Recently, iSchool alumna Kass Seidenschnur was named Bryant School District’s Teacher of the Year. She joined the Bryant district in 2012 as a fifth-grade literacy teacher and moved to her current role as library-media specialist at Hurricane Creek Elementary in Bryant, Arkansas in 2019. In this role, she teaches K-5 classes, manages student iPads, creates a daily schoolwide video broadcast, manages the school’s social media, and hosts special library events.
She explained further, stating, “My focus this year was back to the basics: reading…Students need to see members of their community as active participants in reading. This gives them a chance to connect reading with the real world because if they can SEE it, they can BE it. My hope is to encourage students’ intrinsic motivation and love of reading through continual exposure to new stories and information, growing our student-readers to help them achieve success.”
As part of this effort, Seidenschnur planned an exciting Read Across America Week in March! This included dress up days, a teacher swap for storytime, and lots of special guests including Miss Arkansas, a therapy dog, National Park Rangers, and Arkansas National Guardsman. She explained the importance of these types of events, stating, “I remind our students that reading is fun! Mr. Fred Rogers said, “Play is really the work of childhood.” Why not find a way to make reading a fun and playful time?”
Seidenschnur, who has now been teaching for 13 years, graduated from FSU in 2015 with her Master of Science in Library and Information Studies. She shared, “I am thankful for my time at FSU! Even though I was an online student, I was able to connect with professors and librarians/teachers all over the country to share ideas and learn. I loved my classes and appreciated the help I got from my professors, especially Dr. Nancy Everhart. Working all the way from Arkansas on my degree was not an easy task — but FSU made it possible, and for that, I am thankful.”
On her recent award, she shared, “I’m very humbled and feel that I share this honor with everyone who is a part of my story: my family, my former teachers, colleagues, and administration.”
Please join us in congratulating our alumna Kass Seidenschnur on this amazing achievement!