Dream comes true for homegrown teacher

By

News

October 4, 2017 - 12:00 AM

Windsor Place preschool teacher Reagan Parks is proof that sometimes the best-laid plans come to fruition.
“It’s a great feeling to know that I started out with what I wanted to do and had a plan,” Parks said. “I was able to finish it and I can begin my career at age 22.”
Included in those plans was graduating from Pittsburg State University in December with an early childhood education degree and getting married in May.
Parks said she had wanted to be a teacher ever since second grade. She initially considered teaching elementary-age students, but a chance in high school to shadow preschool teacher Heather Wools inspired her to focus on the pre-school level.
After graduating from PSU, Parks worked at SEK-CAP from January to May where she taught preschoolers. She was officially hired to work for Windsor Place and USD 257 in April and began working for them in August.
Parks said the experience with SEK-CAP helped prepare her for her current position.
“I would’ve been more nervous starting at Windsor Place and not knowing where to start,” Parks said. “I’ve gotten a lot of good ideas from SEK-CAP, but there’s also things I’ve chosen to do differently with my class. It definitely prepared me.”
Parks is responsible for two pre-kindergarten (four-year olds only) classes in the morning and afternoon. She has a combined 17 students for both classes.
Stationed at Windsor, her kids frequently see the elders and give greetings. Other areas of education include meals,  and topics covering social skills, weather, handwriting and the alphabet.
A recent concentration was about community helpers in Iola including doctors, firefighters and police officers. Parks views social skills as the most important topic for her students in order to succeed in kindergarten.
Parks said she and her husband, Cameron, wanted to return to Iola after college because of their many family connections. She sees her parents, Nancy and Mike Ford, nearly every night and a sister still resides here. Cameron is currently working on a degree at PSU with the hopes of being a clothing designer. 
With her degree in early childhood education, she is certified to take care of and teach infants up through third grade. While her career his just beginning, Paks hopes to become an approachable teacher for both the kids and their parents.
“I want to be the teacher that my kids can can count on being there every day,” Parks said. “I want them to know that they can trust me and know that they can feel safe when they come to school. Not every child has that stable home, so I want to be that stability in that child’s life.”

Related
May 14, 2018
September 8, 2017
May 17, 2017
February 23, 2010