Teacher Feature: Brenna Lloyd

By Barbara P. Jacoby

Boston ES teacher Brenna Lloyd transformed her teaching last school year to serve Cherokee County School District (CCSD) digital learner students. The 19-year teacher, already renowned for her mastery of blended learning, took it to the next level to support students learning at home.

“I made sure that my digital classroom felt just like a face-to-face classroom,” said Lloyd, her school’s 2020-21 Teacher of the Year and one of only four CCSD Teacher of the Year finalists. “Students no longer have the constraints of the four walls of the school building. When this barrier is no longer there, the world has become the oyster of the classroom.”

Class adventures included a virtual field trip to interview Tennessee Elephant Sanctuary caretakers and analyze the pros and cons of animal captivity. Students “met” National Weather Service meteorologists and NASA scientists through video conferences on weather and space. They “adopted” a cow named Pumpkin from a local farm and learned about ecosystems.

“Making learning real and relevant is part of the way that education transcends the classroom,” Lloyd said. “Helping students make connections between the worlds that they are going between is the art of teaching.”

This school year, Lloyd is teaching weekly writing lab classes. She continues to connect lessons to the real world and to forge strong relationships with students.

Her value for building relationships traces back to childhood. Lloyd could not read in third grade, but her teacher — with kindness, patience, and tutoring — helped her succeed.

“It seems like yesterday that the young girl looked up at this teacher, as she was saying, ‘You will be reading this year.’ For the first time in forever, the belief engulfed me that I would be able to read that year,” Lloyd said. “Mrs. Jones never made anyone feel ignorant or a problem. She made you feel that there was no other place that she would rather be than right in that place helping you. From that day, that young girl, now an educator, wanted to give children what Mrs. Jones had given her — hope!”

Lloyd strives to ensure her students feel as loved and empowered to succeed and, in turn, will follow the call “to be a Mrs. Jones in this world.”

What can parents do to help their children be as successful as possible at school?

“Parents should see themselves in partnership with the teacher and school. Learning cannot stop when a child leaves the doors of the school building. Engaging students in conversations beyond ‘How was your day’ will help them transfer the knowledge they have gained in the classroom to the real world. I also suggest parents allow their children to see how what is being taught in the school can be used in everyday life. Finally, pay close attention to the suggestions given by the teacher and ask questions. Ways of teaching concepts have likely changed since the parent was in school — teachers want to help!”