Mrs. Gray

By Kierstin N – 6C

I had the chance to interview Mrs. Gray. I asked her a few questions about her teaching career.  She told me that it’s great teaching at DVES for the second year.

“The staff is fantastic and the kids are the best,” said Mrs. Gray.

Mrs. Gray has actually been teaching here for four years. She also taught here in 1994 and 1999. 

Her decision to be a teacher for a profession was because she always loved learning new things.  She finds it very exciting, and of course she loves kids. 

Mrs. Gray’s favorite subject to teach is social studies because it’s all about the world as it was, as it is, and as it might be. She does love all of the subjects, though.  There is one thing that she said she can’t do, and that is sing. 

In her spare time, Mrs. Gray enjoys her children and following their activities.  She has four fabulous children: One is in tenth grade; one is in eighth grade; one is in fifth grade, and one is in third grade. 

Thank you for sharing with us about your teaching career and family.  Have a wonderful year, Mrs. Gray!

Mrs. Gray

Jeanine K - 6G

Hey! Sorry I haven’t done any Staff Member of the Month passages, but I’ve been so busy! Anyway, the special teacher for this month is Mrs. Gray, so sit back and listen to her amazing story.

            First, Mrs. Gray realized back around 1987 that she had a strong desire to work directly with kids in an educational environment.  She has been teaching since 1992, and has been at Delaware Valley since 1994.  She worked at a different school, but I don’t know the name of that school.

Mrs. Gray loves teaching.  She has taught grades 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8.  I know it seems like a lot, but she says they are all wonderful grades, each for different reasons.   Mostly, Mrs. Gray enjoys the kids, the staff and the continuing growth of the students and herself.

Mrs. Gray loves sixth graders because of their stage of development!  She said, “Students at this age are entering into adulthood and adult ways of thinking, yet they still have the idealism of younger students.  Sixth graders are so much fun.”

I agree even though I am a little nervous. I’ll tell you something, she’s my teacher and she’s a whole lot of fun, so I couldn’t argue there!

            Mrs. Gray said she was inspired by teachers she has had.  She said, “All of us recall special teachers—people who not only taught us but saw something special in us and inspired us in ways that changed our lives.”   She agrees with William Arthur Ward’s statement, “The mediocre teacher tells.  The good teacher explains.  The superior teacher demonstrates.  The great teacher inspires.”  She says every grade she teaches inspires her in a different way.

            I’ve gone in and asked a little about Mrs. Gray’s past jobs and life at home.  Mrs. Gray has not taught during all of her whole life. Some other jobs have been as a waitress, investment sales, paralegal and model.  She says there are no other jobs that could be more rewarding to her, which is why she chose teaching. 

Mrs. Gray finds it thrilling to witness a student realizing that they have power over their learning.  She said it is like opening a door to a grand treasure.

“It excites me to engage students in a conversation about their own passions and abilities and how they can share them with the rest of the world,” she said. 

I wondered if her children like having a mom who teaches.  Mrs. Gray said She doesn’t know, but she considered it a privilege to have one of her children in her class in the middle school.

Mrs. Gray earned her B.A. in Speech Communication from Boston College.  Her first Master’s was earned in Elementary Education from Mount St. Mary College.  Her second Master’s was earned in Educational Leadership from Wilkes University.

The hardest thing about being a teacher, for Mrs. Gray, is seeing a student suffer from tragedy or hardship. She said it hurts so much for her to see anyone in pain.

While she loves teaching sixth grade, also considers it a great experience to teach other grades, too. She says every other grade she teaches gives her a broader wealth of knowledge and the ability to see the “larger picture” with respect to education.

When Mrs. Gray is not in school she loves to do so many things that it would be difficult to list them all.  She loves sports, books, movies, architecture, dramatic performance and politics.  The main thing she loves to do outside of school, however, is to be with her children during their lives’ journey.

Well, a couple of last words from Mrs. Gray. She says she’s proud of being a part of this school and school district! She works with phenomenal kids, great teachers and fantastic staff. “Go DV!”  

Whew! What a life Mrs. Gray has had so far, don’t you think?  I think she is an awesome teacher to be with and I think even when she might have to punish someone, she just wants them to be good and smart students.  I think Mrs. Gray is great!