New Teacher Profile
Katie Kogos
Harry Dewey Fundamental
Katie Kogos was born in Carmichael, California and attended school in the San Juan Unified school district from Kindergarten through high school. She began her schooling at Cameron Ranch Elementary School before later attending Winston Churchill Middle School and Mira Loma High School. It was during elementary school when Katie first realized she wanted to become a teacher. She states, "I remember when I was in the upper grades, my teachers would send me to the Kindergarten and 1st grade classrooms to help the teachers do projects with their students. I really enjoyed working with the young students, and they responded to me very well. I always looked up to my teachers and loved being in school. Anytime anyone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always said a teacher. I just knew."
Katie graduated from Mira Loma High School in 2000 and began her path towards a teaching career by attending California State University, Sacramento. The counselors there helped her establish a plan, guiding her on which classes to take that would allow her to enter a credentialing program. All the while, Katie continued to work with children, first at a preschool, and then later for San Juan's ECE department working in their after school programs. Katie received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Studies with a concentration in Human Development in 2006. She applied for CSUS' credentialing program right after graduation and was placed in San Juan Unified for her student teaching where she was placed at Kingswood Elementary in 2007 At Kingswood she worked in both Kindergarten and 4th grade. Katie recalls, "I really enjoyed teaching Kindergarten. I worked with a great team of teachers, including Cindy McGary, Carrie Blythe, and Elise Huggins. They were so supportive and really taught me how to polish my practice. I always saw myself teaching primary grades and knew that Kindergarten was a perfect fit for me."
After Katie finished her student teaching she was able to secure a long term subbing position back at Kingswood teaching Kindergarten, as she waited to secure a contracted position. At the beginning of the next school year she obtained another long-term position in Kindergarten, this time at Gold River Discovery Center. She states, "Teaching Kindergarten in a different program was an excellent experience. I learned how to work with a different group of teachers and add new ideas to my toolbox. Michelle Lavery, Julie Speights, and Scott Waldron all showed me new approaches to teaching and how to be flexible in new situations."
When Katie's long-term position at Gold River was over, she obtained her first contracted position at Carriage Elementary, also teaching Kindergarten. She taught with Kathy Borris, Mary Kashuba, Cathy Winger, and Laura Lyle. The 5 teachers worked together as part of a team to teach an amazing group of young students.
The following year Katie was laid off, due to the economic crisis, and has since moved from school to school each year. Last year alone, she taught two long-term subbing positions in 2nd grade during the fall at Carriage Elementary, before moving back to Kindergarten at Cottage Elementary. It wasn't until the beginning of 2010, when she was rehired, this time teaching 7th grade back at Gold River Discovery Center. In Katie's opinion, "Teaching 7th grade is similar to teaching Kindergarten. I look at 7th graders as being tall Kindergarteners. It is a completely new time in their lives and they are very inquisitive and still don't have great control of their bodies and personal space. It was such a great experience. I learned a great deal, especially having Linda Nix and Molly Silva as mentors. They taught me so much about how to engage with older students and be comfortable when I wasn't in my normal realm of teaching. I am so thankful for that experience, and I feel that it has made me a better teacher."
In the fall of 2010, Katie was hired back, now as a 6th grade teacher at Harry Dewey Fundamental. Teaching upper grades again has allowed Katie an opportunity to refine her practices in another grade level. Being the only 6th grade teacher at Dewey, Katie has faced some challenges, but has received a great deal of support from teachers and parents at her site, especially in planning with instructional coach, Holly Cybulski. According to Katie, "Teaching 6th grade has been such a challenging and amazing experience. My students teach me new ways of thinking everyday, especially during our weeklong field trip to Westminster Woods. I am very lucky to be in a career where I have the opportunity to learn new things and everyday is completely different than the day prior. I have a long journey ahead of me, but I am fortunate to know that every day is a rewarding experience, not only to my students, but to myself as well."
Currently, Katie has returned to school at CSUS to pursue her Master's Degree in Curriculum and Instruction, with an emphasis on Professional Development. She expects to complete her degree in Spring 2012. Katie is enjoying her courses as her instructors use real life experiences in the classroom as the basis for learning in her graduate school. She is looking forward to putting into practice in her own classroom the techniques she has been studying in school and hopes to continue learning more as a teacher in the future.