Spotlight on Courtney Romine, 3rd/4th Grade Teach at Tudor Elementary

Courtney Romine teaches 3rd/4th grade in the Montessori program at Tudor Elementary in Anchorage School District.  When offered the opportunity to bring small groups of students back into the classroom she leapt at the chance, eager for her students to have access to Montessori materials, and to provide her student teacher experience working with students in person.  The teaching duo utilize Zoom with the entire class in the mornings, then have 8-10 students in the classroom each afternoon. 

Despite the challenges of virtual teaching, Ms. Romine acknowledges there have been some positive outcomes as well. “We have built a strong sense of community in our class,” she says, “and I credit this to spending time engaged in SEL activities as well as just the chance to get to know each other in our home environments.  I've never felt so connected to my kids' families - we get to see their parents, siblings, their pets, and other parts of their lives that are important to them.  I feel more in touch with each individual student than I have in the past, which is amazing to me since I'm interacting with them on a screen, but I have more flexibility to meet with them one on one, and that's been wonderful.”

As a 20-year veteran teacher, Ms. Romine says she’s learned more about herself as an educator in the past year than any other time of her career. She has become more proficient with technology, but she has also been challenged to find new and creative (sometimes just silly) ways to teach.  When one of her third graders kindly suggested that she make their instructional videos more interesting, she created a family member named "Auntie Romie" who dresses in crazy outfits and speaks with a terrible British accent. Auntie Romie has taught a number of math lessons.  “The kids will watch those videos - and I'll do whatever I need to do to keep them engaged and enjoying school!” stated Ms. Romine.

Regardless of the platform, what she loves most about teaching is building relationships with students and watching the community grow into a safe, nurturing "class family."  “Yes, seeing the light bulb come on as they learn a new concept is exciting, but getting to witness children demonstrating empathy and compassion for each other, encouraging a classmate who is struggling, or feel comfortable trying something new and taking risks is just an amazing feeling!” said Ms. Romine. 

Thank you, Ms. Romine, for those extra efforts to ensure an excellent education for your students every day!