- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- preschoolers today articles
- preschoolers today q&a
- children today articles
- children today q&a
- community & groups
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
From Our Sponsors
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Kathy Bouchard
Teacher of the Month
By Crystal Patriache
Her favorite part of the day is any time she gets to share information one-on-one with a student because making an individual connection is the best in her opinion. When it comes to teaching in general, she has a lot of favorites, but making any kind of breakthrough with a student is her ultimate favorite part of her career.
"When I get a hug – yes, seventh graders still do that – or hear things like 'That was fun!', 'This is cool!', 'Thank you!' or 'Can we do that again?', it warms my heart and makes me remember why I became a teacher to begin with," says Bouchard.
Bouchard says that what is key to her teaching career is how her principal and other faculty members support her and how the parents are involved and care about the school as much as she does. This support makes the job easier, she says.
"I love that the staff and parents share the same expectations for our students and our students strive to meet those expectations," she says. "I love the fact that Mark Bills Middle School can benefit from having very talented teachers and parents share their expertise so generously through art, music, technology, sports and academics."
The other key to her success as a teacher is her ability to be flexible. Because things change on a minute-to-minute basis in the school, she and the other teachers need to be able to go with the flow and be flexible. Those changes can be something as simple as a discipline problem to a change in scheduling and teaching duties. Curriculum can also change in a matter of a week, depending on the issues at hand.