This week, I got the chance to interview my kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Lori Tooker. She is now a
3rd grade teacher at Arlington Elementary School.
Before teaching, she was a waitress while attending Baptist Nursing school and only lasted about six weeks. A friend she worked with was going to school to be a teacher and talked of how awesome it was so Mrs. Tooker decided to give it a try. After only a few classes, she decided that was her career choice. Mrs. Tooker took her undergrad at Memphis, got her master’s at Union University, and her plus 45 through Walden University.
When asked about the Arlington School System, she said, “The parents are so involved in their kids’ education and the PTA here is amazing. Anything you want you just have to ask. They’re very supportive with everything we do.
Her ultimate goal for teaching is that she wants the kids to want to come to school and want them to learn. She said, “I try to give them a reason for every lesson of why they need to know this.” She wants it to be known to the kids that there is a reason for everything they do in class. When asked about her teaching motto, she told me, “Mistakes are a good thing, because it’s the only way that we can actually learn.” In fact, her class applauds mistakes so they can feel comfortable when they make a mistake.
She says the kids she teaches help with her empty-nest syndrome with all of her own children moving on to college. Mrs. Tooker is a phenomenal teacher and had been awarded teacher of the week just before I had the chance to interview her.