Red Lick Elementary School
Erica Fricks has always enjoyed working with children, so when choosing a profession, she felt like education was the perfect route. “As a teacher, I could help guide children and make a difference in their lives,” Erica says. “Even when teaching is challenging, I continue because teaching is my calling. I truly feel God has opened this door for me.”
Erica will start another year as a kindergarten teacher at Red Lick Elementary School this year. She has worked at Red Lick for nine years: one year as a special education aide and eight years as a kindergarten teacher. “One of the most rewarding aspects of teaching is seeing the growth in my students daily,” Erica says. “It is amazing to see how much they have learned and grown from the first day of kindergarten to the last.”
In those nine years of teaching, Erica says that her greatest teaching accomplishment is being named Red Lick Elementary 2024 Teacher of the Year. “This was such an honor! What made it so memorable was how excited my students were for me. Their faces were priceless when Mrs. Jackson came to our classroom to make the announcement,” Erica says. “My students are the reason I do what I do.”
When Erica gets her class list for the year, she must begin thinking about meeting each student’s needs. She does that by creating an atmosphere of “family” in her classroom. “When children feel like they belong and are truly cared for and loved, they are ready to learn,” Erica says. “My goal is that my students learn to love school and learning. I want them to know that I will always cheer them on. My students will always be my ‘kinder babies,’ and we will always be a class family.”
Erica also takes the time to determine each student’s strengths and weaknesses so that she can help them meet their goals throughout the year. “It is my responsibility to make sure that I use this information when developing lessons to ensure that each child is taught appropriately,” Erica says. Our teaching should not be cookie-cutter; it should be individualized for the students in our class.”
One of the biggest tips Erica has learned during her years as a teacher is that it’s very important to create a cohesive team with students and their families. “You have to be sure that the teacher, student, and parents are on the same page,” Erica says. When this happens, you see a successful student!”
As a kindergarten teacher, Erica wishes more people understood that her role is not just about teaching ABCs and 123s. She also has to teach her students valuable life skills. Not only that, but educators have to stay on top of current trends in education. “Our jobs as educators change daily,” Erica says. Teachers need to be open to learning new ways of teaching and how to reach children.”
When she’s not at work, Erica enjoys spending time with her family. She has been married to her husband, Chuck, for 26 years. “We have two daughters: Audrey, who is attending school to become an OTA, and Abbey, who is majoring in sociology,” Erica says. Also, my family becomes ‘family’ with my kindergarten class each year.”
Because of the cooperative and caring atmosphere that Erica builds with her students, she can get through even the most challenging days. She knows the next day, Erica and her students can start fresh. “No matter what happened the day before, my students are depending on me to continue to build our classroom family,” Erica says. “I feel lucky to make a difference in the lives of my students.”
Fun Facts:
- The best advice I’ve ever received as a teacher is don’t try to teach like everyone else.
- My favorite subject in school was biology because I loved the labs. I can remember dissecting a sheep’s eye and a cat.
- My dream vacation would be a cruise because I love visiting all the different ports.
- My students probably do not know that I taught English as a Second Language in Romania for two years.