TYLER, Texas — Summer school may not always be fun, but Tyler ISD tries to make learning exciting for its students by bringing the outside world into the classroom.
This isn’t the normal reaction you would get from kids in summer school, but at Griffin Elementary, the students were excited about a special guest.
And what a better way to avoid the “summer-slide” than with a visit from Honey the Cow of Southwest Dairy Farms.
“It's great for the kids to understand that milk does not come from the supermarket or a little one said that chocolate milk is not provided by the black and white cows," Ana Segulin, director of Bilingual/ESL Program at Tyler ISD said. "So we try to give them the opportunity to learn about different things.”
Summer ESL and Bilingual programs allow students to enhance their mastery of the English language. It’s required by the Texas Education Agency for pre-K and kindergarten students, but Tyler ISD offers this program for the older kids too.
“We strive to give students the best so we extended the program to third grade," Segulin said. "So we have English learners that go all the way to third grade participating in a 120 hour program in the summer.”
In the past, the district has invited medics, police officers and firefighters. Segulin said moments like this make learning easier and more fun.
“They enjoy getting information and hands on experiences. It’s been great. They love it," Segulin said. "And it’s a learning event and it’s not inside the classrooms. So it’s also the opportunity to be outside a little bit."
And the kids were eager to drink in every detail.
“(It's) very exciting," Calleb Garcia, a student at Griffin Elementary, said. "My classmates, they saw the cow and we learned about the 13 vitamins that milk has and what the milk produces.”