What’s a teaching move you rely on when learning gets hard—when students are stuck, disengaged, or unsure?

SZELIGA: A teaching move I rely on when learning becomes a challenge is music. I often find myself singing a song with my students or telling a knock-knock joke. The students can remember a skill or concept when it is connected to a song. Most of my songs come from my many years in 4-H and listening to the radio. For example, when students rush through an assignment or are easily frustrated, I often sing this tune: “Have patience, have patience, don’t be in such a hurry, when you get impatient, you only start to worry!” Then I say things like, “What page? How long? What if I finish early?” All in a nervous, anxious little child’s voice.

How do you build a classroom culture where students feel safe to try, fail, and try again?

SZELIGA: One small routine I consistently practice are my morning and afternoon housekeeping routines. When students enter the classroom, I am always standing outside my door greeting each student. Sometimes a simple phrase like: “Good morning sunshine/friend, I am glad you are here today!” This simple greeting can change their entire attitude toward the day. Also, I build their independence during the school day by creating a “What-If chart?” Together, the students respond to a series of “what-if “questions that help them problem solve during the day. For example, What-if I my pencil breaks? What if I need a tissue? What if I need a band-aid? What if I have work to turn in? What if I lose a tooth? What if I finish early? Together we build responses for each question and post it in the classroom, and a copy goes in their student LEAD folders.

What advice would you give for future educators before they step into the classroom?

SZELIGA: The best advice I would give a future educator is that not everything has to be graded. Also to remember, your mental health is important and there is life outside of school.

If you could write one sentence on a sticky note for every first-year teacher, what would it say—and why? 

SZELIGA:

• Each day is a fresh start! Be flexible like a rubber band! Because plans change, students change and you can only control what you can control.
• Holding students accountable isn’t being mean, it’s believing they’re capable. 

When did you first start thinking, “I might become a teacher”?

SZELIGA: If am being honest, I wanted to be a nun at first, but the vow of silence was not going to work for a social butterfly like me...so I decided to be a teacher while in kindergarten. My teacher, Mrs. O’Brian, smelled like a sweet flower and during nap time, she would always let me lay down beside her desk. It made me feel special.

Building a Stronger Future for Educators and Students

Kathy Szeliga’s story is a powerful reminder that the impact of teaching is often found in the smallest moments—a greeting at the door, a song during a lesson, a system that helps a student feel capable. After 30 years in the classroom, her approach reflects what so many educators bring to their work every day: consistency, care, and a deep belief in their students. During Teacher Appreciation Week, stories like Kathy’s help illuminate the lasting difference teachers make—one moment, one student, and one classroom at a time.