Students in high school are familiar with the idea of focus area classes. Courses that are directly related to the career they plan to enter, or one that they have a high interest in. Some examples of High School focus area classes included Fine Arts, Liberal Arts, Advanced Placement, and STEM. Although focus areas area directly correlated with High School at Arlington Elementary has begun the process as well. “At an early are, children need to learn that solving problem takes mistakes,” says ELA teacher, Kizzy Barbee.
Among these new courses is STEM, taught by Mary Marlin who was formerly the manager of public and special programs at the Pink Palace, “I’d only get to see them for one day and then I’d never see them again… I started craving a classroom, so that’s when I started teaching first grade.” However, Mrs. Marling still didn’t get to teach science to her students, which had been her passion. Instead, she was an English teacher, teaching students things such as grammar and phonics. “Those two years were really rough, and it’s because I had trouble seeing my little victories.”
Then, after fourteen years of teaching formally and informally, Mrs. Marlin got a job offer from Arlington Elementary School to be a second grade STEM teacher. “Mrs. Marlin’s class gives students the opportunity to try nothing’s in a way that make is al lot of fun for them,” says Ms. Barbee. In her class, students learn how to apply science, engineering, technology, and mathematics to their every day lives, even at an age as young as seven years old. She encourages them to use creative problem solving, and help each other grow and learn. “I’ve learned to be patient as a teacher, because I look at them doing something that I know is not going to work, but I know that they’re going to learn, and I know that they’re going to get it.”
Mrs. Marlin comes from old a family of teachers and has been working to be one her entire life. “Quite frankly, teaching is all I’ve ever known. I loved school, I loved learning, and I feel like to be a good teacher you have to be a life-long learner. There are moments when I’m watching a child who’s been struggling, and to see that moment when they get it, and their eyes light up. That is the best feeling in the world.”
Outside of school, Mrs. Marlin enjoys playing games and watching movies with her husband and her cat, Toby. Aside from that, she works to be able to see her family often, and prepare creative lessons for her class. “This is the best job in the world, and wouldn’t trade it for anything. It gets tough, but if you have to stick with it, magic happens.