Awe-Inspiring Lessons

Nirmala "Nimmy" Thomas is an elementary school teacher whose enthusiasm for teaching is palpable. During her Wednesday session, "Fire-Breathing Dragons in the Bible and More Awe-Inspiring Lessons" she demonstrated the many creative ways she helps capture the hearts and minds of her sixth, seventh and eighth graders.

Her ingenuity is not just inspiring, it's also affordable. She shared many easy-to-create lessons with attendees, including the following:

 She uses Jenga puzzles to make assignments more fun for students who need the extra push. Ms. Thomas numbers the ends of the Jenga pieces that corresponds to the questions on a worksheet. Students select a piece at random and have to answer the appropriate question. It makes learning fun and engaging.

During Lent, Ms. Thomas helped students understand the sacrifices of Jesus by having students silently confess something they're sorry for and then, stick a toothpick in styrofoam green tube, created to represent the thorny crown.

Ms. Thomas clearly showed us that creativity in the classroom can go a long way in helping students grasp comprehensive issues and become more connected to the lessons. You can get more inspiration from Ms. Thomas by visiting her Pinterest page.