Introducing Four New Teachers at the KCR-1 School District

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John Brown

High School English Teacher

 

My name is John Brown. I am 52 years old; and I live in Newark, MO.

I earned my BA in English Education from Culver Stockton College in 1996 and my MA in Educational Administration from William Woods University in 2000.

Following my retirement from the Army, my family chose to return home and make this area our forever home. With my background in education, I was asked if I would help the community by substitute teaching from time to time. That turned into a lot of substitute teaching over the last few years. This year, a position opened up that was in line with my credentials and will give me an even greater opportunity to support our local community.

I’ve had a lot of great teachers in my life, and a few I’d rather forget; but one that I will always remember was Mr. Goeke. He was the Industrial Arts teacher and I didn’t take any of his classes, but one day my junior year he made an impression that would stay with me forever. I was having a terrible day and was probably about to do something I shouldn’t do. Mr. Goeke saw me in the hallway and proceeded to corner me by the library. For the next twenty minutes, he forced me to memorize a poem by William Carlos Williams and repeat it back to him over and over again. It was the silliest sounding poem I’d ever heard and didn’t make any sense to me; but he was able to refocus my attention and make me look at things from a different perspective. To this day, when I have a lot on my mind or have to deal with stressful situations, I remember that poem.

 

Ryan Dooley

Elementary School Second Grade Teacher

 

My name is Ryan Dooley. I’m 28, and I live in La Grange, MO.

Teaching Qualifications/Educational Degree: Masters in Business Administration; Major in Elementary Education with a minor in Special Education and Child Advocacy

Why KCR-1? I heard nothing but great things about the school and the administration here at Knox County R-1. It’s a district that allows both students and teachers to grow and based on hearing and seeing that for myself I knew there wouldn’t be a better place than Knox to start my teaching career at.

Teacher Who Impacted Me: In grade school I had an amazing 5th grade teacher named Ms. Dolan. She made coming to school fun, she built relationships with her students and made each of us feel valued. Her classroom was a nurturing environment that made it safe for all students to learn and grow.

 

Jennifer Parrish

Middle School Math Teacher

 

My name is Jennifer Parrish and I  live in La Belle, Missouri. I graduated from Northeast Missouri State University (currently Truman State University) with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. 

After graduation, I became a Deputy Juvenile Officer within the 2nd Judicial Circuit which covered Adair, Knox, and Lewis Counties.  I was a Status Offender Specialist and worked out of the Adair County office (Kirksville) for 5 years.  In my 6th and final year with the Juvenile Office, I worked out of the Knox County office. 

I began my education career once all three of my sons were in elementary school.  My journey started with substitute teaching which led to becoming a Title Math Interventionist at Highland Elementary School.  Fortunately, I had an encouraging coworker (thank you Mrs. Stow) along with a very supportive husband who inspired me to obtain my teacher certification in math.  I achieved my teacher certification for Mathematics Grades 5-12 in 2015 and began teaching in the classroom at Highland Jr/Sr High School that same year.  I have taught 8th Grade Math, High School Algebra 1A, High School PreAlgebra, and 7th/8th Grade STEM over the past ten years.

I decided to become a teacher at the KCR-1 School District for a few reasons.  Over the past few years, I have heard about such great innovative things happening at the school.  For example, the bus cafe, FACS program, and a canoe!  The collaboration between students, teachers, and the community would need to be awesome for these things to be accomplished.  I am so appreciative and happy that Knox County offered me this chance to be a part of it.  I am excited to start this new year!

In order to describe a teacher who had an impact on my life as a child, I had to combine two teachers.  The first teacher would be Mr. Griffin who taught Social Studies which was not my best subject! I remember being fascinated with the Holocaust because it seemed so unreal to me.  He let me help him with his bulletin boards, etc. during that topic.  I don’t think I knew at the time but it helped me see that not all people have the same life or upbringing as me. His small gesture allowed me the time I wanted to ponder about their lives and made me think outside of my own. The second teacher would be Mr. Harshberger.  He was the high school math teacher but at the time I didn’t focus on the math! He was the teacher that always smiled.  Even when he raised the bar in class, he would still teach with kindness.  To this day, I think of them at times while I teach and hope they know how much those small things meant to me!

 

Jessica Penn

Preschool Teacher

 

My name is Jessica Penn. I am 25 years old and I live in Edina, Missouri.

I am currently obtaining my teaching certification in Elementary Education and then will go on to obtain my Early Education Certification. I graduated from Northwest Missouri State University with my B.S. in Psychology and will be starting my Masters degree this fall in Curriculum and Instruction, also from Northwest Missouri State.

I went to Knox County from PreK-12th grade and I had  nothing but great experiences, so I hope I can make a positive impact on students lives just like my former teachers did.

A teacher that left a positive impact on me was Ms. Jeannie Anderson. She was my 1st grade teacher and I remember that she made learning fun! I also really liked her Mickey Mouse Collection!