SAN ANTONIO — If you ask Katie Weber how she builds a strong connection with her students, it’s all about relationships. Her colleagues and students at Randolph Elementary describe her as a second mom. Weber won the KENS 5 EXCEL Award for Randolph Field ISD and a $1,000 check from our partner Credit Human. KENS 5 Anchor Sarah Forgany visited Weber’s classroom to present her with the award.
It’s a constant cycle of new faces in Katie Weber’s second grade classroom.
“They come from Japan, Germany and all around the world.”
Moving from school to school is part of military life at Randolph Elementary. "Sometimes they’re in temporary housing and that carries that on their shoulders when they come here," said Weber.
Starting over is hard. That’s the one thing Weber has heard a lot from her students over the years.
“It's very hard,” Weber said. “They have parents deployed. Sometimes they have a single parent at home. They feel a little lost.”
But if anyone understands, it’s Weber. Her childhood was a similar experience. “I had a single parent and we just moved a lot," said Weber.
Weber recalls sometimes school was scary and other times she felt safe but added it always heavily depended on her teacher and the classroom environment. “You can't learn in that kind of situation, a stressful situation,” Weber said.
It’s why she makes it her mission to comfort her second graders. She’s found the key to turning their stress into a more relaxing place.
“As soon as they come in new, I make sure they have their name on things, and that they know where they belong. We introduce them, we talk about where they're from, and then other kids start to go, hey, I've moved. I've been there too. I've lived there too.”
Once they see they’re not alone, Weber says that fear goes away and the learning begins. “When they trust you, then they really show you. They're inspired then they want to read more and they want to share more.”
Just like Weber shares a little bit of herself, too. “Of course in class we incorporate the Legos in the morning.”
Building Legos is Weber’s favorite hobby and a great way to bond with these seven year olds.
“The Lego creations are like really amazing,” said one of Weber’s second graders. “I’m surprised at how Ms. Weber even did them.”
Even the kids are impressed. Turns out Weber is an avid Legos builder. Her collection is inspired by her favorite art, Van Gogh’s The Starry Night, and favorite movies, “I love Jurassic Park, Harry Potter, and Star Wars,” Weber said.
Her young spirit is what sets her apart. She admits it helps her build that much needed trust between teacher and student and a strong relationship that can be all the difference between their success or their struggle.
“I'm a kid at heart and they definitely helped me stay a kid at heart too so that's the other joy in teaching.”
This is the KENS 5 EXCEL Awards 25th years partnering with Credit Human to honor local teachers. If you’d like to watch past winners, click on kens5.com/EXCEL.