For this Career Spotlight, Dear Normal sits down with Colleen Stockno to discuss her experience as an elementary school teacher.
Colleen grew up in Shelton Connecticut where she attended Shelton High School. She then went on to attend college at Salve Regina the transferred to New Haven College. At this time she thought that she wanted to be a photographer but she quickly realized that wasn’t for her and changed her major to education in order to become a teacher like her mother.
After graduating college she then moved to Cambridge Massachusetts where she taught at an all girls catholic school. She taught there for a few years and was able to gain her formative teaching experience until moving back to Connecticut. Once in Connecticut, she began teaching at Middlebury Elementary school where she has been teaching for over 15 years.
She shares that her favorite part about teaching is being able to watch the kids grow and change perspectives throughout the year. She loves watching their progress and their ability to overcome obstacles and roadblocks that come their way. When asked what a low of the job is she joking shares the kids’ “attitude,” but being a part of their educational journey makes it all worth it.
When detailing what a day in her life looks like, she shares that she gets to school early in the morning to make sure that everything is prepped and ready for the day. Once the students arrive, she begins the school day by having what is called “circle time.” During this time, the kids will change the date on the calendar, then go around answering the question of the day, which is usually something fun such as, “what is your favorite ocean animal.” Then the day progresses through the usual subjects such as social studies, math, science, reading, and writing. Then the kids will go to recess and lunch, which can serve as time to prep for the upcoming lessons, and accomplish grading and upcoming tasks. The kids will then go onto to their special classes such as gym, music, or art, which is also s further opportunity to get more prep done for the week.
Colleen shares that she loves teaching because of what the kids are able to teach her. She loves the fresh perspective that kids are able to bring to the table and the ability that teaching has given her to see the world through new light. Colleen plans to continue teaching throughout her career and we are very grateful for the impact that she is making on the next generations.
See you next time,
Dear Normal
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