Hingham Extraordinary Teacher: Tara Calianos

Name:             Tara Calianos

School:           

Grade:            4

Fourth grade teacher Tara Calianos wants her students to be lifelong learners. As she creates lesson plans, she takes her  chance to make an impact on the kids and asks herself, “How is this going to help them in life?”

 A recent science lesson had students learning about reflection of light. Calianos' collaborative project had students talking to each other, working as a group and listening to others perspectives, which she said will help them in any area of life.

 Calianos follows the curriculum and lays a foundation of traditional teaching. Then she brings lessons alive for her students.

“I like for them to be hands-on, it is important,” she said.

Calianos' Wax Museum lesson is clever.  One student read about Pablo Picasso, painted a six foot banner to represent his studio and came to class dressed in costume to answer class questions in character.

Her fourth graders work on different activities for different lessons. One year the class created a postcard map as they learned about America’s states. This year, students are keeping a travel journal as they "take a road trip" across the country.

 For the lesson about natural resources from our southeastern region, Calianos had students research agricultural products grown in various states. Someone brought in a peach for Georgia, another  brought in pecans for New Orleans and one student contributed a plastic orange for Florida.

As the school year comes to a close, Calianos’ students are becoming leaders and coming to the point where they are bringing ideas in to her.

 “As teachers, we facilitate them in the learning process, she said. "Their own learning must become their responsibility. They cannot do it for their teacher or their parents; they must do it for themselves."

As a Hingham Extraordinary Teacher, we thank you, Mrs. Calianos, for the energy that helps students to learn lessons and new ways of being in the world.