Wake Forest University elementary education major Kate Upchurch was instilled with a value for education at a young age.
Having witnessed her hometown community of Austin, Texas invest in public education, Upchurch says she’s always believed in the power and potential of education to reshape society for the better.
“I’m glad I grew up where I did, because I think that did influence who I am at my core,” she said. “I still believe in education, for all that’s wrong with it, I still think that there’s a lot of power to it.”
The daughter of a former teacher, Upchurch says her lifelong goal was to work with children and help others. She grew up in a household where pretending to play classroom was common, further paving her path to becoming a teacher. Ultimately arriving at Wake Forest, Upchurch says it was the immersive curriculum of the school’s education program that allowed her to find out what she enjoyed doing and how she enjoyed doing it.
“I’m very interested in doing things that are hands-on, and that’s one of the most exciting things about being an education major at Wake [Forest],” Upchurch explained. “We’re out in the community, we’re working with kids, we’re learning about the theory side, but we also get to be practitioners.”
Student teaching also gave Upchurch the opportunity to discover the daily satisfaction that teaching provides her. She hopes that the energy generated from both successes and failures each day will only drive her forward as it already has.
“I came home from school exhausted,” she explained, “but I also felt really fulfilled each day. There’s that exhaustion, but also that excitement of ‘I have this lesson idea,’ or ‘today didn’t go so well, and this is what I wanna do tomorrow.’”
Upchurch further credited the schools surrounding Wake Forest with helping her as a developing teacher. She says teaching at schools with a diverse student body and curriculum like Moore Magnet Elementary School in Winston-Salem not only allowed her to discover who she wants to be as a teacher but also gave her the skills to navigate teaching’s universal challenges.
“I enjoy learning … the different ways that you can support children through [education] even when the policies don’t,” she said.
Most of all, Upchurch sees the potential of education to better the world and wants to be a part of effecting change. She notes that her decision to teach has remained something like answering a natural calling.
“There’s some cheesy quote about, ‘Teaching is the ultimate act of optimism,’” she said, referencing the words of author Colleen Wilcox. “It’s an investment in the future; you’re believing in making people and places better.”
Upchurch has accepted a position at Ball Camp Elementary School in Knoxville, Tenn. with the Knox County School District. She will begin teaching kindergarten next school year after her graduation from Wake Forest.
“I’m gonna take it one step at a time because there’s so much I could focus on since I’m just starting,” Upchurch said. “ … Education’s always changing, and so I think I’m ready, hopefully, for all that it’s going to teach me.”
