This is my 15th year in the Sitka School District and my 34th year of teaching. My degree is Elementary Education with added endorsements in Reading and Special Education. I have taught every grade from 1st to 8th, and I have been a Reading teacher, a Special Ed teacher, and a Drama and Music teacher. I have two sons, ages 28 and 30, and I am married to Steve Bradshaw,Superintendent of the Sitka Schools. I have a dog,Tucker, that I love to take for walks. I have one grandchild, Finn, born just this last summer.
I love teaching. I must since I've been doing it so long! I tell my students that once they have been in my classroom they become part of my life. I care about their joys and sorrows and watch their accomplishments with pride. They become like "my kids". Some of "my kids" are now 40 years old.
What I want students to take from my classroom is a belief in themselves and the belief that learning is fun. I want them to seek knowledge for the sake of just wanting to know. I strive to inspire a thirst for knowledge in my students.
One of my favorite quotes is from Sir John Lubbock: "The important thing is not so much that every child should be taught, but that every child should be given the wish to learn."
Another is from Albert Einstein: "It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in knowledge and creative expression."
I look forward to coming to school everyday and being with my students as we are surrounded by the joys of learning.