“I enjoy working with my students in a comfortable, relaxed and supportive environment and that, not surprisingly, my students and I learn best in the same positive situation. Being in such an environment makes it easier to be open to new ideas, take risks, and learn from failures, even while working with skills and concepts that may not come too easily. This classroom culture that is based on growth and success easily supports one of my strongest personal beliefs concerning teaching: everyone is a teacher, everyone is a student.”

“In my classroom it is both expected and practiced that both my students and I will learn with and from each other. I love to learn new things and although my lessons are based on similar standards, each year I am constantly trying out new ideas, methods, techniques, and lessons, often taking risks in order to better my professional skills.”

To recognize  and utilize the strengths of everyone in a classroom and then use those strengths for the good of the class within every teachable moment is not always easy but is a goal that I strive to meet each day, and one that will allow all, including myself, to grow and learn. Authentic teaching and learning by teachers and students helps grow well-taught, whole children.”

“As a Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Tingle epitomizes the most desirable characteristics of an Early Childhood Educator. Kindergarten is a time of tremendous learning and growth for young students. Students entering Kindergarten often have a broad spectrum of previous experiences and prior knowledge. One student may enter having never held a pencil, while another is already writing stories. It can be easy to teach to the lowest common denominator. However, that is not what you will find when you walk into Mrs. Tingle’s classroom. Instead, you will find a highly dedicated teacher that makes it her priority to know each of her students as individuals. She strives to become an expert in both their strengths and their weaknesses and from there designs a classroom that fosters success for all students.” Jennifer Vaterlaus, Kindergarten teacher, Sahuarita Primary School, Sahuarita, Arizona.

Ms. Tingle earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of Arizona and her Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from NAU. She has taught Kindergarten at Sahuarita Primary School for nine years.