Second in the 2017-18 New Staff series

 

Katie Hughes

Kindergarten Teacher

 

Hometown: Green Bay

High school graduated from: Ashwaubenon

College: In December 2015, Katie earned her Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in Early Childhood and Middle Education.

Previous employment: Long-term substitute teaching in the La Crosse School District. Prior to that, her student teaching was completed in the La Crosse, Arcadia, and Holmen School Districts.

Hobbies/Free time interests: In my free time I enjoy hiking, playing tennis, listening to music, reading, and spending time with friends and family.

What attracted you to apply at MP Schools? I was attracted to the Mineral Point school district because I loved the idea of working at a school in a smaller, supportive community. I knew right away that the district and community has so much to offer for its students.

Quotable: “As a teacher, I believe in fostering students’ learning by creating a classroom environment that is welcoming, comforting, and challenging to each individual student,” she stated. “I strive for every child to feel as though their opinions and thoughts are valued by each member of the classroom. My students and I will embrace diversity. I have been fortunate enough to travel abroad and wish to share those experience with my students and I will encourage them to share their experiences with us.”

“A teacher should be a facilitator in the classroom,” she added. “I wish to give children opportunities to set their own goals, create their own questions, find their own solutions, and reflect. I will implement a collaborative learning environment and give students a sense of accountability.”

“While I have many goals for children academically, I also have many goals for them socially, emotionally, and morally. I am aware that teaching goes beyond the core subjects and desired content. Gratitude will be discussed heavily in my future classroom. I wish for children to recognize the simple and meaningful things in life. Regardless of their home life or the difficult things a child might have gone through, there is always something to be grateful for. My students will learn from me every day, but I wish to learn from them daily as well.”

“I strongly believe that education goes far beyond the ‘transferring of knowledge’ and teaching of core subjects. To me, the most rewarding aspect of teaching is being able to see the progress and positive changes that I am making in students’ lives.”