To Kim Bardsley, “teaching is life.”
Growing up with two sisters and a mother who worked in the education system, and a father who had a “thirst for learning,” Bardsley, a fifth-grade teacher at Bear Lake Elementary School, said she found it only right to enter the teaching profession.
“I would say that the thirst for learning and that whole aspect of my dad, the way that he looks and views life, really impacted me as a kid, and then going forward into life as an adult, wanting to know how everything works,” Bardsley said. “Breaking things down and just approaching life in that way helps me kind of feel like teaching is more like a life versus a job.”
Bardsley has been teaching for 15 years, since her days as a student at Lake Brantley High School, where she studied and worked in a preschool setting within the school’s early childhood program. As she looks to the upcoming school year, she reflects on how she has grown through her time in the classroom.
“I will say that one of my favorite things about my job is the fact that I grow every year, that I see growth, that I see progress, not only with the kids, but in myself, and I can implement new strategies that I learned from different trainings and things,” Bardsley said.
With every new school year come students who may learn differently. Similar to Bardsley, Kristen Hall from Courageous Character School said she relishes creating connections to help her students grasp concepts easily.
“My favorite part of what I do is watching students pass through the zone of proximal development when they go from not knowing to knowing,” Hall said in an email. “The faces of my students when it ‘clicks’ and they have that ‘aha’ moment is priceless.”
Hall said she has been teaching for 10 years and always felt a natural inclination to help others learn. Through her time in the profession, she has found it most important to find something special in each of her students.
“Every student, despite their struggles and challenges, has something to add to the school,” Hall said. “Getting to know your students and finding their strengths is crucial to getting each student to shine their brightest.”
As the school year commences, Hall said she finds value in implementing routines at home to set up students well for the year ahead.
“Students who are secure at home feel more secure at school,” Hall said.
Kerri Melik, a first-grade teacher at Rainbow Elementary, said she spends extra time with her family as “fuel” before the school year starts.
Melik said she recommends parents take the time ahead of their little ones returning to the classroom to have discussions with them about what to expect, new routines, and any nerves they may be feeling.
“I think open communication is huge. If you’re implementing a new schedule or routine at the end of summer, prior to school starting, explain to your kids, no matter what age, why this schedule will help,” Melik said in an email. “Also, let them help with school supply and clothes shopping, let them pick out things that they are going to be comfortable with. Ask them how they are feeling about going back to school, help them through any uneasiness or worries they might be experiencing.”
Melik said she has been a teacher for 19 years and was inspired to get into the profession by her first-grade teacher, Mrs. Gant.
During her time in education, she said she has enjoyed getting to know her students and their families to help them find what motivates them to achieve their goals.
Similarly, Bardsley said, as a parent and teacher, she sees value in parents getting involved in not just their child’s home life, but their life in the classroom.
“We do the best we can, and communication is truly the number one thing that helps every person be successful. So talk to your [child’s] teacher, ask questions. Lead from a place of care for your kid, just like we lead from a place where we care about your kid,” Bardsley said. “It’s truly like a collaboration between parent, teacher, and child; we’re all there to help so the child can be more successful.”
Going into the upcoming school year, Bardsley said she looks forward to finding new ways to build connections for her students and celebrating her classroom’s successes, further affirming “teaching is life.”
“We want to be there to celebrate the success with your kids. And I think some parents forget those things. I’m not a teacher because I want to discipline kids. I’m a teacher because I want to see kids succeed. I want to see kids have a sense of pride,” Bardsley said.