Imagine teaching high school students, moderating a club, educating children on how to dance, and tirelessly pursuing a PhD. Such is the life of Ms. Claire Kelly.
Kelly has worked for four years at Marist as an English teacher. She attended Most Holy Redeemer for middle school, Marist High School, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Kelly’s goal was to start teaching at Marist as soon as she could, but whenever she looked there were no available openings. Eventually, an English teacher was needed, and Kelly immediately leapt at the opportunity. She initially believed that taking the role would allow her to read more and share the enjoyment of her hobby with others, but English class was not the only way Kelly could connect with students.
“In my second year of Marist I was asked to be the moderator of the SADD Club and I didn’t want to say no, so I said yes and it was great,” says Kelly. “I’m so happy that I did because it worked out so well.”
Other than reading, Kelly participates in other activities outside of school.
“I’ve been teaching dance to little kids for five years. I teach seven classes and the kids are all three and four-year-olds. I have one class of second graders and one class of first graders,” says Kelly. “It’s pretty crazy, as you can imagine, but it’s fun.”
Kelly has acknowledged that sometimes students can be critical of teachers, but that does not diminish the love she has for her job.
“I think that when you’re a teacher it’s easy to not be confident because you have so many people who have opinions of you and they all feel entitled to that opinion. I think that, especially this year, I’m to the point that I’m just going to brush it off and do what I want to do and if it works out then that’s great but if it doesn’t then that’s okay,” says Kelly.
Kelly’s friends recognize her as a role model not just to students, but to her colleagues as well.
“Ms. Kelly is a really good teacher because she has a knack for bringing out the best in her students,” says teacher Ms. Susan Carlson. “Her students think of her as someone they can trust, but they also really respect her. So as a teacher, she is the gold standard for how to run a classroom.”
Teachers play an important role in a student’s life. They determine whether or not a kid will develop a liking for a certain subject. According to Carlson, Kelly has the ability to understand and relate to high schoolers.
“She’s very much herself in the classroom. She’s very authentic and that’s a good quality to have because I think that’s why people gravitate towards her, both colleagues and students, because she is who she is,” says Carlson.
Kelly is currently on the journey to obtain her PhD. Many marvel at her perseverance.
“Most of us who are in the same job as she is are exhausted by the end of the day and are ready to go home, but not Ms. Kelly,” says Carlson. “Not only is she still going when the day’s over, she is still going full force and studying and undertaking this massive effort to get a PhD which is so commendable and impressive for all of us to watch her do this. We’re rooting for her and applauding her and very, very proud of her.”
