Carrie B Cronan

I have taught primarily middle school for the last 24 years, but have also taught elementary and high school students, as well as adult learners at the college level. I have my Ph.D in Curriculum & Instruction with an emphasis in reading. I'm currently teaching Communications Media and Literacy classes at the middle school level. I've also taught Video Production at the high school level, ELA at all levels, computer coding at middle and high school, and spent a year teaching online through my school district. Aside from teaching, I've owned my own photography business for the last 10 years, and I grow cut flowers in the summer on my 60-acre farm in Missouri. I have horses, goats, Golden Retrievers, and am currently fostering 4 kittens. I love nature, animals, learning, technology, creativity, and reading.

I believe strongly in project based learning to foster active engagement and motivation in my students. One of my mantras is that my students need to work just as hard if not harder than I am. Passive listening is not something seen often in my classroom. While I do embrace the value of direct instruction, I believe that students learn best by doing and I encourage exploration, creativity, and making mistakes in all the projects we work on together as a class. Additionally, I want my students working together often in cooperative learning as this develops soft skills, problem solving, and critical thinking--all imperative abilities needed for the job force. We are working on preparation for their futures. When asked, "When will we need this?," I am prepared with multiple examples to show the value in what we do every day.

Kansas Teacher of the Year nominee summa cum laude-undergraduate and graduate

PhD-Curriculum & Instruction, University of Kansas Educational Specialist's-Educational Administration-University of Missouri-Kansas City Master's Degree-Educational Administration-University of Missouri-Kansas City Bachelor's Degree-Elementary Education K-9 all subjects

I love all types of digital learning and am extremely comfortable with most Adobe programs including Photoshop, Premiere Pro, After Effects, Illustrator, Lightroom, and Express. I have experience with UI/UX design, Figma, graphic design, HTML/CSS, developing websites, composite photography, Articulate 360, Camtasia, and LMS. I love teaching my students how to use technology to create. It is an absolute joy to see what they can accomplish.