“Children are wonderfully made and naturally curious,” senior kindergarten instructor Kimberly Vollmer responds when asked why she is passionate about teaching. “Working with children and watching them make bits of progress in all areas of development each day inspires me.”
As a Jackson, Mississippi, native, Vollmer earned her degree in education at the University of Mississippi and has been teaching since 1987. She became a member of the Memphis community when she and her husband, of now 29 years, decided to move back to his hometown. The couple has two grown children. In 1996, Vollmer received a job at Woodland Presbyterian School and has taught there for 22 years.
Vollmer is passionate about fostering a relationship of respect between herself and her students. “They know I value them and that I am willing to listen to them,” she says. “If I build meaningful relationships with the children and respect them as individuals, they will respect me in return and will be open to the learning activities I present.”
Vollmer achieves this respectful environment by making sure her students know that she is actively learning with them. When students know they are not alone in navigating the learning process, they become more comfortable. If a child begins to struggle, Vollmer uses this mutual respect to foster “two-way conversations where the child can realize their strengths, which in turn helps them when we have to tackle the harder areas of their development.”
Child development is central to the way Vollmer approaches teaching.
“It is important to decipher what kind of learner each child is so that I can help with individual needs,” she says. To accomplish this, Vollmer stays informed on new articles and studies published on modern child development.
This research is valuable to her teaching style because it is “a huge component to understanding how children tick and what is going on.”
Modern studies provide professional insight into how children’s brains are developing and how that is changing, especially with the use of technology, she says. By reading these studies, Vollmer works to understand and create the best possible learning environment.
The increased presence of technology in the classroom is something Vollmer has focused more attention on in recent years. Due to the young age of her students, she says, “I am very conscious of the kind and quality of technology I bring to the children.” She also makes sure she has tackled the ways in which it can be used to enhance, and not distract from, their learning.
Vollmer is passionate about creating a balance of academics, and does so by incorporating literature into her lessons. “Quality literature can help children not only understand academic subjects but peer relationships, and emotional well-being in themselves and others,” she says. Vollmer also often includes hands-on activities, games, movement, music, and singing in her lessons to help children grasp the concepts.
What moments will she always remember about being a teacher at Woodland Presbyterian School? “The feeling that I get when the children come up and give me a hug after story time or speak positively about something fun and engaging that we have done.”
Constantly excited and inspired by what her students can accomplish, Vollmer says, “Children are remarkably made!”
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