Fourth Grade Teacher, Orange County, Ca

Please introduce yourself. Who are you and what is your job/career?

My name is Kelley Hedstrom. I am a fourth grade teacher. This is my eighth year teaching, and I have now taught at two different schools teaching three different grade-levels.

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? 

As a kid, I wanted to work in the sports world. I had thought I wanted to be a sports broadcaster. The girl on the sidelines reporting during games.

What was your first job?

My first job was as a camp counselor in high school at a day-time summer camp.

What was your process for choosing your career path? Was it a long journey or an easy one? At what moment did you know that you wanted to be in this profession? 

I had never thought I was going to be a teacher. It was a process to get to my career path. I had an internship with the Colorado Avalanche hockey team in community relations and fan development during my senior year of college. I graduated college with a BS in Broadcast Production Journalism and a BA in Communication. Upon graduation, I still had thought that I would work for a sports team. I even interviewed for a few different jobs. After making it to the final two candidates, twice, I felt that I needed to make a career change. Women in sports is slim market. I soon realized that my passion was really working with kids. My internship lent itself to a lot of different opportunities for community outreach with kids. I also realized that working in sports was long hours and a “rat race” of climbing the corporate ladder. That was something I didn’t want so I pivoted to teaching. Went back to school to get my teaching credential and masters in teaching, which took a year, then became a teacher.

Master’s Graduation day from Pepperdine

Can you walk us through your typical day of work? 

Every day is different as a teacher!

What do you love most about your job? 

I love how every day is different and the students change ever year. I love getting to know the kids and becoming an integral part of their lives.

What questions should someone really ask themselves if they want to get into your profession? 

They have to be really flexible and willing to work with kids all day every day.

Did you have any mentors that helped you along the way? 

I had reached out to some of my old teachers who helped me along the way. They let me observe in their classrooms prior to me committing to becoming a teacher and going back to school. My mentors then became the master teachers during my credentialing program as a student teacher.

Kelley’s story made it in the Irvine Standard news

What was the biggest piece of advice that helped you get to where you are? 

Building relationships with students is paramount. Students will not learn unless there is rapport and trust between them and the teacher.

What do you think it takes to thrive in this role? What is the most and least rewarding part of your job?

A lot of energy! The most rewarding part of the job is when a student has a “light bulb moment.” I also love the wonderful little notes they leave me. The least rewarding part of the job is when parents email and aren’t thankful for the amount of work we are putting toward helping their student succeed.

First official day of teaching

How is the flexibility? Work life balance? 

There is a huge work-life balance. That is another huge perk to the job. We have a lof ot holiday breaks and days off embedded throughout the year. Obviously we also have summers off. The only struggle is finding the time to do all of the work we need to do/get done outside of the work day. After teacher a year or two, it becomes much easier to leave earlier and feel better prepared.

What tools/resources do you frequently use? Any tools you recommend?

I use Teachers Pay Teachers and Instagram to get ideas for teaching and getting student engagement up. I also use my colleagues for support with everything.

What would you say to someone who is looking to figure out what they want to do?

I would tell them to think about things that they enjoy in life and then see if they can turn that into a job,

Watch the above for Kelley’s amazing decked out classroom

What is something you do when things get difficult? How do you handle stress/ challenges?

I take a day off work, connect with friends, vent, seek advice from colleagues, or spend time with my family. I am a big fan of finding time to do a mental reset!

If you weren't doing what you are doing now, what would you be doing?

I would be a stay at home mom! Maybe an event planner for fun!

What are your future ambitions? What's next for you?

I am a new mom, so I am looking to becoming the best mom possible! I am hoping to one day get into more of a leadership role in school like a vice principal possibly. I do not see myself being just a teacher for the rest of my career.

Any last bit of advice you’d like to share?

As a teacher, the students will never remember what you taught them, but will ALWAYS remember how you made them feel.

How can people contact you/find you on socials if they have questions?

Kelleyhedstrom on Instagram