Jessica Campbell, a music teacher at Legacy Traditional School – Northwest Tucson, is one of 200 teachers statewide who each will receive $2,500 through the organization’s Wishes for Teachers program, which distributes $500,000 through Desert Financial Credit Union to teachers who apply for consideration.
Ms. Campbell, a long-time educator is in her first year at the Northwest Tucson campus and applied for the award to help create an environment where students can create and become independent. Part of that process involves the use of “music manipulatives,” handbells, rhythm sticks, and music whiteboards with staff lines that provide an auditory and kinesthetic sense of music concepts.
Ms. Campbell says these strategies help students to think and reason, and offers a natural way for children to make sense of the subject matter they are trying to learn.
When she was notified that she had received the grant, Ms. Campbell said she felt immediate joy for her students. “One of the things most important to me is the ability of students to learn and retain knowledge. When students enter my classroom, they are super excited and eager to learn something new every day, said Campbell. “Their excitement is infectious and makes me want to be a better teacher,” she added.
As a winner of this grant, Jessica is invited to the Guaranteed Rate Bowl to be honored during halftime on December 26, 2021, and the 50th Annual Desert Financial Fiesta Bowl Parade on April 10, 2021.