Meet Our Tutor Time Staff – Ms. Cassie, Lead Jr. Kindergarten Teacher

Cassie has been a part of our Tutor Time team for the past seven years. Currently, she is the Lead Jr. Kindergarten Teacher at our Blaine, MN center. She has her Child Development Associate’s credential, will complete her Associate of Art’s degree in December and will then begin working towards her bachelor’s degree in January.  Read on to learn more about Cassie and how she makes a difference in the lives of her students each day!

Why did you decide on a career in early childhood education?

I’ve always loved being around kids. It just seemed like the right thing to do since I wanted to be a pediatrician, but I couldn’t handle the sight of blood and guts.

What is your favorite part of being an early childhood educator?

I think my favorite part about it is seeing the children fully understand what I’m teaching them. There are times throughout the day that they’ll bring up something I taught them a week ago and they’ll know exactly what it is . I think the best part is watching them learn and understand concepts.

Why is early childhood education so important today?

I really think that it’s the social aspect of it. There have been been studies out there that show that the younger the kids are that start in the preschool setting, the smarter they are. They start learning immediately. And I think by having teachers that love what they do and being able to let the kids experience things, even at six weeks old, that they otherwise wouldn’t at home, I think that’s great for them.

Do you have a favorite accomplishment since you’ve been at Tutor Time?

I was named teacher of the year for this year. They completely surprised me. I was in my classroom teaching and my director, assistant director and district director all came in. My district director made a nice speech and I received a really nice flower and some cards.

Conferences are coming up in November. Can you talk about those a bit?

We have conferences in November and May. My class has take-home conferences in February, also. They’re important because they keep the families informed on what their child is doing. My parents typically ask once a week about how their child is doing, but at conferences, I’m able to sit down and show them proof of how they’ve grown over time. One of the big things I do once a month is I keep one of the sign-in sheets and laminate it and show parents how their child’s writing progresses over the months. It’s really cool.

What do you enjoy so much about working at Tutor Time?

The reason why I’ve stuck around for so long is the management and the other staff at the school. They’re a really good group of girls and the management here is phenomenal. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Quite a few of them have been here for quite a while.

Could you share a memorable moment you’ve had since you’ve been at Tutor Time?

Last year I had a student in my Jr. Kindergarten class, and her mom sent me a video of her reading. Before she started my class she couldn’t read anything other than her name, and in the video she was reading a full book! I had chills and I started crying when I was watching it. That was so awesome.