Glens Falls City School District recognizes national Teacher Appreciation Week by highlighting committed and enthusiastic teachers from every one of our schools each day of the week! Read on for an inside interview with Kim Lewis—one of the most dynamic teachers around our district.
Kim Lewis is a third grade teacher at Big Cross Street School. She graduated from Glens Falls High School and Fredonia State University.
What is the best thing about teaching at Big Cross?
Big Cross is special to me because this is home to me. I am a Big Cross graduate and was here for Grades 1-5. I have so many fond memories of when I was a kid that I remember daily as I walk through the halls. I love everyone who works with me at Big Cross! We make a strong team! But what I love the most are the students! The Big Cross students have the biggest hearts and fill my day with a lot of laughs!
Describe your favorite lesson or unit from this year … and what did the students think of it?
I don’t know if my students would say that a particular lesson or activity would jump out in their minds as an all time favorite! I think that it is those “in between the lesson lessons” that we share that are the ones that bring us the most joy and laughter. It’s when all of us bond and connect. Without those moments, the lessons that I teach would never reach them or matter much at all. So to me, those times are the ones that matter the most and stay with me.
How was pandemic teaching for you? How are you doing now?
The pandemic teaching definitely forced me to learn how to adapt and continue to foster relationships with my students even though we weren’t sharing the same classroom space. Technology became an integral part of staying connected not only to our learning but to one another.
Can you describe your efforts on Healthy Heart Month and PARP (Pick A Reading Partner) for those who haven’t gotten to partake in that awesomeness?
I love being involved with activities that create shared experiences for our students at Big Cross. Both Healthy Heart Month and PARP unify not only our school but our families as well in these shared experiences. Planning PARP with Miss Hall and Miss Burt has become this event that we all look forward to and never know where our planning sessions are going to take us to. Just when we think we have gone too far, Miss Hall is always ready to take it one step farther! Just ask her cousin, Miss Hall San-Diego! 🙂
