Karly Evans, BSEd ’16
First grade
Glenhope Elementary, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD
After completing my first year as a teacher, the first thought that comes to mind is, “Wow, that went by fast.” But here I am, looking at a classroom of empty desks that have been filled with laughter, tears, bright smiles, and lots of learning for the past year. I was trusted with the opportunity to teach and love 18-20 (depending on the time of the year) first-grade students, and I learned a lot.
After graduating from Baylor’s School of Education, I was hired to teach first grade in the Grapevine-Colleyville ISD. From the start of training, I was welcomed with open arms into my district, school, and first-grade team. The district provided our group of first year teachers with professional development days to become a close community and to meet, learn, reflect, share stories, and observe other classrooms. My school has an outstanding sense of community, and I could not have dreamed of a better team to work with.
Karly’s mom visited class as a guest reader!
The moment my students walked into my classroom, I knew I was right where I belonged, butterflies and all.
I had my fair share of moments that were extremely challenging and times when I questioned if I was doing anything right. However, there were many moments that brought me back to why I became a teacher — when a student gained confidence, made a new friend, loved an activity we did, or simply wanted to read because they love to. These were encouraging moments that I’ll cherish forever.
I have so much to attribute to the Baylor School of Education and how well the school prepares future teachers.
Baylor gave me foundational skills along with unbeatable hands-on practice that was essential to the successes in my classroom. Not only did I get to spend half of my junior year (during my TA experience) in the classroom and all of my senior year (during my intern experience) in the classroom, I received direct classroom experience working with students starting my freshman year. In fact, I worked with students all four years at Baylor. This type of experience is needed before stepping into a classroom of your own.
Baylor taught me how to reflect on my practice and seek advice for the benefit of my students. Still, there were many times (almost every day) this year that my previous classroom experience at Baylor could not have prepared me for. I was in the classrooms of the more-experienced first-grade teachers (who are incredible) most mornings and afternoons asking questions. They would kindly help me reflect and solve problems in my classroom. My students and I benefited from many teachers who had much more experience and freely shared their best advice. Find these teachers at the very start of the year, and don’t be afraid to seek advice.
Most importantly, Baylor taught me the importance of relationships in the classroom and how to build a community of respect. Don’t lose sight of this when things start to get crazy and so much needs to be done. When students feel loved and accepted is when you will see their true potential.
It was a wonderfully challenging year and I can’t wait to do it all over again this coming August