CCS grad back in the classroom

    Lindsey Teply graduated from Chase County Schools in 1998. She found herself back in the hallways this fall, this time as the K-6 Title I teacher.
    Teply came to CCS after 19 years of teaching in Colorado. She had thought that keeping her professional life in Colorado and personal life in Imperial separate would work well.
    However, she now finds it simpler to do both in Imperial, because she doesn’t have to travel and has more time to attend her childrens’ events.
    Teply and husband Matt have two children; Edisyn, in fifth grade, and Tate, in seventh grade at CCS.
    Teply said the Title I program is named after the Title I funding source. That provides financial support for services to students at risk—those who are struggling in school and who need intervention.
    Struggling can mean academically, mentally or both.
    Teply meets with students in small groups to break down math problems or assess reading comprehension, for example.
    She coordinates with teachers to avoid scheduling her small groups during direct instruction time.
    She also is the Child Find coordinator, providing services for children ages birth to three years if parents or doctors express concerns about the children’s development, or in preschools if students have disabilities.
    She works with both students and their teachers. At this time the number of students she sees in each grade is  fairly stable, but may change if students are doing well in the classroom.
    Teply decided early on that she wanted to work with children with challenges. She graduated in 2002 from the University of Nebraska-Kearney with a Bachelor of Arts in Education degree with endorsements in Early Childhood Special Education and Mild/Moderate K-6.
    She taught in the classroom and as an itinerant special education teacher in multiple classrooms in Colorado from 2002 until last year.
    Teply was the Early Childhood Coordinator for the Sterling, Colorado school district and the Northeast Colorado Board of Cooperative Educational Services, which is similar to Nebraska’s ESUs.
    Her profession, Teply said, gives her the satisfaction of helping kids and their families.
    Her hopes for her students are that “they can be as successful as possible for themselves, build confidence and become as independent as possible.”
    Teply doesn’t have much free time between teaching and family activities, but she enjoys playing golf and being with friends and family.