At Home At Park

 I am an AACPS: Teacher, Park Elementary School | Alum

Park Elementary School is home. I went to school here from Kindergarten to sixth grade. We lived in this community and when Mrs. Lenzi hired me, the [original] school looked exactly the same as when I went to school here. I feel accomplished here and I feel needed. This is where I feel I do my best work and I never want to be anywhere else—I never need to be anywhere else.

What makes this school special? The people you work with. We’re a family. We may be in different grades, but we build one another up and we collaborate with each other in and outside of the school.

I’m in a self-serving profession. I know that when I come in here, it doesn’t matter how I’m feeling or what I’m dealing with at home. I’m going to get a hug and a smile and I’m going to reciprocate that. Every day I’m giving to the kids, but that’s rewarding for me. Just seeing their smiles, giving them a safe place to be where they know they are believed in, and they know they are loved. That is my favorite part of the job.