Kylie Altier: Educator Spotlight

Congratulations to East Baton Rouge Schools teacher Kylie Altier on being named the Louisiana Teacher of the Year by the state Department of Education. Mrs. Altier is a first-grade teacher at McKinley Elementary School. She was honored during the 17th Annual Cecil J. Picard Educator Excellence Awards Gala at the War World II Museum in New Orleans.

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"It takes a village to educate a child, and I'm so honored Louisiana is my village," says Altier, a Florida native who has been teaching for 10 years, the past two in EBR.

Altier earned her Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education from Florida State University (2013) and her Master of Elementary Education from Stephen F. Austin University (2019). She believes that all students, regardless of socioeconomic status, neuro-diversities or race deserve to go to a school where they feel loved and excited by engaging curriculum, as well as have learning tailored to their needs. To that end, she has won over $13,000 across five grants to enrich her students' educational experiences and the school community. Using these funds, she built a garden focused on sustainable urban agriculture and designed a curriculum employing virtual reality headsets to boost experiential learning. She fills her classroom with experts to help students learn more about their passions. 

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 What do you teach and where?

I am teaching first grade at the brand new McKinley Elementary School! I was at Buchanan for the last two years and could not be more excited for the new building and being a part of building a new legacy with the most amazing school community!

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What’s your favorite thing about being an educator? 

My absolute favorite thing about being a teacher is seeing the little smile on a child's face when they accomplish something for the first time. When students realize that they have the power to set and achieve goals, it's the absolute best thing in the world to watch. The joy that takes place in the classroom with my tiny humans makes me 100% positive that this is the best job ever!

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How do you like to unwind?

Nothing is more relaxing than watching the Louisiana State University Tigers win! My family and I got to "unwind" a lot this year watching all the championships. Okay, really it's very stressful until the end, but so worth it!

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Three things on your bucket list: 

• I really want to see the monarch butterfly migration one day! 
• I'd love to do a big camping trip with my family when my little ones are old enough.
• This is hopefully happening in a few years, but I can't wait to watch my first group of students graduate! I've been a teacher for 10 years, so my first class will be juniors this year in Huntsville, Alabama and I can't wait to see them shine!

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On her day off, Kylie is most likely doing this: 

When I'm not at work, I am always spending time with my babies! Gabriella is 4 and Booker is 2! We love to go to all the BREC parks, libraries, the zoo, Knock Knock Children's Museum, and all the other fun things in Baton Rouge that are perfect for our family!