Inside the Classroom: Lori Sams - Hughes Elementary

Inside the Classroom is a series that visits Northwest ISD campuses throughout the year and highlights the magical moments that happen between teachers and students each and every day across the entire 234 square miles of NISD.

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Teachers are great at adapting to any situation, adjusting plans on the fly and remaining flexible. That willingness to make changes at a moment’s notice was on full display in our next edition of Inside the Classroom.

We recently visited Lori Sams, pre-kindergarten teacher at Hughes Elementary during community helpers week, and Ms. Sams had an incredible surprise set up for her young learners. After a week full of learning about our community’s heroes, the Hawks were all set for a visit from real firefighters and their fire engine!

Prior to the truck’s arrival, all of Hughes’ pre-k students gathered in the campus courtyard. Ms. Sams explained that an on-duty crew of firefighters was coming to visit, so it was possible they would get called to an emergency and not be able to attend.

As they waited, Ms. Sams read a book about firefighters and students shared what questions they may have for their special visitors. As they continued to wait, the mostly 4-year-old students were getting a bit excited, so Ms. Sams led them in a dance to “get their wiggles out.”

The students continued to wait patiently as fellow pre-k teacher Mariana Navarro Perez grabbed her guitar and played a song for students to sing along to. By this time, the Hawks had been waiting in the courtyard for 30 minutes, and Ms. Sams decided the fire engine must have been called out to an emergency.

With just a smidge of disappointment, the students returned to their classroom, but Ms. Sams was prepared for the curveball. She immediately had the students circle around a basket in the center of the room in preparation for a fun math game.

Students had been working on their subitizing skills, the ability to instantly recognize the number of items in a small group without counting them, and it was time to practice.

Ms. Sams had a large dice numbered one through six and a second large dice with actions such as hop. Students rolled each dice into the basket, quickly said the number, then did the action that many times.

After going through the game a few times, Ms. Sams’ students dispersed throughout the room to learning centers. Centers in pre-kindergarten are important because they provide structured, hands-on opportunities for children to explore different concepts through play. These areas encourage independence, cooperation, and decision-making, helping students develop essential skills in a fun and interactive environment.

For each different module, Ms. Sams and pre-kindergarten paraprofessional Natalie Palos take the time to decorate their classroom and theme the centers based on the current lesson. From a fire station where they could role play to community helper puppets, Ms. Sams’ students were quickly fully immersed into playing and learning. 

Students had the freedom to choose their own activity and to move to another when they wanted. No matter where they chose to spend the next 30-45 minutes, they all had lots of chances to play, but Ms. Sams and Ms. Palos made sure their play was with a purpose.

Their time at centers passed by in a flash, and it was soon time for a nap. Although they didn’t get a visit from the firefighters, the Hawks still had a great morning and slept well ahead of a full afternoon.

Throughout it all, Ms. Sams and the Hughes pre-k staff stayed flexible. They even enlisted the help of their own in-house community helper to bring a fun experience to their students. Hughes’ security officer Lamin Kakay made a special trip to the pre-k hall and talked about how he keeps the campus safe.

He explained his role as an actual community helper at their school and took questions from the students. As he finished, the class gave Mr. Kakay one of his favorite snacks as a gift, and each student made a card to thank him and show kindness.

With teachers who are always flexible and prepared for whatever the day may bring, there is no doubt pre-kindergarteners all around NISD are well on their way to being prepared for their academic journey. 

Check back regularly all year as we continue to visit students and teachers throughout Northwest ISD and offer a rarely seen look Inside the Classroom.