Over the past few months, I have had the privilege of serving on the committee to select the Berkeley County District Teacher of the Year. As a former teacher, I know they have a passion for learning and educating the future workforce, but this experience opened my eyes to just how inventive, innovative and determined educators are to preparing students for successful futures.
Teachers took us on virtual tours of museums and invited us to participate in critical thinking activities that engaged our brains and bodies. This showed that education is not just about standards, but about producing students who are prepared to be successful in all aspects of life. These teachers showed us that teaching just math or reading is no longer what is done in the classroom. They are focused on improving society one student at a time.
Even though I spent seven years in the classroom teaching, this experience showed me how much more teachers do today to prepare their students. Teachers are in the classroom because they are truly passionate about education, and they care for their students both present and future. Teachers are in the classroom because teaching is a calling.
We at Santee Cooper are thankful for teachers and the quality “product” (future employees) they are molding and developing daily. They are preparing students to solve the issues that we do not even know we have yet. They are preparing students to think beyond their box, to work through problems, to apply what they are learning – to be the future.
We in the education department continue to assist teachers in any way we can. We have designed several virtual science, social studies and career lessons that we can teach to classrooms across the state. We know our schedules do not always align with the classroom; therefore, we created these digital lessons that teachers can use any time. They include a virtual escape room, weather board game, WebQuest and much more. We also have added digital informational magazines to our santeecooperkids.com website that allow students everywhere to learn more about electricity, water and conservation.
We hope to help enhance what teachers are doing. We want to support the amazing teachers throughout the state. We are here to help. Thank you, teachers. Without you, companies like us would not be able to be productive. You set the stage for every company’s success.