On Sept. 14, Ms. Genebacher’s Child Development II class opened their doors to begin the 2021 Eagles’ Nest school year. The Eagles’ Nest is a Pre-K class taught by the students in Child Development II. 

Last year, due to COVID-19, the Eagles’ Nest had to be taught virtually.

“Teaching preschool virtually was a unique challenge, so we’re very excited to have little eagles filling our preschool with laughter again,” Ms. Genenbacher shared. While the class is student-led, Genenbacher is there to help with lesson plans and supervise in case of emergencies. She works to prepare the students for teaching, making sure they have all the supplies, resources, and support they need to be successful. 

The little eagles come for two hours on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, while Mondays and Wednesdays are reserved for the teachers to lesson plan.

“Each week has a theme; my first week teaching is farm week so I make my lessons around farms and animals,” senior Adrienne Rockette shared. “We have a curriculum we have to follow, and for our activities, we have textbooks and online resources to get ideas from.” 

The class prepares students for careers in teaching, giving them responsibility and allowing them to be creative in the process.

“You really have to walk in with no expectations, you never know how the kids are going to act that day, and sometimes you can have a super detailed plan and it just doesn’t go the way you want it to,” senior Morgan Brennan discussed.

The class takes place during the first two hours of the day, allowing for circle time, three lessons to be taught, and snack time.

“I love it, it really kicks off my day. If you’re not awake when you come in, those kids will make sure you’re awake by the end of it,” Brennan said.

The Eagles’ Nest teachers love getting to work together to create a fun learning environment for their students.

“My favorite part is creating lessons that are fun and knowing that the kids are learning something from me makes me so happy,” junior Olivia Marshall said.