A creative teacher has been keeping her class entertained by wearing hilarious outfits every day – notching a perfect 100 percent attendance record for her virtual lessons.
Each day since she her classes went online Allie Melendez has donned a different wacky outfit to grab her students’ attention and give them some sort of routine during the pandemic.
Ahead of her school closing down in mid-March she asked the performing arts teachers if she could borrow costumes to wear for her online classes.
So far, Allie, 24, has opted for costumes including a NASA astronaut, flamingo, an alien, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and a sumo wrestler.
There have been contemporary and cultural references in Ms. Melendez’s costumes, too – dressing as a golfer during the time the Masters was supposed to be played, as well as copying the styles of Lizzo and characters from the Sponge Bob Movie.
Each morning, the first question Allie said she is asked by her fourth-grade students is, “Ms. Melendez, what are you today?”
Allie teaches at a school in Culver City, California, and her online classes focus on grade-level mathematics, science, social studies and English language.
The teacher – whose school did not wish to be named – is also studying for a master’s degree in education, making her both an online teacher and student during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Based on the positive reaction of her students, Allie plans to keep her dress-up routine going, aiming to wear a different costume every day until the end of the school year.
Speaking of her daily routine, Allie, from Los Angeles, California, said: “My students think that I am absolutely crazy.
“My biggest fear about virtual teaching was not being able to best support my students from a computer screen.
“Developmentally, young students need to have lots of structure so that they can understand what to expect each day.
“As crazy as it may sound, my costumes give them something that they can rely on happening each day, even in a world pandemic.
“I hope that others are able to see how much teachers love what they do and how there is nothing that will stop us from supporting our students, both academically and emotionally.
“In a world full of uncertainty, teachers provide the daily framework for our children to be successful in and out of the classroom.
“I could not be prouder to be an educator, even during a global crisis.”
Story courtesy of T&T Creative Media