Jessica Talley, a teacher at East Side Elementary recently received her second consecutive Bessie B. Moore award which included a check for $1,000.
The award which was only awarded to six educators in Arkansas recognizes teachers who are exemplary in teaching economic and personal finance.
Talley teaches computer and electronic courses to kids in grades kindergarten through second grade.
Classes include typing, coding, robotics and 3d modeling.
Talley's Spring 2022 project Economics is All the Buzz! tied in with the Magnolia READS program sponsored by Farmers Bank and Trust focused on bees and pollinators and how vital they are for many different industries.
The project also involved getting local wildflower seeds to make seed paper.
Talley gave students different jobs while making the paper to teach them how specialized jobs work together to create a product.
The paper was then sold for $0.75 a sheet and the proceeds went to help the Columbia County Animal Protection Society.
Talley also incentivized students to help and teach economics at the same time.
"We were also focusing on students being responsible and kind so anytime we saw a student being responsible, kind, or demonstrating other positive values we would punch a punch card we gave them. When they got enough punches they could work on a 3d printer. It was kind of like a rewards system teaching them about work and earning money." said Talley.
She said she hopes that teaching students economics at an early age will help them make good choices throughout their lives and help others.
Talley plans to invest the money she won back into the classroom to allow for more ways to teach and incentivize kids.
The 3d printer students use sits on a table. (Joshua Turner / Banner News)