Story by Steve Nash – Special Contributor to BrownwoodNews.com

Kaitlinn Burt didn’t begin her working life as a teacher.

After briefly considering becoming a dental hygienist and then working for 10 years in mental health, Burt is beginning her third year as a kindergarten teacher in the Blanket ISD. She believes it’s where God has called her.

“I just needed a change,” Burt said of her decision to become a teacher. “I just felt that God was calling me to do something else. And so there was lots of praying, and everything fell into place for teaching.

“I had a couple of job offers at other surrounding schools and I never felt at peace. When Blanket called, though, it was like everything just worked out.”

Burt and her husband, Austin, are the parents of three daughters.

Burt, a native of Roscoe, had initially applied to a dental hygiene program. “They wanted you to do so many volunteer or observing hours before you actually enrolled,” Burt said.

“I never enrolled in it because I realized real quick that was not what I needed.”

Burt attended Midwestern State University before transferring to Howard Payne University, where Austin, her future husband, played baseball. Burt explained that she and Austin knew each other before she went off to college.

“So we met back home, but then we were in separate places,” Burt said.

Burt graduated from HPU with a degree in social work. She went on to spend 10 years working at the Center for Life Resources — six years in adult mental health and four years running the center’s daycare.

“I enjoyed being with the kids, but I was on the administration side of it,” Burt said of running the daycare. “I wasn’t really getting to be with the kids as much as I would like.”

After deciding to become a teacher, Burt went through the alternative certification program.

Burt explained what she finds fulfilling about being a teacher.

“Because I’m with the kindergarten, it’s teaching them to be little humans,” Burt said.

“When things start clicking, just seeing that ‘aha’ moment on their face … especially the ones that are struggling or that had struggled, or maybe did not have the best home life — just getting to see them learn and flourish.”

Burt said she made the right decision in becoming a teacher and believes she will be doing the job long-term.

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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.