Teacher Spotlight: Kim Hinkle

Name?

Kim Hinkle

Which school do you teach at?

I teach fourth grade at Guthrie Upper Elementary (GUES). I have also taught at Cotteral and Fogarty.

How long have you been teaching?

This is my fourteenth year as a teacher. I taught first grade for six years, Kindergarten one year, second grade one year and this is my sixth year teaching fourth grade. I loved all the of the grades I have taught, but my all-time favorite is definitely fourth grade!!! Fourth graders are still very sweet and loving, but they also "get" all of my jokes!

Where did you go to college?

I attended college at the University of Central Oklahoma.

What's your favorite school supply?

I love dry erase markers!! My students use their mini dry erase boards and dry erase markers everyday and I feel like they are such an important part of the learning experience!!

Favorite thing about teaching?

My favorite thing about teaching is making learning FUN for my students!! I love doing hands-on group projects in my classroom that relate to the skills we are learning. Cooperative learning is such an important aspect of education!

Who was your favorite teacher? Why?

Mrs. Wright was my all-time favorite teacher. She made learning fun for all of us and made us laugh everyday.

What's your one tip for teaching?

Here is my tip for teaching. If you have a child being difficult try to put yourself in her shoes. Think about what they could be dealing with at home,on a day-to-day basis. Many behavior problems stem from unhappiness. Therefore, if we can reach that child to make them feel loved, they will feel safe at school and be more productive. Academics are more than just reading, writing and math, it is about the whole child.

If you could change one thing about education, what would you change?

If I could change one thing about teaching it would be all of the testing we have to do in the classroom. Sometimes tests are valuable to detect holes in learning, but they also take away precious teaching time.

If you didn't teach, what would you do?

If I didn't teach I would be a physical therapist. It would be such an interesting profession and I love to help people!

One thing that makes you smile?

One thing that really makes me smile is when a student says, "Wow, the school day is already over?" or "I don't want to go home, can I just stay here with you?"