My name is Ms. K. I teach 6th, 7th, and 8th grade in a small, rural school in Mississippi. I have been working in schools in some capacity or another since 2010. I spent four years working in kindergarten, as an assistant to begin with, and then as a teacher. I then transferred to a second grade position and spent another three years there. While I did enjoy teaching kindergarten and second grade, I had always wanted to teach older students, and science is my passion. I incorporated a lot of science into our literary units in the primary grades, but deep down I knew I would be happier if my sole focus could be science. In 2017, opportunity knocked, and I moved up to middle school.
Why I want to blog
With every position I've had, I've tried my best to improve each year. I feel like I have grown as an educator each year. Second grade was different from teaching kindergarten, but there were still many similarities. Middle school has been a completely new animal. I feel like I need a more intentional means of reflection in order to master this new job and do my best for my students. Reflection is always a part of teaching, but we often do it almost unconsciously. I want a platform to meaningfully reflect in a direct, intentional way. I thought perhaps a blog would be a way to do this. Another benefit of blogging is the ability to share my ideas with others and learn from them. It takes a village to raise a child, and it takes a village to teach one, too. The world of education has always been dynamic, but it is changing now more rapidly than ever. I don't want to sit on my laurels; I want to grow.
About the outside-of-school Ms. K
Our students seem to think we teachers live at school (they're always so surprised when they see us at Walmart, aren't they?), but of course every teacher also wears many other hats. When I'm not planning lab activities and picking up pencils off my classroom floor, you can probably find me reading a book/listening to an audiobook (or podcast). I love food, working outside, DIY, and loving on my spoiled dog, Rico.
Look at that sweet baby.
