Helping children become their very best is a clear passion for Lindsey Beck.
When she is not in the school working with students, she is helping with various sports leagues in the community from her time with youth soccer in Simcoe to minor hockey.
She believes in community and lessons that transcend that classroom.
Unlike some of our other Excellent Educators, Lindsey actually moved to the area from the Durham region when her husband accepted a job in the county and is not a born and raised Norfolk resident.
But once she got a job teaching in Port Dover, she loved it, and the rest is history.
For Lindsey, she humbly admits that growing up she wasn’t always that A+ student, but it was the teachers who worked with her to get better grades and be better in the classroom that motivated her to get into education.
She wants to pass on those lessons to students in the area who may be struggling and help them reach their full potential.
She recognizes that for some students, it takes a bit more to understand certain subjects and lessons, and she wants to do her part to help them get to their full potential.
When it comes to working with kids, especially in the younger grades, Lindsey says it is all about planting seeds and seeing what grows.
A topic may be brought up as part of the classroom discussion and that could spark something in a student.
When you see this, she says then it’s adapting to that spark and trying to roll with it.
As a Learning Resource Teacher and a Prep Teacher, she says it takes a community to help students succeed and that’s why she loves Port Dover and the Lakewood team.
As a school, they try to pass on that lesson as well, that each student is part of the broader Lakewood team and where one student succeeds, they all succeed.
When it comes to virtual learning, Lindsey says it is all about making sure you do whatever you can to keep eyes on the screen and students interested.
She said she is not afraid to be silly and have fun virtually connecting with kids because it is very easy to be distracted while at home.
Lindsey is currently teaching at Lakewood Elementary.
You can hear more from Lindsey below.