Golden Apple Award: Caroline Kirkpatrick

growing up... caroline kirkpatrick believes paren nt a teacher who will love and inspire their ch...  More »

growing up... caroline kirkpatrick believes paren nt a teacher who will love and inspire their child. kirkpatrick gave up a job in the oil industry to follow her passion. wdef news 12's joe legge introduces us to this week's golden apple ard winner. caroline kirkpatrick didn't think she would become a teacher... even though she loved caring for children growing up. "this is a bit tricky for some of you ... where. where." she went into the oil industry instead, as a lab technician. caroline kirkpatrick "and very quickly i discovered that my favorite part of that job was teaching new lab technicians how to run the equipment, how to do the tests." kirkpatrick wanted to give teaching a try, so she transitioned an outdoor education program, and started substituting. but she was unsure if she was making the right choice. caroline kirkpatrick "i was a very sensitive child, i was extremely shy, you would never know that now, but i was very shy and sensitive to how my teachers treated the students."after an "a-ha" moment with physically challenged student, kirkpatrick knew she had found her calling ... one she uses to offer children a safe place to learn. lea ann bur "students know its ok to make a mistake and they're still going to be loved and cared for and i think what that results in is high achieving students." caroline kirkpatrick "i've just always felt like this is a place where children spend a large portn of their growing up years and i do my best to give them a reason to be joyful every single day." kirkpatrick tries to celebrate the accomplishments her students... highlighting everything from those who know how to tie their shoes -- to those who can write a complete senten. "and how about the colors frederick, they asked again." she encourages her class to be independent thinkers ... by writing stories of their own based on themes covered during story time... caroline kirkpatrick "when they're making something, its their own product and its real to them, they're going to be much more invested in it." kirkpatrick jokes that she'll know she did her job well... if one of her students ends of being an author and dedicates a book to her. in soddy daisy, joe legge, wdef news 12. to nominata special teacher, like kirkpatrick, for our golden apple award... pick up an entry form at your bi- lo. or -- fill one out on our website, wdef.com.  « Less