New Educator Spotlight: Kyrie Kellogg

Every week, we will be featuring one of our new LPS educators to get to know a little more about them and why they chose to be an educator. This week's New Educator Spotlight is Kyrie Kellogg, a resource teacher at Huntington Elementary School.

Building/Department: Huntington Elementary School / Special Education

Teaching Assignment/Role: Resource Teacher

Why did you want to become an educator?
I have always enjoyed working with children and seeing the world through their eyes. In my teacher education experiences, I realized that I liked working one-on-one or with small groups of students so that I could really get to know them and focus on specific goals. I had several experiences working with individuals who have special needs, and these inspired me to go into special education. I never looked back!

What has been your favorite part of working for Lincoln Public Schools?
I worked in LPS as a substitute for an entire year before taking a job as a full-time teacher. I really enjoyed getting to work in many different schools with lots of different students. By the end of the year, I had worked in over 30 LPS elementary schools and had seen a little bit of everything. I loved having the variety to my days and seeing all the different ways teachers were helping students. Since settling into a full-time position, I really appreciate the routines and relationships I have been able to build within a single school. The best part of my job is the awesome people I get to work with!

Did you attend Lincoln Public Schools as a student? If so, which school(s)? If not, where are you from?
I did not attend LPS as a student. I am from Omaha, NE, and I attended OPS from Kindergarten through 12th grade.

Where did you attend college?
I went to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to complete my Bachelor's degree in Elementary and Special Education, as well as my Master's degree in Special Education.

What is your favorite part of being an educator?
My favorite part of being an educator is getting to be there when a student has an "aha moment." Seeing something click for them, especially when they have been working hard to understand it, is so rewarding! It is so cool to experience learning through someone else.

Describe a time that you knew you made a difference for a student or group of students.  
I worked with a student who is nonverbal and initially would not even repeat sounds. My whole team put a lot of time and effort into getting to know him and figuring out his programming. One day, I was interacting with him during a break from his jobs. He liked to watch me raise a handful of plastic spiders above my head and watch them fall, making a noise as I dropped them. I asked if he wanted me to do it again, and he repeated the word "again." I was able to take a video to show his parents, who shared that it was the first time they had ever heard their son speak. I was extremely proud of his hard work and ours! All of the time spent building a relationship and trying to understand what he needed was so worth it, and getting to share that moment with my team and the student's parents was incredibly gratifying. It was such an important step in his communication journey!

What is a fun fact about you?
I used to have a pet hedgehog! He was named Meeko, after the raccoon from the movie Pocahontas.

---