DAVENPORT, Fla. — This week’s A+ Teacher started her career as a marine biologist.
Kristen Aanerud-Smith has worked at Sea World and The Florida Aquarium. She spent 16 years in that field and now she teaches fifth grade science at Davenport Elementary School.
What You Need To Know
- Kristen Aanerud-Smith is a fifth grade science teacher at Davenport Elementary
- Smith has worked at Sea World and The Florida Aquarium
- Do you know an amazing teacher? Nominate them to be our next A+ Teacher
“I show a lot of pictures in the class of what I used to do to kind of get them excited about things that they might not see in everyday life,” said Smith.
Smith said she was inspired to get into marine biology when she got a book about sharks for her 10th birthday from her dad.
“He was kind of very instrumental in getting me to follow my dreams,” said Smith.
This is her sixth year teaching and her second at Davenport Elementary. She loves being able to incorporate hands-on activities into her lessons like watching caterpillars become butterflies and taking care of a vegetable and herb garden.
“The hydro garden was funded through a few grants that I was able to get,” said Smith.
In her previous role, Smith says she learned about grant writing and that has helped her create new experiences for her students.
“They’re just really getting a lot of awesome hands-on learning that they can’t necessarily get in the classroom,” said Smith.
Smith is bringing together her knowledge from both careers to help her students thrive.
“My goal is for them to do their very best every day for themselves,” Smith said. “And to be happy and to be positive and to not only have that in my classroom, but to take that out into the real world.”
Jorja Roman
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