This fall, Liberty University’s School of Education held two School Enrichment Day events at area Christian schools, offering teacher candidates the chance to gain firsthand experience in the classroom, explore various grade levels, and refine their instructional skills to meet the unique needs of each set of students.
On Oct. 14, 47 teacher candidates in the EDUC 225 Elementary Education Design course joined two faculty members at Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy for Math Day.
The event was through the Christian School Enrichment Initiative ILLUMINATE grant, awarded to Dr. Esther Alcindor, residential chair of elementary and middle education programs; Assistant Professor Dr. Michele Worley; and Professor Dr. Harvey Klamm. The grant covered the cost of two math kits, which provide a springboard from which students can develop lesson plans.
Leading up to Math Day, teacher candidates split into groups of three to develop lesson plans. They also visited SMLCA ahead of time to meet with teachers and students. Each teacher candidate in the group was asked to prepare for two specific grade levels.
For sophomore Grace Gusti, Math Day marked the first opportunity to implement a lesson plan.
“Getting the experience on an actual K-5 scale is really helpful as a catalyst in getting comfortable with things and learning how to differentiate,” she said, noting she taught second and third graders about polygons. “Especially when you are observing the classroom, you can see how the teachers do that for their students.”
In addition to tailoring the lesson plans to the respective topics, teacher candidates integrated biblical principles and games into the discussion to help students remember the material.
The event marked the School of Education’s second Math Day. Last spring, Liberty partnered with Faith Christian Academy in Hurt, Va., to lead a similar event.
On Oct. 27, 21 Liberty teacher candidates from another EDUC 225 Elementary Education Design course held the school’s first-ever Literacy Day at Faith Christian Academy. They did not use kits like Math Day but were required to develop their lesson plans from scratch.
Special education sophomore Dan Howard led his fourth and fifth grade classes through discussions on literary conflict, drawing from C.S. Lewis’ “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.” He said the hands-on experience allowed him to test different teaching approaches to see how students best respond.
“It’s a fool errand to not have experience before you start teaching; otherwise, you would have no idea what you are doing,” Howard said. “Only half of teaching is going to school to learn about it. Most of it you learn through teaching and making mistakes.”
Worley, who assisted in leading both enrichment days, said the events were mutually beneficial “real-world scenarios” where students could practice in an actual classroom while simultaneously supporting local Christian schools.
“Opening this door has allowed us to be able to witness what a teacher candidate is doing in a regular classroom, instead of them just teaching us and pretending we are first graders,” she said. “We really get the opportunity to speak into their life about what it really does look like and address any concerns they may have and mentor them along.”
Next semester, the School of Education plans to host a Math Day at FCA and a Literacy Day at SMLCA, providing each school with support in both literacy and math instruction during the 2025-26 Academic Year.
