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Can you tell us about yourself? 

Hi, my name is Kristie Rollman and my role at our school, which is Flagstaff Academy, is a middle school paraprofessional for sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. Our school is in Colorado. I have been working at the school for 11 years, not all in middle school, but 11 years here.

Why did you start a career in education?

The career in education because I needed to get a job that was on the same schedule as my own children. And I just kept going with it from there

If you could have any other job what would it be and why?

I would probably work with animals. And I'm not sure if that would be a job or just a volunteer position.

How are kids different now than 30 years ago?

How are kids different now, now than 30 years ago? Well, 30 years ago I was a kid actually, I wasn't older than that, but 30 years ago, kids were able to spend more time outside with each other. We didn't have a pandemic going on. Kids now spend all their time on technology, playing games need that instant gratification and reaction.

How is teaching different now than 30 years ago?

How is teaching different now than 30 years ago? Teaching is different now. Again, because of technology, they have, the kids have so many things available to them yet. It's also hindering them in a lot of ways. Again, that constant busy-ness thing is always going on. 

What would you tell someone who wants to become a teacher?

What would someone do right now that is thinking about becoming a teacher? I would say definitely focus a lot on being able to make connections with those students. It's very important. I feel like a lot of students don't get that personal connection with their teacher. They're just a number and they're there. It's a huge, huge classroom and you need to get to know your students.

What is one thing you would change to help kids learn better?

One thing you would change to help kids learn better. I would definitely go back to 30 years ago when students actually took physical notes, writing them themselves. It's important to learn, or we learn a lot when we write it down. So we remember more when we're writing things. And I think that that's a big thing that the students are missing, whether that's for English, social studies or math. So that's my answer for the seven questions.