Introductory Post, Katie Spalding

Hi there!

I'm Katie Spalding, and I'm an East Lansing, MI native. Both of my parents attended MSU in the late 60s to early 70s, met, married, and have yet to leave MSU's college town.  Living so close to the university, and having parents who remain MSU alumni, I've been bleeding green since birth.  I followed in their footsteps, receiving my bachelor's degree and teaching certification through MSU after attending Lansing Community College.  It wasn't until my third year of college (and taking a year off of school to gather my thoughts) that I decided to pursue teaching.  I always envisioned myself becoming a pediatrician or pediatric nurse, but decided that teaching was a better fit for the lifestyle I had envisioned for myself and my future family.  During this time, I also held a part-time job at the USDA, while also holding a second job as a nanny for a family with eleven adoptive children (eight from the same birth mother).  The experience definitely helped shape my perceptions of race, social justice/needs, and gifted me with a bit of experience working with children who require additional levels of need, love, and support.  It truly is what led me to believe that I would be able to make a difference for ALL of my students if I decided to become an elementary school teacher.   

After graduating from MSU in the spring of 2012 (bachelor's in 2011 before my teaching internship), I spent my first year substitute teaching throughout the area's surrounding districts, all of which remain VERY different from one another (Lansing/Okemos/East Lansing/Holt/Bath/Dewitt/Waverly/Mason).  The following fall, I found my first teaching position in Bath, MI (about fifteen minutes northeast of campus) as a kindergarten teacher.  Once you have kids, PLEASE hug their kindergarten teachers, because it takes quite a bit of daily soul-searching to keep up with twenty-five five-year-olds and still ooze with positivity!  The following year, I switched to second grade, and have been there since. :) This fall will be my seventh year teaching in Bath (sixth year in second grade, an age-group that I absolutely adore).    

Almost four years ago, I married my husband and we settled down in Dewitt, MI (about 15 minutes northwest of campus). Two years ago, February, we were blessed with our first daughter, Penelope Rose, and this year, on March 14th, our second little blessing, Leila Joy, arrived.  Having children has definitely strengthened my desire to provide a loving, supportive, encouraging, and engaging classroom environment for each of my students, no matter where they come from.  It has definitely been a learning experience when it comes to juggling teacher-life, two little girls, and grad classes, but we're making it work! :)  I am lucky to have a VERY supportive husband who willingly takes the reigns from time-to-time here at home in order for me to pursue my professional and personal passions.

When it comes to life outside of work, my greatest joy is found in the quality time I spend with my two children, husband, six nieces and one nephew (he's a brave little guy!), and our siblings, parents, and friends.  I love the childish adventures we get into by allowing ourselves to be present and follow the path we are led down simply by listening to my two-year-old's interests and desires.  I am also known to garden, enjoy reading, love to relax by a lake or in the woods, and love to paint with watercolors.  A good nap in the sunshine isn't so bad, either.

 We all have room for improvement, but when it comes to my motivations and beliefs as a citizen, I try my best to be kind, thoughtful of others' experiences and needs (no matter how different from my own), and as inclusive as possible.  At the same time, I also have the tendency to speak up when I hear others talking negatively about marginalized groups, people who are less fortunate than themselves, and who might simply live their lives differently than the status-quo, as I really do believe that most often, hate is driven by a serious lack of knowledge, misunderstanding, or perhaps a single bad experience that leads to an unnecessary stereotype.  I believe that education is the key to the relief of many social problems, and that as a teacher, I can hopefully open my students' eyes and allow them to read about, talk about, and view material that is representational of the lifestyles of people who remain different from themselves.  

My desire is to lead a simple, quiet kind of life, while also allowing my daughters to have as many different experiences as possible in order to flourish, appreciate the diversity found within our beautiful world, and perhaps help find ways to spread their eternal sunshine to as many people as possible.  Along the same lines, a personal dream of mine is to do this same for my students during their time spent within my classroom walls.  My hope is that future generations might be able to learn just a small percentage of what they inevitably end up teaching me when the day is through.  I'm excited to see how this course helps shape my perceptions and beliefs in order to lead me on my way towards accomplishing my goals as a mother and educator.