Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) starts the school year this Thursday, August 1. While many families are gearing up for the big day, teachers are also putting the finishing touches on their classrooms to welcome a new group of students.
As she enters her third year of teaching, fifth-grade teacher, Elyse Wilson, continues to inspire her students to see their own success and potential.
“I’m just so excited to meet my students," Wilson said. "I love being able to do the first week of school and getting to meet them all," Wilson said.
Wilson has taught fifth grade at Bonillas for two years now. Today, I met up with her inside her classroom while she was decorating and sorting out school supplies for her students. She tells me she's only had to pay about $150 out of pocket for extra classroom supplies and says she gets lots of help from her school with other supplies.
She says her students are her biggest motivation, helping them become the best version of themselves daily.
“As college gets more expensive, as jobs get harder to obtain, even my younger kids that are, you know, nine and 10 years old they’re starting to see that in their grown-ups at home," said Wilson. "They’re starting to see that things are shifting for their future and just making sure that they still have a place and they will be successful.”
Wilson tells me she’s eager to meet her 18 students, adding that she’s implementing more reading in her classroom this year.
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Jacqueline Aguilar is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born and raised in Yuma, AZ., she is no stranger to the unforgiving Arizona heat. Now this U of A wildcat is excited to be back in Tucson and is looking forward to involving herself in the community. Share your story ideas with Jacqueline by emailing jacqueline.aguilar@kgun9.com or connecting on Facebook, Instagram or X.
