Teacher Innovator Grant - Shelly Padgett

Our Community Foundation has announced the recipients of the second-semester Teaching Innovator Grants. Washington Community Schools received a $250 grant to support Nurturing Nursery Rhymes.  Washington Primary Teacher, Shelly Padgett, accepted the award and was named a Teaching Innovator. 

Nursery rhymes are used in classrooms frequently to promote cognitive development and literacy. Incorporating nursery rhymes into a classroom's daily activities can help regulate students' emotions through their musical, songlike verses, provide comfort in difficult and stressful situations, and foster a strong sense of emotional stability while promoting cognitive development and a love of literacy. 

Padgett states that self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making are crucial for individuals to make valuable contributions to our community and be good citizens in Daviess County. If students possess these social-emotional traits, they will be able to take others' perspectives into account, recognize others' strengths, demonstrate compassion and empathy, and handle challenging situations more constructively. Having strong social-emotional skills will prepare our students to become better stewards of their property, resources, and the Daviess County community. 

Our Community Foundation is proud to support innovative teaching methods in all our area schools. We appreciate our donors' generosity in making this grant possible.