Windsor Elementary School first-grade teacher Lauren Williams gets recognized in certain circles for her regular TV appearances.
She can be seen Monday through Friday giving lessons as part of the “Teaching in Room 9” program on KETC-Channel 9.
“My Windsor Elementary students have seen them,” Williams said. “They seem to be engaged. They’re excited to see someone they know on TV.”
KETC began the “Teaching in Room 9” program last spring when school buildings were closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The show is designed to provide lessons on a variety of subjects for prekindergarten through third-grade students, particularly for those without internet access.
The lessons, which are intended to help educators and parents teach children during the pandemic, air from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in half-hour segments geared to specific grades.
Williams, 39, of Herculaneum shares the noon-12:30 p.m. time slot with teacher Kristen Forth, a curriculum coach with the Rockwood School District.
According to the Teaching in Room 9 website, 17 teachers from around the metropolitan region offer lessons through the program. Williams is the only one from Jefferson County.
“They have a YouTube channel, as well,” Williams said. “In the springtime, I did a 30-minute math curriculum. Now, (Williams and Forth) are doing 12-minute segments. I’m specializing in math, and she’s doing 12 minutes of reading. We start with a three-minute introduction.”
The teachers record their lessons from home and send them to the station.
“We actually submit our videos each week,” Williams said. “I do it, literally, from home, from my basement.
“I have two children – Emma, 12, and Mason, 8 – and they did episodes with me in the spring when their school was virtual.”
Williams said she teaches her Windsor Elementary students Monday through Friday and records her Channel 9 segments on weekends.
“We always do a social-emotional component, like managing your feelings,” she said. “As for the lessons, we’ll do a subject like skip counting – counting by twos, fives, 10s. We’ll do some type of mental math word problems. There’s a different math concept each week or two.”
Williams said she spends a fair amount of time recording her lessons each week.
“I spend the better part of a day on the weekend planning, shooting and uploading the videos for the week.”
She said teaching for a TV audience is not the same as classroom instruction.
“You definitely teach differently because you’re not with them,” Williams said. “We’ll do movement breaks; like we’ll skip around or do arm circles. We use a lot of puzzles and games.”
She said she enjoys the project and receives a stipend for the work.
“It’s a blast,” she said. “I’m loving doing it.”
Williams said the TV station recently informed her that “Teaching in Room 9” will continue at least through spring 2021.
Andi Harpring, the Channel 9 director of engagement and learning, praised Williams’ contributions to the program.
“She’s great,” Harpring said. “She’s been with us since the beginning. She was chosen from a pack of 40 well-qualified teachers. She provides engaging content for students.
“She’s been a joy to work with. She’s engaging. I really appreciate her focus on social-emotional learning when she’s teaching math. She is having a real impact on the children of the region.”
Harpring said the “Teaching in Room 9” program first aired April 27 and since then has produced 532 episodes and been viewed by more than 38,000 youngsters. Of those, a fifth are from low-income households.
Windsor Elementary Principal Denise Funston said she is not surprised Williams has become a valued member of the PBS Channel 9 educational program.
“I received the email from Channel 9 asking for teachers who would be comfortable being taped for instruction to be shown on Channel 9,” Funston said. “Mrs. Williams was one of the first to come to mind. She is excellent with technology in general. More specifically, she is always willing to grow herself in the area of technology.”
Williams has at least one other fan in the Funston home, the principal said.
“My daughter, Delaney, is in Mrs. Williams’ class (at Windsor Elementary),” Funston said. “We watched her lessons during the lockdown. Delaney enjoyed them, very much so.”
Windsor Elementary is in Imperial and is part of the Windsor C-1 School District.