Stacey Yoder, Holmes Jr. High
Position: 7th & 9th Grade Math Teacher
Years Teaching: 19 years
Hobbies/Interests: Actively spending time with my family. Coaching my boys in soccer for the fall and spring season. Working out, being outside, family trips, and reading.
What do you enjoy most about teaching? What I enjoy about teaching is that I have an opportunity every day to help my students learn, grow, and mature to the greatest extent possible. I enjoy seeing them expand on their understanding of math concepts, but I also thrive on watching them grow as respectful human beings. Collaborating with my colleagues is an important part of why I enjoy teaching as well. Being able to share teaching strategies is a benefit for all students! Finally, the relationships I get to develop with my students and colleagues are priceless. Allowing time in the day to talk about life is so important and I cherish those moments of my teaching days.
What do you find most challenging about teaching? I believe the most challenging aspect of teaching is time. It seems you are always up against the clock to get lesson plans done and papers check or reteaching students who may not have understood the lesson the first time. There is always something on your plate to do, but never enough time in a day to get all the items checked off the list!
Best tip for new teachers: Take one day at a time! You can plan for the entire year, but you have to take one day at a time or you will burn yourself out. This profession is very rewarding, however, it can also take away valuable time from your personal life if you allow it.
Best tip for career teachers: Remember why you wanted to be a teacher. Remind yourself monthly, weekly, daily, or hourly if you have to! Lean on your colleagues because they are there to support you and assist you. Lastly, smile. Don’t forget to smile at your students who do enjoy you as a teacher! A smile will brighten up your classroom!
Favorite piece of advice for students: Embrace knowledge! When you get out of bed to go to school, find one thing you look forward to that day…just one. You will be amazed how quickly your mindset will shift to a positive one when you have one thing to look forward to. Teachers have expectations for you, so you should have expectations for yourself. Knowledge is POWER! Set goals and then go and achieve those goals! “Don’t dim your light so others have to squint!” ~Unknown
What being a Gold Star Teacher means to you: Being a Gold Star Teacher means I’ve been nominated by incredible students and parents who see all of the hard work and time I put into my preparation to teach my students every day. My passion is to teach, so to be recognized for my passion is extremely heartwarming. This is truly an honor and name I will proudly represent. As far as I am concerned, this prestigious title has set my standard of teaching higher than it already was for myself!
Watch Stacey’s video here!