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Dr. Jenny Sue Flannagan has been an educator for 32 years, but in a way, this past school year felt like her first. 

Flannagan began as a science teacher in 1992 and is currently an Associate Professor in Regent University’s Education Department, where she helps prepare the next wave of educators. This year, her passion for education was sparked anew when her daughter became a first-time kindergarten teacher.

“Listening to her talk about how much kids loved coming to school was so exciting,” said Flannagan, who is one of the keynote presenters at ACSI’s Anchored events for early educators in the 2024-2025 school year. “Seeing my daughter in the classroom made me remember what I can teach our students so they can experience something like she did this year.”

Like many other educators, Flannagan’s career path has been marked by moments like this that ignited—or reignited—her passion for education.

In the beginning, motivation came from family. Her grandmother, mother, and aunt were all teachers, and her father was a principal. She planned from an early age to follow them into education.

“I still have the chalkboard that I used to play ‘school’ on as a kid,” she said.

In seventh grade, her science homework one day was to bring in a drop of water from outdoors.

“My teacher was going to show the life in a drop of water, and I thought he was crazy. There’s no life in water,” Flannagan said. “But he used that to show us how to use a microscope. When I fine-tuned that picture, suddenly there was stuff I had seen in a textbook. It was an ‘aha’ moment and I realized I wanted to teach science.”

Flannagan will try to help rejuvenate and encourage other educators this year in professional development environments, including at ACSI’s Anchored events during the 2024-2025 school year.

She will incorporate intentionally hands-on activities and scientific research findings related to early education during the workshops.

One of the main lessons she reminds other educators is to not be afraid of failure.

“I’ve planned lessons even here at the university level that, in my mind, were great. Then I delivered them, and they fell flat,” Flannagan said. “By reflecting, I can learn what went wrong, and there’s value in that. I teach my own students that it’s a great opportunity to show your own students that you’re human.” 

Preparing teachers for this day and age will take some special care. Flannagan has seen that the new wave of teachers entering early education will be encountering a different landscape than she did in 1992.

“This incoming class of teachers will be challenged in educating students who are used to learning things instantaneously,” Flannagan said. “Students today get frustrated when they can’t find an answer to something immediately.”

In Flannagan’s view, helping students learn to ask questions and patiently seek answers is now more important than ever before. At the same time, technology and research have expanded what educators can learn about their own craft.

“There’s just so much research coming out about how students learn and how to design learning experiences,” Flannagan said. “Signing up for opportunities like the Anchored events allows educators to connect with experts in the field and hear from colleagues.”

A list of the Anchored workshops and conferences can be found here. 

ACSI’s Anchored events will take place in 18 different states from August 2024 through April 2025, including one virtual conference. For more information, contact early_education@acsi.org.