Jensen Pauley is instructing her students in the same building she attended elementary

Jensen Pauley is building her teaching career in the same place she learned to love school. After working two years at Thomas Jefferson Elementary, this year is her first teaching kindergarten at Woodrow Wilson Elementary, her alma mater. Her perspective as a student has been invaluable when connecting with her kids.

“I was a student here at Woodrow Wilson all the way from first grade to sixth grade … I went to a different building for kindergarten then switched over here at first grade,” Pauley said. “It’s such a surreal moment being able to teach here in this building where I went to school. So it’s really a full circle, exciting moment.”

Pauley always knew she wanted to teach kindergarten. In high school she was able to observe two kindergarten classrooms.

“I absolutely fell in love with kindergarten,” she said. “It’s the foundational piece for every child where they learn social skills, emotional skills, your academics and learning how to love school and have that joy for learning. I thought it was completely eye-opening seeing the joy kids have when they pick up on something.”

While attending Iowa State University, Pauley even got the chance to complete her student teaching in a kindergarten classroom. She took it as a sign that she would find her place in that same setting. But she didn’t expect it would be in the same school district she had grown up with. Of course, that was fine by her.

“Another full circle moment, Jen Elbert, who is our instructional coach here at Woodrow, she was my kindergarten teacher,” Pauley said. “I remember absolutely adoring her. Again, it’s just such a surreal moment to have her be in my building, and as the instructional coach here she supports our team.”

It turns out working with her former teacher is just as fun and engaging as it was being in her classroom all those years ago. Pauley remembers how close knit the Newton school district was as a student, and she was happy to see the same thing is true for teachers, especially those at Woodrow Wilson.

“Our kindergarten team here at Woodrow does an amazing job of working together and creating such fun and unique experiences for these kindergarten friends, and I also see that throughout all the grade levels and as a district,” she said. “We all work together to create such fun and exciting things for these kids.”

Activities like ABC countdown dress-up days leading up to the last day of school, for instance, bring a little bit of extra joy and light to the end of the school year. For her kindergartners, these types of events make coming to school fun and supports their love for learning.

Pauley said creating fun learning experiences to help bridge connections to what students are learning is key. This past winter, kindergarteners had a reading unit about plants and then had an opportunity to take a trip to the Des Moines Botanical Garden. It’s experiences like these that lead to that “lightbulb moment.”

“My students had the best time observing unique plants and learning new information about plants but also being able to apply and connect their knowledge of plants to this experience.” she said. “It was special seeing my students take ownership in their learning and have that ‘lightbulb’ effect.”

Kindergarten is the foundation to promote a passion for learning, Pauley said. It is also the foundation to build relationships with peers and grow in their communication, teamwork and other essential social and emotional skills that students will use in the years to come.

“If they don’t have that joy or passion for learning, it’s very hard to continue on,” she said. “Kindergarten is so important because we are completely opening up every opportunity to have hands-on learning and activities for them and really branch out their love for learning.”

Pauley knows exactly what is in store for her kindergartners down the road. She walked in their shoes down the same hallways every day. She’s a Newton Cardinal, just like them. Pauley said she takes a lot from her own experience as a student in the school district. That will come in handy very soon.

Eventually, all Woodrow Wilson students will be leaving to go to a new building. They will probably be very nervous, and they might have to make new friends.

Pauley knows how they feel.

“I remember my first-grade teacher here,” Pauley said. “I was very nervous to start a new building, make new friends. And my first-grade teacher was so amazing. She was one of my role models to become a teacher because I remember how welcoming she made me feel.”

Principal Todd Schuster said Pauley is a strong teacher who has a whatever-it-takes attitude to meet students where they are, and she is constantly moving them forward. Pauley credits a lot of what she does as a teacher to the teachers she learned from in Newton.

“I just take each little chunk of really amazing memories from my teachers that I had here in Newton, and I take them and try to express that and give that to my students,” Pauley said. “So I really had a great blessing of being a part of the Newton school district and see what those core values are.

“Now I get to really use those and implement them into my teaching.”