Kelly Woodward, Librarian
Kelly has been teaching at Paddington Station since 1999. She grew up in Denver and has lived in Chicago, Japan and Vancouver. Kelly taught PreK for many years. Currently, she has a great time teaching running the Paddington Library program. She received her B.A. from The Colorado College and a Master’s degree in Educational Psychology from the University of Denver. Kelly loves spending time with her family. She can’t imagine a better job and looks forward to another excellent year at Paddington.
Nelson Mandela said, “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.” I couldn’t agree more with this statement. It is in a nutshell, the reason why I do what I do.
After graduating from Colorado College with a major in political science and a minor in urban studies I felt that my career path was directly headed towards law school. I was confident that I could make the world a better place, or at least my little corner of it, with a law degree. In between taking the LSAT and applying to schools, life granted me an amazing opportunity that I just couldn’t pass up. In 1996 I participated in the then Stanley British Primary Teacher Internship program, and the rest is history.
I have never regretted my decision to stay in this field because every single day that I go to work I am given the chance to care for your incredible children. I get to watch their eyes light up when I read to them, I feel honored to answer their incredibly insightful questions, and I’m ever-so-grateful that I get to witness joy and discovery on a daily basis.
My own childhood was filled with lots of mud puddles, sand pies, painted junk art, and the occasional skinned knee (sounds like Paddington). I spent a lot of time outside creating imaginary worlds with my siblings and neighborhood friends. My parents encouraged us to be children in every sense of the word. It was, to say the least, a very happy childhood. My own experiences as a preschooler were so rich and wonderful, and without a doubt, they were made possible by the extraordinary adults in my life.
I do what I do at Paddington to pay homage to those who treated me so well and provided me with such a great beginning. In carrying on the tradition of teaching and nurturing children, I hope to do my part in making society kinder, gentler, and
frankly more joyful.
There really is nothing more hopeful than a young child; they live each moment to its fullest and then greet the next with unquestioning enthusiasm. I absolutely love what I do and I continue to believe it is the best job in the world.
After graduating from Colorado College with a major in political science and a minor in urban studies I felt that my career path was directly headed towards law school. I was confident that I could make the world a better place, or at least my little corner of it, with a law degree. In between taking the LSAT and applying to schools, life granted me an amazing opportunity that I just couldn’t pass up. In 1996 I participated in the then Stanley British Primary Teacher Internship program, and the rest is history.
I have never regretted my decision to stay in this field because every single day that I go to work I am given the chance to care for your incredible children. I get to watch their eyes light up when I read to them, I feel honored to answer their incredibly insightful questions, and I’m ever-so-grateful that I get to witness joy and discovery on a daily basis.
My own childhood was filled with lots of mud puddles, sand pies, painted junk art, and the occasional skinned knee (sounds like Paddington). I spent a lot of time outside creating imaginary worlds with my siblings and neighborhood friends. My parents encouraged us to be children in every sense of the word. It was, to say the least, a very happy childhood. My own experiences as a preschooler were so rich and wonderful, and without a doubt, they were made possible by the extraordinary adults in my life.
I do what I do at Paddington to pay homage to those who treated me so well and provided me with such a great beginning. In carrying on the tradition of teaching and nurturing children, I hope to do my part in making society kinder, gentler, and
frankly more joyful.
There really is nothing more hopeful than a young child; they live each moment to its fullest and then greet the next with unquestioning enthusiasm. I absolutely love what I do and I continue to believe it is the best job in the world.