Greetings from Winfield City Schools,
I would like to welcome our Pirate family to the 2023-2024 school year. The beginning of the new school year is always a sense of renewal and hope for our future generations. I believe that teaching (much like some other vocations) is a calling. Today, I was given a message that was hand written from one of our beloved teachers that passed away this summer. It is my wish that this message from Karen Atkinson offers you some hope and renewal as well as we navigate through our new school year. God Bless!
Teaching is a huge responsibility and one that I take very seriously. I know the impact that a few of my teachers had on me, and I would like to do the same for my students. I am not so naïve that I believe that every student will remember me 25 years later and tell stories about the positive impact I am still having on their lives. But I am devoted to being a positive and steady influence in the lives of my students for at least the 9 months that they are in my class. I want my students to renew that thirst for knowledge that they were born with, to find enthusiasm for discovery that kept their parents busy when the children were toddlers. I still have that thirst and believe that it will be with me until I draw my last breath.
I believe that teachers are second only to parents in the impact upon children’s lives. As teachers, we have the responsibility of the future weighing on our shoulders. We will be preparing the future leaders of our community, state, and country. It is especially crucial to reach students in the elementary years. In some cases, one statement from one of us can impact a student’s life forever.
My mother taught for 27 years, so I am well aware that this is not an 8-3 job, with summers off. Teaching is a lifetime devotion, one that requires hour upon hour of unpaid overtime. But I feel that if you are not ready to make that commitment then you need to find another job. I have devoted my life to being the best teacher that I can possibly be.