“My Favorite memory as an educator in Colonial . . . .

As an elementary teacher, you quite often receive drawings, notes, and little treasures from your students. During my first year teaching 4th grade at Carrie Downie, we were making Mother’s Day cards with personalized booklets for our moms, grandmas, aunts etc to celebrate the holiday. At the end of the day, I found that one student had made me a Mother’s Day card addressed to “A Special Person In My Life”. As heartwarming as that was, even more so was the following year when that same student, who was now in fifth grade and no longer in my class, came back to give me a flower and wish me Happy Mother’s Day again. Both instances were wonderful reminders of how lucky we are as educators to be given the opportunity to develop relationships with so many kids as well as the longevity of the relationships we build.

Who We Are – Rosy Burke

A veteran teacher from Independence, Missouri, Rosey was teaching in her hometown school district when she found Carrie Downie through Social Media. After a few tweets and some conversation, she knew Carrie Downie was the right place for her. “From the conversations I had with Mr. Timm, I felt the school’s priorities and vision were exactly fit me perfectly. It’s a great place for me to grow as a teacher and beyond”. Seeking an opportunity for  a change and a maybe a little adventure, Rosy packed up and headed east to become a Carrie Downie Dolphin. Branding her classroom the “Daring Dolphins” she has quickly made an impact on student’s lives, both in and out of the classroom, using innovative classroom practices and starting groups like Let Me Run, an afternoon running club for boys.

Rosy Burke and her Daring Dolphins are Who WE Are