JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. (WJHL) — This week’s Educator of the Eeek is a Spanish teacher at David Crockett High School.
Jared Cavaness motto: hablamos, escuchamos, escribimos, y cantamos, en español, todos los días. The translation, we speak, we listen, we write, we sing in Spanish every day.
Cavaness is in his 2nd year at Crockett after moving with his family from California. His use of songs to learn Spanish started at a very early age.
“My parents constantly sang songs to us. Culturally we have music in my family. So we turned everything we could into a song or rhyme and it really helped us,” Cavaness said.
Add to the music, fun and games, and that helps grow his student’s vocabulary and confidence.
“One thing, it’s [the students] class. I like them to be doing things. I never try to talk more than five minutes. I talk for five, then I model and explain, then they go for 15 to 20 minutes,” Cavaness said.
It creates a connection with students that are having an immediate impact.
“[Cavaness] has brought his love of teaching Spanish and it is contagious to the students they love being in his class. They enjoy everything that goes on in there,” said Dr. Ashley Davis, David Crockett High School Principal. “They do a lot of singing [and] learning. He’s very energetic, he brings a lot to our team.”
While his leaders sing his praise, his students sing songs on their way to learning Spanish.
“I’m confident [the students] are going to remember it for a long time,” Cavaness said.
Congratulations to the week’s Educator of the Week, Jared Cavaness
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