Shakira Grimes

I was fortunate enough to have several teachers who helped foster my love for learning. One of my earliest educational memories is from my first grade teacher. Her daily read alouds helped instill my love for reading. Her approachability with her students and her passion for teaching resonates with me to this day. I believe that teaching is a rewarding and fulfilling experience. One of the reasons I became a teacher is to positively impact the minds and lives of our future generation. Early childhood teachers have one of the most important jobs, which is to lay down a solid foundation for a child’s educational journey. I have always had a love for children, and I believe that teaching gives me the opportunity to launch students into success by pushing them out of their comfort zones of learning and into critical thinking and engaging in learning. My goal as a teacher is to instill a love for learning in my students so that they can become life-long learners!

As a new teacher, my contributions and accomplishments in education are limited but growing. One of my greatest contributions and accomplishments in education is my efforts to teach the whole child. I think it is important to invest and teach students skills that will contribute to their social and emotional well-being. Many students lack the skills to handle conflicts and express their feelings in appropriate manners. Throughout these few years, I have been intentional about implementing life skills in my classroom that benefit students as a whole. Students are learning how to apologize, effectively communicate feelings, problem solve, and developing a growth mindset. These skills are not only useful in the classroom, but are skills students will later use as productive members of society.