About Me
My name is Cathy Kirkland. I began "officially" teaching in 1990 (If you count the years that I taught my chihuahua, "Chile" and my imaginary classroom of students, I would be nearly able to retire!) Over the course of almost 15 years, I taught students in every grade, kindergarten through eighth grade. As a child, becoming a teacher was all I ever wanted to do . Even then, I knew good teachers should differentiate for all students since I have recorded tapes of me teaching the water cycle and conducting spelling tests by calling words out by their syllables like "ther-mo-me-ter" for thermometer!
If my educational experiences growing up were made into a movie, it would be given a "Clint Eastwood" type title like, "The Good, the Bad and the Exceptional." I had good teachers, bad teachers and exceptional teachers. Those that I consider to be bad were not bad because they couldn't teach; they were bad because they didn't like kids! Those teachers had little patience, spoke harshly and minimized their students with their position of authority. My best teachers were firm yet loving and had high expectations of me! (Thank you, Mrs. Howard, Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Outten, just to name a few.)
Of all teachers, however, none have been more exceptional than my parents. My mother taught me so much through her strong commitment to family; her example has taught me how to be a good mother which I consider my most important job. I am not sure I have accomplished that but she is, and always has been a wonderful mother. My father, an educator who, by example, taught his children that every child has the right to be educated, gave me confidence as a child to believe that I could do anything with hard work and AN EDUCATION (He said if I were educated, I would never need a man to take care of me- I could be independent and self-reliant. This was not a "normal" conversation for fathers to have with their daughters!) His leadership and support continues to help me every day.
My teaching was, and is, inspired by all of those teachers; I have always known what I wanted to be like as a teacher and what I did NOT want to be like.
I believe teaching is an art and one job requirement of an effective teacher is to continue LEARNING. No matter how long a teacher has been teaching, learning should be at the top of that teacher's "To Do" list. When you stop learning, you stop teaching. I also believe that teaching is not for everyone. It takes special talents to be a GOOD teacher.
I completed my administrative internship while I was a full-time teacher at Ayden Elementary School. After receiving my Master's Degree in School Administration, I served as the assistant principal of E.B. Aycock for two years. At the end of my second year at EBA, I elected to stay home with my then-newborn son, Austin. After a year, I returned to administration as the assistant principal of Sam D. Bundy. I am beginning my third year in Farmville!
I have a daughter, Malorie who is beginning high school this year. She is a reminder to me that the way I live my life is her guidebook. I cannot think of a better reason to always try my best even if my best involves failure and disappointment.
I am married to a wonderful man, Charles Kirkland and we have a dog, Marci. I have two brothers who are twins and a sister. My parents are nearly 80 and 77 years of age. They have been married for over 50 years. :)
If my educational experiences growing up were made into a movie, it would be given a "Clint Eastwood" type title like, "The Good, the Bad and the Exceptional." I had good teachers, bad teachers and exceptional teachers. Those that I consider to be bad were not bad because they couldn't teach; they were bad because they didn't like kids! Those teachers had little patience, spoke harshly and minimized their students with their position of authority. My best teachers were firm yet loving and had high expectations of me! (Thank you, Mrs. Howard, Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Outten, just to name a few.)
Of all teachers, however, none have been more exceptional than my parents. My mother taught me so much through her strong commitment to family; her example has taught me how to be a good mother which I consider my most important job. I am not sure I have accomplished that but she is, and always has been a wonderful mother. My father, an educator who, by example, taught his children that every child has the right to be educated, gave me confidence as a child to believe that I could do anything with hard work and AN EDUCATION (He said if I were educated, I would never need a man to take care of me- I could be independent and self-reliant. This was not a "normal" conversation for fathers to have with their daughters!) His leadership and support continues to help me every day.
My teaching was, and is, inspired by all of those teachers; I have always known what I wanted to be like as a teacher and what I did NOT want to be like.
I believe teaching is an art and one job requirement of an effective teacher is to continue LEARNING. No matter how long a teacher has been teaching, learning should be at the top of that teacher's "To Do" list. When you stop learning, you stop teaching. I also believe that teaching is not for everyone. It takes special talents to be a GOOD teacher.
I completed my administrative internship while I was a full-time teacher at Ayden Elementary School. After receiving my Master's Degree in School Administration, I served as the assistant principal of E.B. Aycock for two years. At the end of my second year at EBA, I elected to stay home with my then-newborn son, Austin. After a year, I returned to administration as the assistant principal of Sam D. Bundy. I am beginning my third year in Farmville!
I have a daughter, Malorie who is beginning high school this year. She is a reminder to me that the way I live my life is her guidebook. I cannot think of a better reason to always try my best even if my best involves failure and disappointment.
I am married to a wonderful man, Charles Kirkland and we have a dog, Marci. I have two brothers who are twins and a sister. My parents are nearly 80 and 77 years of age. They have been married for over 50 years. :)
