Love kids?  Love your family?

Love to learn something new every day? Love life? 

If so, then we have more in common than you may think! 

I have been teaching in the Everett Public Schools since my husband, Tim, and I moved here in 1997. Currently, we live in Everett with our youngest daughter, Grace (16), who recently got her driver's license - yikes! Our oldest daughter, Allison (19), is just entering her 2nd year at Boise State where she is studying business. As a family, we enjoy spending time together as much as we can. We have learned to appreciate every minute we have together, doing such things as going to school football games, camping, visiting the coast, or simply reading, playing with our 4-footed furry friends, or having a family movie or game night.

From the time my sister and I used to play school, I knew I wanted to be a teacher because I always played the teacher and, of course, she always had to be the student.  However, my actual career in education began in a Home-Based program for Head-Start in New York right after graduating from college, followed by teaching 6th grade in a local elementary school.  At that time there was a teacher shortage on the east coast, so I moved to California to live with some of my relatives.  During my career in California, I taught Kindergarten, was a Reading Specialist, an elementary principal, and had the amazing opportunity to develop an entire kindergarten program from the ground up - literally.   

After we moved to Washington, I was at Everett's Emerson Elementary School for 17 years serving the roles of classroom teacher (all grades from 1st to 5th) and teacher- librarian for 7 years.  Upon moving to Forrest View in 2014, I was the building Math Specialist, working mostly with 4th and 5th grade students.  I love that math is hands on, allows students to be creative and that there is almost always several different ways to solve a problem. I appreciate when students are willing to try new strategies and to share their strategies with others.  The following year I worked with kindergarten students in a special Extended Day Program to provide extra support to students who only attended the 1/2 Day Kindergarten Program.  It was that return to kindergarten that brought me "full-circle" in my career and renewed my passion for this job.  

I love, love, love teaching kindergarten.  I love their innocence, desire to please and do their very best, and their pure excitement for learning anything and everything.  I love that they come in with their eyes and their hearts wide open and ready for everything kindergarten has to offer them.  You will rarely find my classroom silent.  Most everything we learn in my class is done in several different styles - always including hands-on and oral activities.  Our days are very busy, active and fun. I learn something from my students every day, and there is not a day they don't make me smile.

My goal is for my students is to love school and want to be here every day.   I want my students to learn things and not even know it was the day's lesson.  I would like to see the students in my class become kind, caring, respectful, responsible, active members of any community.  I hope that somewhere along the way I have lead them to the right track to become readers, writers, mathematicians, scientists, and creative innovative thinkers.  If those things are evident, then my job/goal has been accomplished. 

If I had to give students and parents life advice it would be to celebrate your successes no matter how small or large, learn from your mistakes, and ALWAYS take the challenge!  

 Jackie Zarnick

425-385-7955