn.”¶