Caryl Connor
I have always had a love for working with
students,
but did not start teaching until 2000.
After graduating from college, I spent almost ten years working in
higher education in the admissions and
financial aid departments. I enjoyed working
with families; helping them navigate the college entrance process. I found the work fulfilling, especially each
fall when the freshman class entered.
Over time, I realized that I was working extremely long hours and not
enjoying what I was doing. I stopped
working full-time, and had the ability to pursue different part-time
opportunities, while raising my young daughter.
When we moved back to Maryland, I started volunteering in my daughter’s
class and realized that I loved interacting with students, even though they
were much younger than the population I worked with before.
I went back to school for my teaching certification
and my masters degree. I spent a couple
of years substitute teaching, but longed for my own class. I started teaching at TES in 2000 in the
fourth grade and have never looked back.
I love teaching at TES and feel privileged to work with an amazing team
of teachers and staff. I have an
opportunity to teach students reading and instill my passion for reading. This is the perfect job for me!
Karen Rand
After graduating from Saint Francis University with
a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management, I initially entered the
corporate world. I worked in Human Resources
at FILA USA Inc., and Employee Benefits Consulting for ten years. I realized that something was missing when I
took a position in business at Severn School in Annapolis. After playing two collegiate sports at Saint
Francis, I really wanted to stay involved in sports, so I began coaching high
school soccer, and basketball at Severn School. My time there enabled me to see that I
really enjoyed teaching children, and that my heart was really in the field of
education. In 2002, I got a Master of
Arts in Teaching, from Towson University, with a specialty in Elementary
Education. In 2003, I started teaching sixth, seventh and eighth grade Reading at Sparrows
Point Middle School, and coaching the Girls high school soccer and softball
teams at Sparrows Point High School. The
great part about Sparrows Point was that the Middle School is attached to the
high school, so I could teach my middle school students and then see them again
as athletes when they got to high school.
In 2008, I
began teaching at TES, and quickly realized how much I
love teaching fourth
grade. I was fortunate enough to be able
to specialize in teaching my favorite subject, Math. It is amazing to watch the growing minds of
our students here as they grow academically.
I am determined to see them master their basic facts, and successfully
work through all of our new skills together.
I can sum up the culture of my class room in one word: “TEAM.”
I encourage students to work together as we conquer the many challenges
of the fourth grade curriculum.
Jaime Oakley
I was born and raised right
here in Baltimore County and attended Baltimore County Public Schools from kindergarten through twelfth grade. I knew I wanted to be a teacher since I was a little girl. I love seeing the excitement on a child’s face when they grasp a new skill!
I came to Timonium, after teaching fifth grade for eight years in Baltimore County, in 2005 as the fifth grade math teacher. In 2007, I transitioned to become the technology integration teacher. Most recently I was fortunate to take on the role of S.T.A.T. teacher. I'm excited to join the fourth grade team and begin a new adventure!