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Kelly was chosen as sub of the month because she has been in her current assignment at Tonganoxie Elementary since the beginning of the year and has been very dependable. She is a very hard worker, has been great in communicating with MHED, and she is a team player. She truly is making a difference in children’s lives with her current position as a Special Education Teacher by helping students achieve or surpass their goals that have been set for them. Congratulations Kelly! MHED appreciates all that you do.

This coming May I will be married to, Eric, the love of my life for 18 years. We have two children, Roman who is 14, Julia who is 12 and our fur baby, Sophie who is a Bichonpoo puppy. We enjoy traveling, sports, the lake and family time. During the summer when we are not at the ball fields for baseball or softball, we like to spend our summer days at the lake enjoying all kinds of water sports.

Teaching has been a part of my life for almost 15 years. I love working with children of all ages and enjoy being in the classroom. I became a substitute about two years ago to free up some time due to my mom being diagnosed with cancer. Becoming a substitute has allowed me to have the flexibility to work and be a care giver for a year and a half before she lost her battle with cancer. I feel so blessed to be given the opportunity to care for my mom while still being able to partake in my passion of teaching.

There are so many wonderful things about being a substitute. One of my favorite things is having multiple day jobs in the same classroom. Those jobs allow you to connect with kids a bit more and see progress happen. I love helping a child overcome a challenge and learning from it.

One of the most memorable times of being a substitute is when I had a child bring a mouse to school in his pocket. EEEK!! He said it was his ‘pet’ from home. That was a very interesting day for sure!

My advice to substitute teachers would be to embrace each day as a gift. We are given the gift of helping and teaching our future generations. To make each day better for the children while teaching them skills that will last a lifetime.