by Corinne Gries
Beth did not begin her career in education but after 11 years in the classroom she finds teaching to be the most rewarding profession. She is currently in her third year as a first grade teacher at Christ the King Catholic School in South Bend, Indiana. Beth earns respect from her students by being consistent, honest and caring. She models problem solvings strategies and the motto, “mistakes are good, they help us grow, they teach us what we need to know” is echoed by her students both in and out of her classroom.
Hometown: Kokomo, Indiana
Current City: South Bend, Indiana
Colleges/Degrees: Indiana State University - Bachelor of Science in Accounting
Bethel College - Transition to Teaching, and Masters in the Art of Teaching
Current school and position: First grade teacher at Christ the King Catholic School in South Bend, Indiana.
Years in teaching: 11 years in teaching. This is her third year at Christ the King after 9 years in the South Bend City School Cooperation.
Go to resources that support you and your students: I base almost everything on the Project Lead the Way Engineering Design Process. (Identify a problem, explore solutions, model/test, evaluate, explain.) I rarely give students an answer but ask them, “What do you think?” or “Have you asked a neighbor?” This encourages students to be problem solvers and not just followers.
I also use responsive classroom methodologies for creating that positive, encouraging, safe learning environment. Through this students feel secure in exploring ideas, making mistakes and trying again (and again). As a result, students develop empathy and sympathy because they know each other so well through our classroom community.
Describe Christ the King School in one sentence: Christ the King School is a student centered environment that encourages learning through exploration.
Favorite books you read this year: What’s the Best That Could Happen? by Debbie Miller and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo.
Share what gives you energy in your classroom: My favorite part of teaching is watching my students persevere in their learning adventure.
Your go to activities to recharge: I enjoy knitting, crocheting and china painting.
Advice to new teachers entering the profession: The best advice I can give a new teacher is: if you reach one child, you will have made all the difference in the world. You will have bad days and activities that won’t go as planned. Some will be flops and other will be disastrous. Keep a “smiles” folder with love notes, when you are feeling down, pull out that folder and remember: it’s okay. You are doing the best you can at that moment!
The students at Christ the King Catholic School in South Bend, Indiana are fortunate to have Beth Bokhart as their teacher, her dedication to the profession and students is an asset to the community.
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