NAHANT — Superintendent Rob Liebow sat down Monday afternoon to elaborate on how Johnson Elementary School is adapting to the ever-evolving needs of their students, and the impact a teacher can have in a child’s education.
Liebow took time to explain how the injection of a new generation of teachers has been a huge help to both Nahant and the broader field of education. “Our younger teachers, who are still up and coming, they’re a really cutting-edge advantage for the students, and that’s what’s most important,” Liebow said.
He added to his point, saying, “Our experienced people keep up, and they’re very sharp, but at the same time, these young teachers are also excited, and want to put the best stuff into practice.”
In a very important and intricate field as education, Liebow emphasized the importance of educators being up-to-date in the area of student outreach, and why really connecting with the students — instead of just lecturing them from the front of the class — is key to helping put students on the best possible path to success.
“How do we adjust our learning? Differentiate our learning? These are all things an experienced person can have, but sometimes they have to get re-trained in that,” Liebow explained, “But with a person that’s just out of school, it’s part of the package as the way you are.”
“Some people have to change, and the good ones do,” He said, “but the younger people now come really equipped, and that’s a real advantage.”
He reiterated the crucial part more experienced educators have had on helping their students find success and reached their goals. “Not to diss the more experienced teachers, I’m one of them, we have great value,” Liebow said. “But there’s also something to be said for youth, enthusiasm and commitment, and that can be really strong for students.”
Another point that Liebow stressed was the collaboration aspect between the Swampscott and Nahant schools. He said that due to Johnson students entering the Swampscott school system in the seventh grade, establishing a foundation of certain subjects between the two schools is key to helping new students thrive.
“We always try to make sure that what we’re doing matches Swampscott in a sense,” Liebow said. “So that we don’t put the kids in any kind of disadvantage. We really want to make sure every student has the best chance at success.”
He also went onto cite the benefits that a smaller school has on fostering solid connections between students and teachers.
Liebow noted some upcoming curricular upgrades the school has its eye on, particularly in the math department. “Right now, we’re looking at a potential new math curriculum, that’s more tied to state standards,” he said. “Math and language arts are really the key pillars of everything.” He said the school’s looking at programs that are the highest-rated by the Department of Education.
