TEACHERS
OF THE
YEAR KATIE KEIER
KINDERGARTEN TEACHER AT MOUNT
EAGLE ELEMENTARY
SCHOOL IN
ALEXANDRIA, VA
What are threethings
you use in your
classroom every day and
could never live without?
1. Books. We read books
all day! Our learning is
anchored in the texts
of our favorite authors,
characters and books that
are “windows, mirrors
and sliding glass doors.”
This is so we can see
ourselves, each other, new
and different worlds and
people, and be able to
journey to these places
through our reading.

NOMINATED BY:
LAURA MCCARTHY.

“Katie goes above and
beyond to create a dream
learning environment
for her students. She
has a fully loaded art
studio, open seating,
a pet hamster, an
imagination center and
a fully stocked classroom
library. Student artwork
hangs everywhere, and
the imagination station
is based off of the kids’
latest interests. Katie
strongly believes that
kindergarteners need
to learn through play.

She organizes multiple
fi eld trips to farms,
performances and local
parks. Her students have
two recesses a day: one
on the playground, and
the other in the front
garden to encourage
imaginative play. But
what really makes Katie
a standout educator is
her ability to connect
with her students and
their families. She sends
parents photos in her
weekly newsletter and
does home visits.

“Thanks to Katie, my
daughter had the most
amazing kindergarten
experience. She im-
mersed the students in
hands-on learning. There
were caterpillars to ob-
serve, pumpkins to mea-
sure, homemade play
dough and sculptures
inspired by Calder. These
students thrived! They
learned how to problem
solve! But most impor-
tantly, they were happy
kiddos! Katie deserves to
be recognized because
she does what every
teacher should do — she
fosters a love for lifelong
learning.” 14
September 2018
2. Blank paper books
and fl air pens. We write
and illustrate books
every day. Our stories,
our knowledge and our
learning experiences are
shared on the pages of
books we create.

What originally got you
interested in teaching?
I’ve always wanted to be
a teacher. I can’t imagine
doing anything else!
I remember playing
“school” from a very
early age. I loved my
second grade teacher,
Miss Allen, and enjoyed
being her helper. I would
stay in from recess to
grade papers and help
get the room ready for
the afternoon. My high
school French teacher,
Mme. Waters, infl uenced
me tremendously and
ultimately inspired me to
choose education as my
major in college.

Do you have any tried
and trusted ideas or
activities for motivating
students? I believe children are
motivated from within
when they are engaged.

They’re engaged when
they’re following their
washingtonFAMILY.com interests, passionate about
what they’re learning and
involved in inquiry and
projects that excite and
challenge them. I believe
in listening carefully to
children, build ing strong
relationships, following
their interests and
creating provocations and
experiences that refl ect
who they are. Going
beyond the curriculum,
we’ve explored monarch
butterfl ies, gardening,
peace, Pokemon,
dinosaurs, Minecraft,
maps, engineering, ramps,
various art forms and
more. Who knows what
this year might bring?
Children are capable,
brave human beings
that can do so much —
more than we can even
imagine. 3. Art and play. Children
thrive when they’re
in a beautiful space
that celebrates their
creativity. Having many
opportunities to create
art, enjoy art by famous
artists and each other,
listen to and make music,
dance, create make-
believe worlds and play (a
lot!) makes our classroom
a joyful place to live and
learn together. Through
art and play, kids can learn
to express themselves,
connect with others,
solve problems, develop
empathy, kindness and
imagine what’s possible.

Finish this sentence: If I
weren’t teaching,
I’d be …
living a life without joy.

Teaching brings me so
much joy, possibility and
hope for our future. I can’t
imagine ever not being a
teacher. It’s who I am.