Just completing her seventh year of teaching at Brownwood’s East Elementary, Kasi Rice has found herself in a variety of classrooms.
“I started out as a kindergarten TA while I was pursuing my degree in education. I went on to teach pre-K for 2 years, kindergarten for 2 years and lastly I taught first grade this past year,” Rice said. “I teach all core subjects but I would say without a doubt my favorite subject to teach is reading.”
A native of California, where she received most of her schooling, Rice attended Ashford University for her degree in Child Development.
“I became a teacher because I believe education is the most powerful way to help others and guide them towards success,” Rice said. “I want to be a consistent, supportive figure in students’ lives, especially for those who may not have that outside the classroom.”
Reflecting on her time as a student, Rice said, “When I was in school, I had a teacher named Mrs. Flanagan. She was my first grade teacher and then moved up the following year and taught me for second grade as well. We would always have fun in her classroom and I remember it feeling like home away from home.”
The most rewarding aspect of being a teacher, according to Rice, is, “Seeing the moment a child begins to read—watching their eyes light up with understanding and pride, and knowing I’ve helped them take their first steps toward becoming confident, independent little humans.”
Looking ahead to the future of education, Rice added, “What excites me the most about the future of teaching is the growing focus on meeting students where they are— emotionally, academically and culturally. The idea that I can be part of shaping not just smarter students, but kinder, more resilient little humans—that is was truly excites me.”
Kasi and her husband Brian, who is sergeant over gang intelligence for OIG, have been married for 12 years. They have two children, 11-year-old Aliviah and 10-year-old Joshua.
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BrownwoodNews.com will highlight one Brown County educator per day in the month of July, based on nominations received on our Facebook page, for our Teacher Feature series.