Highlighting Educators in Your District

Beyond this blog for employers, KEEB now publishes a blog for job seekers that shares tips and tricks for those individuals interested in an education career in the state. One section of the blog shares the stories of educators across the state. This provides job seekers with a personal story or experience that they can possibly relate to. We have posted the first story from a wonderful 2nd year educator from Garden City High School, Shanna Riecker. Shanna shares the experience of her first year of teaching and talks about the benefits of teaching in Kansas. This not only provides someone interested in teaching in Kansas information about what the first year may be like, but provides districts, such as Garden City, another way to direct applicants to their district. Here is just an excerpt of Shanna's story:

Shanna Riecker
Math Teacher
Garden City High School

Why did you become a teacher?
Growing up, I always wanted to be a teacher. I conducted “classes” for all of the neighborhood kids from a very early age. Until my senior year of high school, I was sure that I wanted to be a first grade teacher – I wanted to be just like Mrs. P. was when I was in first grade. My high school offered an Exploring Teaching class where seniors were allowed to go to an elementary school and be a teacher’s aide for a class, and of course, I chose to go into a first grade classroom. It didn’t take me long to figure out that wasn’t the right place for me. In a discussion with my counselor, she mentioned that I should consider secondary education, and I took her advice. I majored in mathematics secondary education because math was something that was usually easy for me, and I enjoyed the endless possibilities with teaching math. I enjoyed the time that I got to spend in middle school and high school classrooms throughout my coursework, and I knew that this was what I was meant to do. After college graduation, I took a job teaching high school math in Garden City, Kansas. It wasn’t where I figured I would end up teaching, but the experience thus far has been wonderful.

What was your first year of teaching like?
Garden City High School was an amazing place to start my teaching career. The math department had all of the qualities that I was looking for – the teachers were positive, they collaborated, they were willing to try new methods of teaching, they utilized technology whenever possible, and they welcomed me into their “family” with open arms. Any time I had a question (or still have a question), there were 16 other teachers ready to...

To read the rest of Shanna's story visit the Job Seekers Blog. If you have an educator, related service provider, or administrator in your district who you would like to highlight on KEEB email me their contact information and we will send them information on how to participate.