Laurie Kimmet is a middle school music teacher in Columbus, Ohio. Ms. Kimmet is now in her eighth year of teaching. We're excited to share Ms. Kimmet's story with you!When did you decide to become a teacher?I always knew I wanted to be a teacher. I used to make my little brother “play school” with me. I even gave him homework! When I was in sixth grade, I began playing the French horn. I loved every minute of it. At that point it just seemed natural to combine my two passions: music and teaching.Tell us about a project you’ve recently had funded through DonorsChoose.org. How did your students react to receiving the materials?We have been fortunate to have several instruments and additional supplies funded. Every time the new stuff arrives all of my students are excited. Our school mail is delivered during my lunch period. There are always students in my classroom during lunch. Whenever we receive a package from DonorsChoose.org, the students all argue over who gets to “do the honors” of opening it. They then quickly spread the word (they are in middle school after all, it’s what they do best!) to their other classmates as to what we just received. They may not play the instrument that we receive but they are still proud to have it in the music program. One of our most recent projects was for supplies. Every student benefited from the supplies we received as they all got new cleaning and care supplies for their instruments. All of our instruments are in much better condition and are cosmetically more appealing now.Throughout Teacher Appreciation Week, we’ll be asking our supporters to tell us about their favorite teachers. Who was your favorite teacher?This is a hard one! I was incredibly lucky throughout school to have been blessed with many great teachers. I think that is why I had such a powerful inclination to be a teacher myself. Of course, all of my music teachers were phenomenal. Thanks to Mr. Luikhart, Ms. Hayward, Mr. Kelby, and Mr. Sark who always encouraged my love of music. I am also an avid reader. I remember reading some pretty heavy stuff in Mr. Otte and Mr. Leipensperger’s classes. Those books created the foundations for many of my beliefs. Mr. Ballard and Ms. Anglam worked with me when I was struggling; they never gave up on me even when I thought algebra and chemistry were impossible. Finally, Mrs. Johnson my fourth grade teacher who was the first person to ever make me feel “gifted”.We know how hard it can be to choose just one favorite teacher! Thank you Ms. Kimmet for sharing your story with us! To see Ms. Kimmet's classroom projects, visit her DonorsChoose.org teacher page.
