Kat Kimberlin

What do you love most about teaching?

I knew from a young age that I wanted to be a teacher when I grew up, but it wasn’t until I actually became one that I was able to truly discover the aspects of this profession that I love. Spending 7 hours each day for 180 days with your students creates a bond that is hard to describe. Getting to know each student, hearing stories about their lives that they are eager to share, supporting them when they are down, and watching them grow both academically and on a personal level is what drives my passion for teaching. My students walk into my classroom in August practically as second graders and leave as fourth graders. Watching the spark in their eyes grow and the lightbulb moments each day when learning something new creates a purpose for educators and I am truly so grateful and humbled to be a part of each child’s life.

How did Furman’s Education Department prepare you for the classroom?

Furman’s Education Department prepared me for the classroom in many ways. Having the opportunity to be in multiple classrooms over the course of undergrad opened my eyes to many different methods of teaching. Along with field work, having supportive professors who would truly take the time to support each and every student is something that I have grown to appreciate even more since graduating. The Furman Education Department prepared each educator to go into their first classroom feeling confident, yet eager to learn more, and this is something that I am truly grateful for.

Any experiences from your undergraduate years you’d like to highlight?

While there are many memorable moments from my undergraduate years in the Education Department, one of my most notable experiences would be creating and teaching math lessons to students each week as part of Dr. Hawthorne’s class. Having the opportunity to get to know the students as the semester progressed, work with a partner to create lesson plans that fit the needs of our students, and actually being able to teach the lesson each week brought valuable insight to what it is like to plan for a class of your own.