A LITTLE ABOUT MRS. HUFFMAN
I had always dreamed of becoming a teacher. I was the little girl who played school in my basement with my friends and stuffed animals. A Kansas native, I grew up in Mission, KS and headed to Emporia State University to study to become a teacher after graduating from Shawnee Mission North High School. After graduating from ESU with my Bachelor's in Elementary Education I decided I wanted a little slower pace of life than Overland Park had to offer, and headed to Raymore to live near family. I was fortunate to begin my career in education with the Raymore-Peculiar School District over 19 years ago. I taught first grade at Raymore Elementary for four years before moving to Stonegate to teach first grade. After a total of ten years teaching first grade, which I loved, it was time to try something new. I headed to second grade at Stonegate and am starting my eighth year teaching such a fun age. I love second graders because they are still sweet, but are developing stronger personalities and a deeper sense of humor. I do love to laugh.
As many of you probably know, I am married to an amazing fifth grade teacher at Bridle Ridge, James Huffman. We are blessed to have two sons, Ethan who is eight and in third grade this year, and Sawyer who is 5 and a kindergartener. I absolutely LOVE being a mom of boys! We have three rescue dogs, Scout, Truman and Charley. We also have a calico cat named Penny.
Teaching is a passion of mine because it allows me to be around amazing children, express my creativity, and laugh a lot. Throughout the years, I have been asked about my philosophy of teaching numerous times. The truth is, I don't really have a main philosophy of teaching. Just like anything in life, as I have grown, my way of thinking about teaching, the development of children, and my classroom has changed. What I can share are some of my strongest beliefs about teaching, learning and children:
*I believe all children need to feel happy, safe and loved before they can learn.
* I believe every child is a genius. Yes, a genius! Each child has a super strength at something and
it is important for me to find out what that is and foster it.
*I feel it is important to teach children a love and respect of everyone and everything. It is always
okay to disagree with someone or something, but it is important to disagree respectfully.
*As a parent, I understand how important it is to feel your child is valued, respected and loved
above all else. Building strong relationships with my students and families is very important to
me.
*I believe all children are capable of learning everything, but in their own way and time. In my
classroom we do not compete with one another. Instead, we support each other and
recognize that we all have strengths and goal areas.
* I believe children, as well as adults make mistakes. I know I am still making them after all these
years! We must give one another grace and emphasize that the important thing about mistakes
is to learn and grow from them. I like to teach the kids that if you don't learn and grow from
your mistakes, they become a bad habit or choice and can get you into trouble.
As a parent, you have a very important role in this second grade year. I will do my best to keep you informed and connected with our classroom. If at any time you have questions or concerns I urge you to contact me by email or phone. We are a team this year and my #1 goal is to create a positive and successful year for your second grader.
I had always dreamed of becoming a teacher. I was the little girl who played school in my basement with my friends and stuffed animals. A Kansas native, I grew up in Mission, KS and headed to Emporia State University to study to become a teacher after graduating from Shawnee Mission North High School. After graduating from ESU with my Bachelor's in Elementary Education I decided I wanted a little slower pace of life than Overland Park had to offer, and headed to Raymore to live near family. I was fortunate to begin my career in education with the Raymore-Peculiar School District over 19 years ago. I taught first grade at Raymore Elementary for four years before moving to Stonegate to teach first grade. After a total of ten years teaching first grade, which I loved, it was time to try something new. I headed to second grade at Stonegate and am starting my eighth year teaching such a fun age. I love second graders because they are still sweet, but are developing stronger personalities and a deeper sense of humor. I do love to laugh.
As many of you probably know, I am married to an amazing fifth grade teacher at Bridle Ridge, James Huffman. We are blessed to have two sons, Ethan who is eight and in third grade this year, and Sawyer who is 5 and a kindergartener. I absolutely LOVE being a mom of boys! We have three rescue dogs, Scout, Truman and Charley. We also have a calico cat named Penny.
Teaching is a passion of mine because it allows me to be around amazing children, express my creativity, and laugh a lot. Throughout the years, I have been asked about my philosophy of teaching numerous times. The truth is, I don't really have a main philosophy of teaching. Just like anything in life, as I have grown, my way of thinking about teaching, the development of children, and my classroom has changed. What I can share are some of my strongest beliefs about teaching, learning and children:
*I believe all children need to feel happy, safe and loved before they can learn.
* I believe every child is a genius. Yes, a genius! Each child has a super strength at something and
it is important for me to find out what that is and foster it.
*I feel it is important to teach children a love and respect of everyone and everything. It is always
okay to disagree with someone or something, but it is important to disagree respectfully.
*As a parent, I understand how important it is to feel your child is valued, respected and loved
above all else. Building strong relationships with my students and families is very important to
me.
*I believe all children are capable of learning everything, but in their own way and time. In my
classroom we do not compete with one another. Instead, we support each other and
recognize that we all have strengths and goal areas.
* I believe children, as well as adults make mistakes. I know I am still making them after all these
years! We must give one another grace and emphasize that the important thing about mistakes
is to learn and grow from them. I like to teach the kids that if you don't learn and grow from
your mistakes, they become a bad habit or choice and can get you into trouble.
As a parent, you have a very important role in this second grade year. I will do my best to keep you informed and connected with our classroom. If at any time you have questions or concerns I urge you to contact me by email or phone. We are a team this year and my #1 goal is to create a positive and successful year for your second grader.