Skyler Fiske

Growing up, I wanted to be a pop star or a teacher. Since my pop stardom never took off, I decided teaching would be a better path. In fact, my mom was a teacher, and I always loved helping her set up her classroom. Watching her grade papers and prep for school was fascinating. Between her influence and my great experience as a student at school, it was an easy decision.

When I was in high school, I took a class called Teaching as a Career, where we learned about what being a teacher entails. We got to join different classes in our school district to shadow and help the teachers. This experience really opened my eyes to all the things you wouldn’t know about teaching unless you’re in the room, and it helped prepare me for my college courses.

To get the education I needed, I went to Kansas State University and earned my bachelor’s degree in elementary education. My first job after college was teaching fifth grade in Wamego, and during that time I attended Emporia State University online and earned my master’s degree in curriculum and instruction.

Today, I teach sixth grade at Mission Valley Elementary School. I cover math, science, English and social studies with my students. I love building relationships with the kids and seeing their faces light up when they remember something important to tell me. My passion really is teaching, so being the best teacher I can be is always my primary goal. Another dream of mine is to someday write children’s books and get them into other elementary schools.

If you’re interested in becoming a teacher, build relationships! The content and curriculum will come, but taking the time (especially at the beginning of a year) to get to know your students and their families will have a huge impact. Students shine when you remember something about their weekend, family pet, baseball tournament, etc. — these “little” moments are one of my favorite perks of the job.