Kristin Florek is a first-grade teacher at Silver Lane Elementary School. She’s been in her role for three years and prior to that worked as a tutor at Mayberry Elementary School for a year.
She creates a warm, welcoming environment in her classroom where all students feel the safety and support they need to do their best. Silver Lane Principal Sarah Chmielecki said you can feel that warmth from the moment you step into Ms. Florek’s room. It’s also a space where students are challenged and inspired.
“Her room is a welcoming space where students and staff feel valued, supported, cared for,” said Principal Chmielecki. “Her instruction is designed to stretch all of her learners by providing lots of opportunities for hands-on, engaging activities where students have lots of opportunities to practice and apply their learning.”
At Silver Lane, Florek is known for being a collaborator. She works with her grade level team and with staff across the school to make sure that her students are getting the support that they need. She was also a key member of Silver Lane’s work to overhaul their Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) last school year. Her efforts helped ensure all Silver Lane students have a positive and consistent experience at school.
“Ms. Florek creates really strong relationships with her students, with staff, with her families,” said Chmielecki. “Ms. Florek represents the best of Silver Lane, and we are so lucky to have her.”
Learn more about Kristin Florek in the Q&A below.
What is a typical day like in your first grade classroom?
Florek: My typical day here is greeting my kids in the morning. Something really important to me is my classroom environment, so I feel that it's really important when my kids come in in the morning for me to greet them, show them I'm happy that they are here in school. We don't always know the home life that's going on, so it's really important that I make my kids feel safe and comfortable at school. I think that plays a big part in their education as well. If the kids are excited to be here and see me, then they're excited to learn and they're engaged in the learning too. So that's a big help when you have positive relationships with students.
What do you do to keep especially young learners engaged throughout the day?
Florek: I try to have a fine balance between I’m a friend to them, and then I'm the teacher with them. So, I show them I'm their friend. They can talk to me. I laugh with them; I joke with them. But then when it's time to learn, they know it's time to learn and they come right back to me. And that is amazing to see in itself.
I'm currently in my master's program right now for literacy. So, I'm using a lot of things that I've learned from that in my classroom. Just different things like differentiation for students, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), testing, how to progress monitor, tier one learning, tier two, all of that to really help all of my students in the classroom.
I love to teach reading. It's probably my favorite thing to do in first grade, because when they get it, it's so cool and you see that light bulb go off. Especially for EL students I've had, when they get the word, it's so incredible. Using tap out techniques, using our arms, those things have been really helpful to my students.
What are some of your favorite parts about your job?
Florek: Some days, you know, just mentally, it's hard to come in sometimes, just from life itself. But when I come in in the morning, those kids just bring such a joy to me, and they really lift my spirits and they make me happy to be here. I couldn't do it without the love I get from them, and that's really what keeps me going, just the love I get and the support I get from the kids, and I give that right back to them.
I love my job. I've always known I wanted to be a teacher since I was little, so this is like a dream of mine. And honestly, I couldn't do it without my staff that I have here and the principal here. I really couldn't do it without everyone here as a team.
What would you say is your goal for your students?
Florek: My goal for each of my students is to be more confident, even as a person. I think that's really important too. Academics are huge. I want them at grade level at the end of the year with math and reading. But also, I want to build some of my students’ confidence. I can tell they come in a little shy. So, it's really cool to see how they start in the beginning of the year with me until the end, and I see that confidence grow. I see them being more confident, even with friends in the classroom, building those peer relationships with friends. So that confidence is huge, that’s my goal for them. And also, just staying motivated in school and not giving up.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.