When students walk into room 209, and everyone is sitting where they want to sit, which goes all the way from desks to a couch to a bean bag chair, students are met by Ms. Corinne Buttner, who always has a smile on her face and is ready to teach.
Buttner isn’t like most teachers. The first thing students notice is that she doesn’t just teach history, she makes them enjoy learning it while having fun. She always makes sure to check in with her students and ask how things are going to make sure they are doing well when they walk in. This is one of the ways she makes teaching so great – she knows the things that people like and dislike, and can integrate it into a better and more fun learning experience.
“I think that knowing who your students are, and what they are interested in, and what they want to do, really impacts great teaching,” said Buttner.
On her B days she has her AP classes with the sophomores and then she has her CP classes on her A day.
“I love to tell stories when we’re doing lectures and try to throw in a few fun games and collaboration,” she said. “I love to make everything hands-on and I love to make everything a competition.”
She really cares about what the students do and how to make it fun so that kids aren’t just sitting in a classroom bored, they are having fun while learning.
Not all people know that Buttner has dyslexia, which means reading and writing can be harder. But she never lets this affect her teaching or make it any worse.
If anything, it makes it better.
It sometimes allows for classes to get off track as long as it’s still in line with what they are supposed to be learning. She is good at adapting if something is not going the way it was planned to. That adds to the chaos, and the fact she can figure something out is what makes it fun.
“ It can make teaching more chaotic, but chaotically fun,” Buttner said. “I think it makes it unpredictable for y’all, which it (also) does for me, and that’s why it’s always a good time when doing work.”
This is something that makes Buttner such a special teacher.
When students are disruptive, Buttner says, “I never try to put anybody on blast, but I try to think of creative ways to get them to pay attention.”
Dealing with kids, especially when they aren’t paying attention, is one of Buttner’s stronger suits. She always makes sure that once students get their work done, they are able to do something that they enjoy. She has games like “Guess The Meme” and “Tapple” in the classroom. The connection Buttner makes with her students is what separates her from the other teachers.
She tries to build students’ real-life skills while in the classroom. Sometimes, if they are distracted or off task and haven’t been productive, she might not remind them; not because she wants them to fail, but because she wants to see them do it themselves and get better.
“If you’re going to get up and go to the bathroom for 35 minutes, it’s not always mine or someone else’s problem to get you caught up on that, and typically in the real world, you have to get caught up on your own,” she said.. “I try to find the line between assisting you and letting you grow up a little bit.”
When the bell rings, students are ready to move on to their next thing, knowing they just enjoyed history class and are looking forward to the next one, which is such an important thing for students.
Buttner always makes sure you are seen, heard, and are having fun while learning.
