Granby Living Oct2019
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TEACHER APPRECIATION<br />
Kindergarten teacher Betsy Wilken<br />
helps students start strong<br />
Compiled by Bruce Deckert<br />
Betsy Wilken<br />
Kindergarten Teacher<br />
Kelly Lane Primary School • <strong>Granby</strong><br />
Betsy Wilken<br />
Kindergarten Teacher<br />
Kelly Lane Primary School • <strong>Granby</strong><br />
Began teaching career — 1986<br />
Began teaching in <strong>Granby</strong> — 2004<br />
Career history — I was a reading specialist in<br />
the morning and kindergarten teacher in the<br />
afternoon for several years before moving to first<br />
grade in Wheaton, Illinois.<br />
Where were you born and raised?<br />
I was born and raised in Bourbonnais, Illinois.<br />
It’s a small town about 50 miles south of Chicago.<br />
Why did you pursue a teaching career?<br />
I’ve always wanted to be a teacher.<br />
What is the most rewarding aspect of your<br />
work as a teacher?<br />
It’s the people I work with, adults and children.<br />
What do you enjoy most about working with<br />
young people?<br />
My days are always different. It’s always interesting.<br />
My children always make me laugh! They<br />
keep me feeling young!<br />
What is the biggest impediment to student<br />
success today? How can teachers help students<br />
overcome this obstacle and succeed?<br />
The kindergarten standards of today are more<br />
rigorous than ever before. There is so much<br />
for these little ones to learn! It’s important for<br />
children to laugh, play, feel comfortable and gain<br />
confidence while facing the demands of today’s<br />
curriculum.<br />
A brief anecdote that gives a glimpse of your<br />
work in education:<br />
There is a book entitled “All I Really Need To<br />
Know I Learned In Kindergarten” by Robert<br />
Fulghum. It’s true! You do learn more than just<br />
academics in school. You also learn how to share,<br />
be kind, fix your mistakes and wonder. The author<br />
has a credo for life. Part of his credo is, “Live<br />
a balanced life — learn some and think some and<br />
draw and paint and sing and dance and play and<br />
work every day some.” I’ve adopted his credo as<br />
my own. Every day I try to sing, dance and play<br />
with my students … along with the work.<br />
Family info — I just celebrated my 30th anniversary<br />
with my husband, Tim. We have two<br />
children, Katie and Ross.<br />
12 | OCTOBER 2019
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