Welcome to my blog

 

Hello!  Let me start by introducing myself to you.  My name is Karen Whitley and I am currently a 3rd grade teacher in the eastern part of  North Carolina.  I was raised in Onslow County, near Jacksonville in North Carolina.  10 days after I graduated high school, I began working for the Clerk of Superior Court in Jacksonville and stayed there from 1987 until 2002.  I attended Coastal Carolina Community College and earned an Associate in Arts Degree before I transferred to Campbell University in Buies Creek, North Carolina.  I graduated with a Bachelor of Psychology in December 2001.   I married my husband in July 2002 and we moved to Greene County, North Carolina and I transferred to the Clerk of Superior Court in neighboring Greenville.   

Our only son was born in 2005 and I quit work to stay at home with him.  Our plan was for me to stay home and homeschool our son.  I did homeschool him in K-4, K-5, and 1st grades.  My husband was a North Carolina State Trooper and in the midst of these 3 years of homeschool, he was promoted and we had to move to the western part of the state.  We spent about 8 months in the mountains and then had the opportunity to move back east, so we took it.  

We started attending Faith Church after moving back from the mountains. Faith Christian Academy is the Christian school which is affiliated with our church.  The Lord led us to enroll our son at Faith for his 2nd grade year.  Due to my needing knee surgery, I homeschooled again for 3rd grade before enrolling him back at Faith for 4thgrade.  I began my employment at Faith during our son's 2nd grade year.  I volunteered in the lunchroom before being hired to help in the library and in the classroom.  I have worked in the lunchroom, as a custodian, and librarian before beginning to teach Health & Physical Education for grades 6-9 (girls).  

I began pursuing my Master of Education in Teaching & Learning in October of 2019 at Bob Jones University, completed the program in December 2021, and participated in the commencement ceremony in May 2022.  During a reception that I had not planned to attend, while speaking with the Dean of Education, and one of my professors, I was encouraged to pursue my Master of Education in Educational Leadership.  My husband & I discussed it, prayed over it, and felt the Lord was leading me to pursue this degree as well.  So....I enrolled in May 2022.  I will complete my Educational Leadership Masters degree in December 2023.  

I love teaching because I enjoy seeing the light in the eyes of my students when they grasp the concepts I am teaching.  I also enjoy building that relationship with my students so they know that they always have someone who will listen.  Building that teacher/student relationship is important because students need to know that they have someone who is not just there to teach, but is also there to help them through struggles they may face in life.  That relationship also includes building a connection with the parents as well.  

Through this blog I hope to share some of my experiences with others, share what I learn through my BJU education,  and learn from the feedback I receive from others as well.  What I also pray is that I will be able to share my faith with you as you read my posts.  Trusting in the Lord is how I have come this far.

Karen