Amy Kerby – Kindergarten Teacher

Location: Island Park Elementary

How she sees her job: “I want to give my students a positive introduction to school. I want to help them become independent learners by providing them with choices, and teaching them to explore their surroundings. My class is a place where they learn to interact socially, follow directions, and develop skills to help them become learners with a zest for life and learning.”

Typical day: “Our day starts with a ‘calendar routine,’” says Amy. “We sing the days of the week, and review the day ahead. We have a student ‘meteorologist’ who reports on the weather. We track how many days we’ve been in school, which is a lesson in math.” The students break for recess, which is only for kindergarteners so as not to be overwhelming. After recess, they have a Literacy period, where they blend words and talk about sounds, while simultaneously learning sign language for the new words, a practice that helps kinesthetic learners. “The kids can sing/sign Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and several other songs,” Amy says. “They will perform the songs at Island House Assisted Living in November as their first field trip.“

The students also practice reading in small groups while Amy meets with individual students to discuss reading goals. After lunch they rest briefly with heads on desks. Science is next – they are currently learning about trees. Then comes an art project or Free Choice – free time for students to choose an activity: blocks, imaginative play, games, puzzles, legos, or art materials. “Free Choice is a great time for trying out social skills,” says Amy, “and gives me more opportunity to meet with kids individually.”

Best part of the job: Watching her students master new skills and seeing the joy it brings them. “It’s really fun to see how much they grow and learn. They start the year so young and they grow so much.”

Something people may not know: Amy is a quilter, a craft she learned from her mother. These days, she focuses on baby quilts for her two children – Tristan, age two, and Liam, four months. Liam was born with a heart defect and required open-heart surgery shortly after his birth. “The thought of surgery was scary,” Amy confides. “A baby’s heart is the size of a strawberry. But he is our miracle baby. He came home from the hospital after only two weeks. We’d expected it to take twice that long.” Baby Liam is now fully recovered and the family is content because husband and daddy, Tye, a former member of the Marine Corps, is home for good after deploying to Iraq three times. He now works a civilian job at a box plant in Seattle. “We are very glad to have him back,” Amy says.

Years in district: This is Amy’s fourth year with MISD.

Outside interests: Amy loves to read and go trailer camping. The family takes frequent weekend jaunts, often to the Hood Canal area and Deception Pass. They live in Renton.