Teaching, learning continue during summer across LPS

The hallways at Belmont Elementary School are mostly quiet during the summer, but listen closely and you’ll hear a familiar sound coming from some of the classrooms: teaching and learning.

Early on a recent morning, fifth-grade teacher Bobbie Ehrlich led her students through a lesson on rounding numbers to the nearest thousand. It was time for a quiz, but before they started she asked them to write a message at the top of their sheets of paper.

“I want you to write, ‘I can do this! I love math! I will focus! I can be successful!’ Ehrlich said. “Now read it to yourselves a few times.”

Nearly 60 students in grades kindergarten through fourth grade are attending summer school at Belmont during the month of June. Overall, roughly 1,500 students in kindergarten through eighth grade are taking summer courses at schools across the city - everything from math and writing to engineering design and culinary foundations. More than 1,700 students in grades nine through 12 are taking summer courses at Lincoln North Star High School, where options include oral communication, geoscience and economics. Summer school at all levels offers students the opportunity to continue their learning during these months, earn additional credits at the high school level and, in some cases, complete their requirements for graduation.

Ehrlich said summer school can provide students and teachers the opportunity to build on their successes from the previous year, grow in areas of need and “celebrate the joy of learning.” It’s also an opportunity for teachers such as herself to form early connections with students they’ll have in class next school year.

“The students learn the expectations, routines and procedures during the summer and then are able to take the lead within the team at the start of the next year,” she said. “It builds confidence and predictability for the children.”

Her students responded enthusiastically when asked about summer school:

• "Summer school is important because we can learn things early."

• "Summer school is important because you get information about fifth grade - my next grade."

• "I like to be able to do math each day."

And finally there was this student, who offered a more long-term perspective:

"Summer school is for learning, and learning is important because I have 10 different jobs I want to do when I am something different than a child."

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