”
March 2024	CUSD Today	Page 5

Education is the art of igniting a fire in kids

By Corrine Folmer, Ed.D. Superintendent

DID you know that great educators ignite passion, some would say a fire? Yes, there is a lot of science that
goes into the edu-cation of our stu-dents, but a criti-cal and some-times overlooked element of edu-

cating is the art
Ed D.
of igniting in our Corrine.Folmer, students a desire
to learn and the ensuing fire of ex-citement and self-confidence when they discover what they CAN
achieve.
To illustrate my point, I would like to share a story with you about Naksh. Naksh is a fifth-grade stu-dent I met during a recent visit to Pinedale Elementary, and he was on fire about what he had learned while participating in the science fair (where he received a Special Recognition Award).
His eyes were bright with ex-citement, and he was practically jumping with enthusiasm as he earnestly explained the intricacies of his project and how he had built a vacuum using, among other household items, the barrel of an ink pen, a plastic bottle and a bat-tery.
I learned that it was not just any battery, Naksh explained with seriousness, but a 12-volt bat-tery that would provide the neces-sary power to create a vacuum strong enough to pick up small pebbles. At the time of his illustra-tion to me, Naksh had to use a 9-volt battery and he was quick to explain in scientific terms why that

was not ideal for his demonstration      tempting to create) and had perse-      tical world around us, and why I because it diminished the power      vered to find a solution. That resil-      know with certainty that one of of his vacuum.                                    iency is another valuable life-long      our best tools to build students’ Not only was I impressed that      skill that our educators help our      confidence and self-esteem is aca-
he knew his experiment would	students learn.	demic success. Naksh knew what work best with a more powerful           In this energetic exchange with	he was talking about, was eager to battery, but also that Naksh had	Naksh, I was reminded what	share that knowledge with an adult experienced a challenge (a less	happens when a student connects	visitor to his classroom and could powerful vacuum than he was at-	classroom learning with the prac-	not wait to learn more. My inter-

LESSONS

Inspirations by, for and from our CUSD students

Joey Elswick/CUSD Today More than 500 students recently attended Clovis Unified’s Middle School African American Student Success Conference. The group African Drumming Interactive set the tempo to start the energetic day by getting students and staff on their feet (and some, pictured above, on stage!) to learn traditional African dances.

“A good laugh makes us better friends with ourselves and everybody around us.

DR. ORISON SWETT MARDEN, 19TH CENTURY AMERICAN AUTHOR

action with Naksh was an expres-sion of the “fire” that had been lit inside him by the experience of discovery and learning; and he wanted more. Once ignited, this fire seeks out new ways to learn and grow which usually leads our students, like Naksh, to develop into even more inquisitive and cu-rious learners for the rest of their lives.
Naksh impressed me, and then I met his science fair coordinator, Veronica Vela, and saw the source of the flame. As soon as Ms. Vela learned I had talked to Naksh about his project, she lit up, too. “Did you see how he used a sock as a filter?!” she exclaimed as she pointed out other small details of the project. She was as excited as Naksh was, and her enthusiasm and energy about the science, technology, engi-neering and math (or STEM) skills it demonstrated were contagious. What she saw as exciting, she con-veys to her students, opening their eyes to why the acquisition of learn-ing really is a thrill not a chore.
My interactions with Ms. Vela and Naksh were brief but they were a great reminder of what our edu-cational team is doing every single day for kids.
Our amazing Clovis Unified educators create light bulb moments daily across this district for our students.
Our educational team helps our students to perseverethrough difi-culties, they model and foster re-siliency, and lay the foundation for layers upon layers of academic growth that happens from the time our students walk through the doors of transitional kindergarten to the time they cross one of our gradu-ation stages. I am proud and grateful for our educational team who ignite fires for learning, which will con-tinue to burn and inspire our stu-dents into the future.