Transitions are things every teacher is used to whether it be a transition throughout the school day or a transition from grade level or content area. When I started teaching at Benton I was assigned to Van Horne Elementary teaching K-2 special education and Reading Recovery. I continued to teach special education for the next 10 years across various grade levels (Kindergarten-6th grade), ability levels, and buildings within the district. This year I have added yet another transition to my career moving out of special education and into general education by teaching kindergarten. This transition has brought me back to the feelings of being a first year teacher all over again. The transition has allowed me to utilize all the different skills I have developed over the years. I am tapping into my reading training by helping teach kindergarteners. I also have found myself using my special education experience to help develop my students’ social and behavioral skills. This has helped me support my students to build relationships in the classroom.
Kindergarten has been a big transition and it was one I needed to make in order to continue to expand my collection of teaching tools and strategies. I am so grateful to have my building and grade level teams to bounce ideas off of. The collaborative structures put in place have helped me to grow and become a better teacher for my students.
The collaborative efforts of the team I work with at the kindergarten level and within my building support student learning throughout the day. One of the core values of Bobcats is Teamwork. I try to bring my best for students and staff and use my previous experiences when contributing to the many teams I get to work with.