Teaching with Heart: Empowering Students through Hands-on Learning.

Blaire Penry is the 2024 Washington State Teacher of the Year and teaches CTE and fine arts at Auburn School District.

Blaire Penry Visits Puget Sound Skills Center

In these blogs, I’ll share personal stories, student narratives, and insights from my peers. Throughout this journey, I want to emphasize that my experiences reflect my truth, which isn’t always positive. Some stories will share instances where teachers unintentionally caused harm in my life, and I’ll honestly address their impact on me. I recognize that these incidents may be decades old, and the teachers, schools, and districts have all had time to change and grow. What I love about teaching is that there is always a chance to learn and do better. I invite you to join me in exploring stories of teachers who genuinely connect with students and students who unapologetically express their needs and experiences. I hope you can connect with the stories that are woven through, that you can see yourself or students in the shared experiences. Connections are truly what drives us and I hope you experience that along the way.

I love high school. I love the energy high schools have, the conversations that I get to have, teaching young adults; it really is my jam. I think part of it is that in high school, I was given the chance to explore my identity a bit more. I started to see representations of myself in my curriculum, I had teachers who wanted to get to know me, and the idea of community really started to form for me.

One of my favorite classes was called “The Law and You.” It was a really collaborative class in which we explored various perspectives and understandings of American law. Almost everything we did was a project. It was led in a similar fashion to a project-based learning (PBL) model. We, as students, were given loose guidelines and allowed the freedom to explore the assigned topic and present our learning in a variety of ways. This model of learning really grants ownership to the kids. The freedom to choose how we showed that learning honored us as different learners.

As a teacher, when my lessons are rooted in PBL principles, the products that I get in the end, 9 out of 10 times, are way above my expectations. That collaboration, learning as a collective, and being allowed to have the space to take risks were impactful. It’s definitely an element that I’ve implemented in my own practice and something that I got to enjoy when I visited Katelyn Asare at the Puget Sound Skills Center (PSSC).

Katelyn is the instructor at the teaching academy at PSSC. Juniors and seniors from surrounding districts can apply to Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs and get specialized training. Students in the program participate in a combination of classes at the center and internships at local elementary or middle schools. The teaching academy is in its first year and has already doubled its numbers for next year, a testament to Katelyn and her co-teacher Maribel Malagon Arriaga’s compassion, community, and creativity.

I had the pleasure of sitting in during one of their classroom days. The classroom setup was in a rectangle, already establishing an environment of collaboration and community. Having tables situated this way allows kids to easily see each other and encourages engagement with one another. In Katelyn’s class, students are required to lead activities. This might be a warm-up type of activity at the beginning of class, a craft/art project, or a “get to know you” activity; there is lots of flexibility in what the students can lead. On that day, I got to participate in a wonderfully fun Earth Day craft. The student “Teacher Sam” taught us about the history of Earth Day and led us through a finger-painting craft where we created a “heart Earth.” Teacher Sam presented us with brushes and paint and told us to roll up our sleeves. We were instructed to paint our hands first in blue and then in green.

I cannot tell you the last time that I got to paint. I was instantly reminded of lighter days with each paint stroke on my hand. The cool paint on my skin had me feeling giddy and I was smiling each step of the way. Each time we had to wash our hands, we would all line up at the sink and talk. Talk about our thoughts on the project, talk about the day, talk about something that the craft reminded them of from one of their internship days. At every point of class, community was being built. The project was fun, and engaging, and her classmates were supportive and encouraging, illustrating the sense of camaraderie and community that is foundational to a positive and inclusive learning environment.

I was curious how this class became so close; the sense of community was palpable. Students and Katelyn stated the same thing: They continually got to know each other. It’s intentional and continual.

In the first few days of school, Katelyn and Maribel have students create and present 10-minute stories. As the teachers, they go first, sharing parts of their lives, what motivates them, and sometimes struggles and hardships they’ve faced. They are honest, authentic, and vulnerable. This is such an important first step in building an environment where students are comfortable in sharing their own experiences and stories. We must give a piece of ourselves as a model. When I talked to students about this activity they all commended it for being a reason they felt so comfortable with each other. “Some people went deep, and others didn’t, but we all learned about each other,” a student explained. Another student explained that when she was told that she was going to have to do things like teach lessons to the class and give tours of the center to visitors, she was terrified, but after the 10-minute stories, brain breaks they do as a class, and other group activities they do she felt comfortable and ready to tackle the challenge.

Through intentional practices like sharing personal narratives and empowering students to take the lead, Katelyn and Maribel lay the foundation for a classroom culture built on trust, empathy, and mutual support, all fundamental principles that they are instilling in the next generation of teachers. It was an incredible thing to get to witness.