Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce Business Journal Q3 2014 | Page 49

Issue Sponsor:

Keaton Ross, Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce interviewed
% Lisa Esquibel, Davis Kindergarten Teacher *

A rewarding career that impacts generations.
Daily Agenda
7:30 to 8 a.m.- Arrive at the School
8:30 a.m.- Kiddos arrive
8:50 to 10 a.m.- Reading
10:15 to 10:30 a.m.- Recess
10 a.m. to 12 p.m.- Writing
12 to 12:40 a.m.- Lunch & Recess
12:40 to 1:30 p.m.- Social Studies, Science
& Free Choice Time
1:30 to 2:30 p.m.- P.E., Computer, Library, Music or Art
2:30 to 3:30 p.m.- Math
3:30 to 4:30 p.m.- Class prep
4:30 to Late EveningLesson Plans

Q&A Session

How often do you have to
update lesson plans?
I write lesson plans a week at a time. However, my day rarely goes as planned.
Somtimes I get through material quicker than expected and sometimes I
don’t get to all I have planned for the day. If I don’t feel the objective of the
lesson was met, I change approaches and teach the same lesson again
the following day or later in the week. Lesson plans are an ongoing job!
How do you come up with creative
activities with your students and
keep them involved and engaged?
I do what I can to take advantage of professional development
opportunities to learn new teaching strategies and gain new ideas.
I have met a number of educators from across the country
and keep in touch with many of them to share ideas and discuss
similarities and idfferences in education in our states. There are
numerous resources online with a simple search of a key term
which makes it easy to create or tweak a lesson plan. I try to stay
current on the latest techknology trends in education because even
young students are very tech savvy and want to learn that way too.

What made you decide to become
a kindergarten teacher?
I’ve known I wanted to be a teacher since I was three yours old;
the year my older brother went to school. As soon as I started
kindergarten, it was confirmed. I had many wonderful educators
in the LCSD #1 system who had a strong influence on me and
inspired me to become an educator throughout my schooling. My
mom was also a teacher, as well as many of my family members,
so following in their foosteps seemed like a logical decision for me.
What is the most challenging part
of your job?
Education is ever changing, so every school year is different.
Once you feel like you know the curriculum or instructional
approach, it changes. Every student is also different and each
student has their own uniquce apprach to learning. Ensuring I
have met the needs of every learner is a challenge but one that
makes me and other educators want to learn more and do more.
What is the most rewarding part
of your job?
The most rewarding part of being a kindergarten teacher is being
able to give my students their first formal education experience. My
favorite part of teaching kindergarten is teaching my students how to
read. Witnessing the moment they realize they can read on the their
own is the most amazing experience for both the student and myself.
If you could leave your students
one peice of advice heading into
their future what would it be?
Learn something new each day. You hear the phrase, “Never
stop learning,” often in education. I hope my students wil be open
and wil ing to learn something in or out of the classroom each
day. With our world changing and evolving at a rapid pace, our
students need to be ready to adapt to these changes in order
to begin making contributions to their community as young adults.