For the first time in Whitley County, Whitley County High School student Jada Wilson, a member of Whitley County Educators Rising, achieved first place at a national competition for lesson planning and delivery in the humanities. Wilson was recognized during a special meeting of the Whitley County Board of Education on Thursday, July 24, at the Central Office in Williamsburg.
Each year, students participate in state-level and national-level conferences to compete. Wilson first competed at the state level, where she secured second place, allowing her to advance to the national competition. There, she faced off against 40 other top students from their respective states and ultimately brought home the first-place award.
Johnna Robinson, the Educator Rising Sponsor and a teacher at Whitley County High School, recognized and presented Wilson with an award, stating, “I knew her competition piece was excellent, and I always believed this was a possibility, even during moments when she may not have known.”
Wilson’s competition involved lesson planning and delivery, which included three components. First, she had to write and submit a lesson plan. Next, she was placed in a fifth-grade social studies class at Oak Grove Elementary School, where she taught the lesson and videotaped it. She submitted a ten-minute segment of her lesson. Finally, she had to present a reflection about her teaching experience in front of a panel of judges. In her reflection, she discussed what went well, areas for growth, and what she would do differently if she were to teach the lesson again.
Robinson noted, “I observed that deep analytical reflection was certainly Jayla’s strong suit.”
