In this classroom, students don’t start at their desks. They rush in, ready to learn. Some days they get so excited they forget to take off their backpacks.
White boards with lights line the walls of Jennifer Wulff’s math class at Bradley Middle School. The concept immediately engages students like seventh grader Teague Cantley as soon as they walk in the door.
“I feel like this makes it a lot more fun and interactive,” said Teague. “We get to work in groups instead of independently and learn from each other.”
They start by drawing a card from Wulff as she greets them at the door. This is how students are split into groups to tackle the lesson. The lights on the boards give them instructions – green means go, yellow means wrap it up and red means stop and share with their peers.
“They don’t just work with their friends so it’s cool to see friendships being made because the groups are random and they work with everyone in class,” said Wulff. “A lot of social skills, empathy and communication is being developed through this.”
Wulff has a special connection to the Bradley community. She was once a student walking the halls. Growing up, she attended Regency Place Elementary School, Bradley and MacArthur High School. She’s always striving to find new ways to innovate her lessons and inspire her students.
“Kids run into her room, they don’t even take backpacks off because they want to get started,” said Bradley Principal Brenda Cerroni. “Their conversations are on point, and they engage beautifully with each other.”
