LIMA, Ohio (WLIO) — High school students are helping younger learners in a hands-on way through Lima City Schools’ Early Childhood Education program.
Students from the program at Lima Senior High School visit Heritage Elementary School to assist kindergarten students who need extra support. The high schoolers work on math, literacy, language, and fine motor skills through fun and productive activities.
“I absolutely love it. I feel like I'm learning more and more about what it's like to teach children every single day,” said Amilliyana Nance, a junior in Early Childhood Education. “Just by doing things like this, I'm learning more about how children themselves learn and how they act in schooling situations.”
Tina Hamilton-Shoemaker, an Early Childhood Education teacher, emphasized the importance of these hands-on experiences. “It's really important for us to get out into our schools so that my kids can learn classroom management skills, they get to work hands-on with our students in our district, and we're also supporting our own kids, helping them get to the next level of education,” she said.
ECE students spend 45 minutes every Tuesday and Thursday working with Heritage Elementary students, gaining real-world experience while helping younger students build important skills.