Stacey Kababik is entering her 22nd year teaching at TFS. After 15 years of teaching at St. Mary’s School in Quincy, Massachusetts, Ms. Kababik joined the TFS community in 2005 and has inspired 5th graders ever since.

Ms. Kababik says that one of the best parts of teaching is seeing the moment when a student finally understands a new concept. “5th grade is special because at the beginning of the year they are still young and are excited to do new ways of learning,” she shares. That excitement keeps her learning, too. Ms. Kababik regularly attends conferences and webinar trainings to discover new ways to engage her students and make learning meaningful.

In her classroom, they are always doing something different. Some days they take notes and do a workbook page; other days they do partner and small-group work, which she loves because the students learn a lot from each other. In class, her students also do task cards, mysteries, and group tasks.

Former 5th grade teacher, Nancy Sloane, shared this about Ms. Kababik: “Stacey Kababik is one of the funniest people I know! It was always so fun working with her. She has made teaching her life, and to this day she still loves what she does. She has a huge passion for helping children learn math and all the different ways to solve problems. She is a huge believer in using a lot of manipulatives to help students understand math.”

One highlight of the year is Ms. Kababik’s Game of Life, an interactive experience that brings math concepts to life. Students begin the year in New Hampshire, where there is no tax, and receive their own checkbook to track their money and choose from several math-related careers. Every two weeks, they receive a paycheck and use their earnings to decide on housing, transportation, phones, and health insurance. “I try to tie what we are learning in math with different scenarios in the Game of Life,” Ms. Kababik shares.

After Christmas, the students “move” to North Carolina, where they must calculate mileage, gas, hotel, and moving-van costs, and adjust their budgets to account for taxes since North Carolina has taxes, unlike New Hampshire. At the end of the year, the class has a silent auction where students can buy an item with the remainder of their money.

Teacher Connor Fodell had the unique pleasure of experiencing Ms. Kababik as both a 5th grade student and a 5th grade colleague. “As a student, I always had a rocky relationship with Math class (numbers and I don't get along), but Ms. Kababik's math class was the only one I ever truly enjoyed,” he shares. “As a colleague, I've come to appreciate the fact that Ms. Kababik cares about educating and helping her students more than anyone I've ever met. She lives and breathes education, math, and helping her students here at TFS. I'm not sure everyone in our community knows how blessed we are to have Ms. Kababik here, but they should.”

Fifth grade is a particularly rewarding year for Ms. Kababik because she sees tremendous growth in her students. They begin the year excited to try new things and still very much children. By the end of the year, they are beginning to take on the independence and maturity of middle schoolers. “They change so much by the end of fifth grade,” Ms. Kababik says. “They go through a great deal of change throughout the year.”

Ms. Kababik is passionate about learning and growing herself, as well as sharing what she learns with others. She has spoken to other teachers at the NCEA National Conference in San Diego, CA, and at the state level in Greensboro, NC. She has also served as president of the Raleigh Wake Reading Association. “This gave me the opportunity to share my love of reading,” she says. “I love learning new things and having the opportunity to share my knowledge with other teachers.”

After more than two decades at TFS, Ms. Kababik’s enthusiasm for teaching and learning remains strong. We are grateful for Ms. Kababik!