While family has taken her around the country, Peeples Elementary 5th grade teacher Andrea Kane builds community right inside her own classroom.
As a 5th grade teacher, Kane meets her students at a very important transition point in their lives. She instills key life skills heading into middle school.
“We talk a lot about integrity and doing things with passion and wanting to learn,” said Kane. There is a focus on students “really just trying your best and having that grit and knowing that, when they get to 6th grade, they’re going to have to build that independence and build on it themselves.”
Growing up in the suburbs of Washington D.C., Kane knew very early on she wanted to be a teacher.
“I did all of the volunteering in high school. I went back to my elementary school for all the fun stuff, the spring flings, the field days,” she remembered. “I couldn’t stop volunteering, so I kinda just knew that was where I was gonna head.”
Her own 5th trade teacher, Mrs. Ellis, played a key role. They lived down the street from each other, and Andrea would attend extra math classes after school with her. They stayed in touched over the years, and when Kane was early in her teaching career and Mrs. Ellis became a principal, she hired her old student as a teacher.
“I really appreciate what she did and always checking in and seeing how I’m doing and leading me in the right direction.”
Now in her 20th year teaching, Kane’s purpose has changed over the years. Initially, she just wanted learning to be fun and exciting, but her vision has changed.
“Now it’s become this place of creativity, a place for integrity and instilling doing things with intention.”
Kane’s husband is active-duty Army, and the family has moved around to Kansas, Virginia, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Florida, and now back in Georgia. As they look toward retirement from the Army, Fayette County looks like a great place to build roots. Working in so many different places around the country opened her eyes to different atmospheres and the importance of connection. She loves working with the same class all day and building bonds.
“Being with the students all day longs lends itself to that companionship and that mentorship and just becoming a family,” she said. “I think that’s more my why now, building that little community within my classroom.”
“The Honor Role,” an official podcast for Fayette County Public Schools, features employees, rotating through key stakeholders, including teachers, staff, nurses, custodians, cafeteria workers, and bus drivers. Join us as we dive in and learn about their journeys, their inspirations, and their whys.
Episodes are available on all major podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and promoted on the social media channels of Fayette County Public Schools.
Episodes will also be available here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2200811.
Posted 5/21/2024
