Follow NWPE on:

Subscribe to RSS Feed:

Karen Stear Hometown Hero
posted by: Cindy Omlin | September 29, 2015, 06:44 PM   

This summer, NWPE member and Kuna, Idaho, 4th grade teacher Karen Stear was joined by the Kuna post master, two police officers, a paramedic and a fireman to tell their stories to children in the Kuna Library’s Hometown Hero Program.

karen stearKaren emphasized how each person could read no matter how young. She told them that if they could recognize the golden arches, they probably knew it was McDonalds and that was like reading. She talked about wanting to be a teacher when she was a child and that one of the things she’s likes most about teaching is sharing cute stories about things her students have shared or asked her.


NWPE Regional Director for Idaho Brenda Miller recorded the following notes from Karen’s animated presentation to Kuna’s children.

 

“I love to read! At first I wanted to be a teacher because I liked to write with chalk, but then I found out I was allergic to it! Now we have computers and fancy screens instead of chalk. Things keep changing because people keep learning. I'm also a clown. When my students ask if that's the truth, I tell them I have better things to do than make up stories about things like that!

 

When I was four, I knew I wanted to be a teacher. One day I got up and brushed my teeth, combed my hair and walked out to the street. A yellow bus stopped and picked me up. When I got to school, I walked in and they asked me what class I was in. I replied ‘I don't care, I just want to be at school, so any class is fine.' They sent me to the principal's office. I wasn't quite sure why, but I knew that that probably wasn't a good thing. They asked me my name and phone number but since t I was only four I said ‘black,’ which was the color of our phone. Then they called the police station and asked if there were any extra parents. Sure enough my mom was missing me. I wasn't missing her, though, because I really wanted to go to school


“When I became a teacher I thought the only time I would have to go to school was when I was teaching my students. But teachers need to go to class, too, so that we can learn and grow as well. For example, I just took an art class. I love art! I also like to sing to my students. We sing songs about language and rules, how to walk in the hall and line up.”

To learn more about this tremendous educator, please see her district profile here.


Congratulations to Karen Stear for being one of Kuna’s Hometown Heroes! We think you are a hero as well and thank you for all the wonderful contributions you make to advance children’s learning and development. We appreciate you!

Comments (0)Add Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment. Please register if you do not have an account yet.

busy