a rolling cart, acting as if there
was an emergency and that I
needed assistants to help perform
text-feature surgery. The
kids were so excited,” stated
Cindy Enlow, whose classroom
Abdukarimov is doing her
internship in.
Abdukarimov stated, “I am
quickly learning that the enthusiasm
I show and feel for the
lessons is contagious. Student
engagement is my favorite part
of teaching. I love getting the
students to use their imagination
and explore.”
But, while the students are
learning important lessons, Abdukarimov
is also learning her
own lessons as she prepares
to enter the classroom. “My
experience has been that the
biggest breakthroughs in learning
come when the students
are immersed in an unforgettable
experience,” stated
Abdukarimov.
She continued, “As a future
educator, this experience really
reinforced the value of hands
on learning to me. Engaging
the students with a fun and
creative scenario allowed even
the students who often flat-out
refuse to do their work to really
get into the role of being a
surgeon.”
What the students may have
not known is that Abdukarimov
was getting graded for the
lesson she prepared. “This
lesson was planned for my
first observation, and I knew
going into it I was taking a risk
if my classroom management
skills were underdeveloped. I
took away that playing it safe
could save me a grade, but that
it's worth it to take risks and
creatively explore uncharted
territories.”
Look for Abdukarimov taking
all of the lessons she learns
this year in her internship into
her classroom next year wherever
she ends up teaching. “I
am fiercely passionate about
children exploring, asking questions,
taking risks, believing in
themselves, and, by doing these
things, walking away from lessons
with a solid understanding
of the concepts introduced to
them,” stated Abdukarimov.
FALL 2018 THE NEST NIXA PUBLIC SCHOOLS MAGAZINE 11