August 20, 2015

Dear 5^th Graders,

            Hello, I am so happy that you are part of our class this year! In this letter, I would like to tell you a little bit about myself. I grew up in Hobart and graduated from Hobart High School in 1998. From there, I graduated with my bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Purdue University in 2002, after student teaching at Joan Martin in the second and fourth grades. For eleven years, I taught sixth grade at Hobart Middle School. While at HMS, I earned my master’s degree in reading from Ball State University in 2012. This is my third year teaching fifth grade, and I love it!

My family is very important to me, especially my mom who inspired me to become a teacher. She has worked with children for as long as I can remember, and is the best role model I could have! She teaches fifth grade in Highland, so we are excited to share ideas and stories about teaching. While my dad and I may disagree about many things (like which baseball team is the best in Chicago), we are very similar, and I wouldn’t trade him for anything. In addition to my parents, my immediate family includes my older brother, Aaron, my younger brother, Michael, and my younger sister, Katie. My family is rounded out with two sisters-in-law, Keli and Katie, a brother-in-law, Bryan, three beautiful nieces, Alexia, Jordan, and Rylee, one very handsome nephew, Orion, and another nephew on the way, Wyatt. Last, but not least, is my grandma; I used to live with her, but I just recently bought a new house! I am so excited to make it a home of my own.

Here are some of my favorite things:

P        Reading- especially on my Kindle J

P        The Chicago Cubs- I have been to well over 100 games!

P        Board games and crossword puzzles- especially Scrabble!

P        Going out to eat with my friends- we love Schoops!

P        Shopping- the dollar spot at Target is very dangerous…

            We will be learning a lot this year, both with and from each other. I look forward to spending the year with all of you and getting to know each of you better. I am anxiously waiting for you to write a letter back to me. Please feel free to let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

                                                                                                Sincerely,

Miss K. Smith J