FOR 57 years, Judy Cummings has done more than teach — she has shaped generations of young minds with passion, creativity, and commitment to her students. Now, she’s a second grade teacher at Coles Ferry Elementary School, but Cummings really got the itch for education in the sixth grade when she was given an opportunity to help first graders in the morning.
“My heart was so full, and my heart just pounded every day when I did that. I absolutely loved it.”
She said her teaching is based on engagement and novelty. She believes that learning should be an immersive experience that captures the attention of students and makes concepts come alive.
“The brain craves novelty and I teach with so much novelty and moving around and rhymes and chants,” she said.
Her methods work. Over the years, former students have returned to her classroom, some even bringing their poetry folders from their time in her class.
“Hearing from the parents that ‘my child is teaching me stuff I didn’t even know, my child absolutely loves school’ — that is so rewarding for me,” she said.
Cummings has seen firsthand the evolution of education over the last nearly six decades. She started her career at a time when children learned through “look-say” methods, memorizing words from large books as a group.
Since then, though, she has seen a shift from phonics-heavy instruction to a blend of various approaches. One of the biggest changes Cummings noted is the trend of promoting kids who aren’t ready to progress. Day in and day out, she stays energized and passionate about her work.
“I just wake up ready to go,” she said. “I think, you know, being a ‘type A’ personality and a little bit of [attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder], it just keeps things fresh.”
For her, the best moments come when she sees the lightbulbs go off in her students.
“The most rewarding part of teaching for me is to see their eyes light up when they are excited about learning and the progress they’re making,” she said.
Why stick with teaching the younger kids all these years? Cummings said it’s because of their eagerness to learn and curiosity.
“They’re just so impressionable, so eager to learn,” she said. “They love their teacher, and they do what you ask them to do. They’re excited about learning.”
Cummings said that retirement may be on the horizon, but she’s taking it one year at a time.
“I just take it year by year,” she said. “Right now, I’m at the point where I’m really considering it for next year. Maybe I’ll work an extended contract or show teachers how to teach in schools.”
Cummings has inspired countless students, mentored fellow educators, and left an imprint on the world of teaching.
“School should model life,” she said. “It shouldn’t be this foreign thing you do when you go in the building, and it has nothing to do with your life when you come out.” GN
