Mrs. Larkin

Mrs. Larkin has been teaching for 12 years at DCIS and is retiring to enjoy more time with her loved ones. She has some advice for the incoming teachers that will reach the next generation of bright minds. 

“You have to love working with kids. They’re smart, funny, crazy, emotional, and sometimes even annoying. You need lots of patience. It’s best to be organized, yet flexible because sometimes…lots of times…your plans have to change,” said 6th-grade teacher, Mrs. Larkin. 

Like Ms. Uhalley, Mrs. Larkin’s hardest moments came during the pandemic as she recognized the academic gap that the virus created. 

“The hardest thing about my job was teaching during the pandemic. It was difficult not seeing kids in person, and some students had a hard time focusing when we were virtual due to distractions  from phones, TV, computer games, helping siblings, etc., or they didn’t have the help and support they needed while they were at home.  Plus, I was not the most tech-savvy person, so that was a huge learning curve for me,” she said. 

Regardless of the challenge, she reveled in the success of her students. 

“The most rewarding thing about teaching is seeing kids work hard, persevere, and be successful. Kids are awesome and teaching is rewarding!  I’ll miss it!” Larkin said.