LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. — School districts across the Kansas City area are busy getting ready for the new school year.
As teachers and students gear up for the fall semester, KSHB 41 talked to two first-year teachers going into education.
“I just want to do the best I can everyday for my students,” said Austin Graham, first-year teacher at Greenwood Elementary School.
Graham grew up in the Lee’s Summit School District and decided to come back after graduate school. He says teaching in a district where he once learned feels full circle.
He will be teaching fourth grade math and writing.
“We just kind of want to pour back into what poured into us,” Graham said.
For Graham, his focus as an educator is on the “non-tangibles.” He says he believes building relationships outside the classroom can lead to deeper social and emotional learning.
Going forward in education, he would like more partnership with parents on this.
“In a world where you can be anything, you need to be kind," Graham said. "So if I can teach something that’s not curriculum content, that would be the lesson I would teach."
And for Gracie Acker, she will head to Summit Lakes Middle School to teach sixth and eighth grade science this fall.
“School was difficult for me, especially at the middle school level. It was hard for me to understand and grasp things in a certain way, and so I wanted to be that teacher for students," Acker said. "To have someone to teach em multiple different ways to learn something."
For her, it is important to meet the students where they are, whether it be for reasons related to school or life
“During the school year, they spend more time with us than they do at their own house,” Acker. said. “I just want them to know that I will be a consistent person in their life that they can always come to.”
KSHB 41 asked both teachers about their decision to teach despite the many challenges teachers face like burnout, safety, pay and resources.
“There are teachers that don’t — they’re over it. They’re exhausted and it’s affecting the kids," Acker said. "And I don’t want that to happen further along, so I think that’s why I went into the career to make a difference for them, for the students."
“One of the other great parts abut being a teacher is that we’re always challenged and everyday is an opportunity to learn and grow our skills as an educator,” Graham said.
KSHB 41 will be checking back in with Graham and Acker at the end of their first semester for a follow-up.
—
