EDUCATION + SCHOOLS
Trent Blume – Valley View Elementary
May 10, 2017, 12:44 PM | Updated: Aug 4, 2022, 11:03 am
Trent has been teaching 4th and 5th grade for 5 years. He recently moved to a new district in order to be closer to home, and in the same district as his wife and kids. Trent is now the new kid on the block with his team, however he is also a leader, and a requested teacher. His principal has said that she has received many requests for him to be a certain child’s teacher from both students and parents for the next school year.
In 5th grade he teaches the students about the U.S. Government. As part of this process, he prepares the students to perform a play called “Shhhh, we’re writing the Constitution.” This is a play that has both singing and speaking parts. It lasts about 30 minutes. His principal and some of his team mates were concerned about the amount of time and effort this would take away from teaching other subjects, and preparing the students for end of year testing. Trent however, did not let that sway him, and held confidence in both the program and the student’s ability to pull the program off.
Trent said it was amazing to watch the growth of the students as they rose to the occasion of being able to memorize their lines, and songs, and then get up in front of a crowd of people and perform these words with such vigor and conviction. As I (his wife) went to the play, I got chills up my arms. These students showed such leadership, and confidence in themselves, and in their ability to do something hard. Trent said that this play gave some of his quieter students the opportunity to break out of their shell, and show that leadership and confidence. Parents came up to me after the play and were very ecstatic and thrilled with what they saw their child do that night, and over the course of the 6 weeks they practiced at home in order to prepare for the event. They complimented me regarding Trent and his ability to get their children excited about school and learning.
His principal says she loves hearing about the things he does with the students in his classroom. He gets them excited about learning, and trying new things. He helps them solve their problems, and take responsibility for their own education.
-Rebekah Blume
