Cristina Rawsthorne
Lakeside Christian School
Sponsored by Chick-fil-A
Asst. Principal Jason Sanborn, the Chick-fil-a Cow, Cristina Rawsthorne, and Gulf Coast Family’s Nadine Jackwin.
If the letters from her third grade students are any indication of Cristina Rawsthorne’s success, she clearly has earned this honor – to be named Gulf Coast Family’s February Teacher of the Month. Fourteen well written letters – orderly, creative, artistic expressions of encouragement and thanks – tell the story of this remarkable teacher. Their message is constant and clear: They love and appreciate Mrs. Rawsthorne and want to please her!
Mrs. Rawsthorne is an instructor at Lakeside Christian School – where she has taught third grade for 3 years, ever since graduating from Clearwater Christian College. Though she has students with many different learning levels in her class, it is important to Mrs. Rawsthorne that all of her students do well. “We are all constantly learning something new,” she said. “Lakeside is a small school that focuses on the individual needs of the learner.”
It takes dedication and hard work to meet those goals; but that is what Cristina has wanted for as long as she can remember. “I grew up in Brazil,” she said, “and I always loved working with children. I helped out at church, and with camps, and any other area that my parents would let me. When it came time to decide on a career, I just knew that’s what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.”
Teaching is what Cristina does; and she does it well! She plans a variety of ways for her students to learn. This month, for instance, in honor of Valentine’s Day they will play “Heart Breakers,” a review game in which students, earning team points for answering questions, may give their points away to another team of their choice. “The activity allows students to review in a fun, interactive way.”
Students appreciate the fun. They learn important concepts, and then they have fun reviewing them. One proclaimed that Mrs. Rawsthorne is “giving us a fun year” and another thinks that “Mrs. R is very funny!”
That’s good – because “Mrs. R” acts like a clown sometimes – on purpose! “Sometimes, those moments help students remember the information. I’m entertaining learning in my students; to me, that is the ‘job’ I love to do!” Her favorite aspect of teaching is to see the “light-bulbs” of learning go on. “When a student discovers something new and is fascinated by it, I’m thrilled!”
Students appreciate their academic success too. “She makes it easy for me to learn my times tables – and now division,” remarked one student. A grateful classmate shared that she “helps me with math and also gives me chances to correct my mistakes.”
Parents agree. “She has been a great help to our family. Our son understands his school work better, thanks to extra help from Mrs. Rawsthorne.” But beyond that, parents also appreciate the teacher’s orderly approach. One shared, “Mrs. Rawsthorne communicates very clearly with us. We always know exactly what is going on in class. I appreciate the weekly letters which include all the work they do for the week. She is thorough and very good at challenging the kids where they are at.”
Just how orderly is Mrs. Rawsthorne? Well, here’s a clue: Her favorite thing about February is the routine! “I know that probably sounds silly,” she said, “but students get back into the routine of learning, and we all just seem to absorb more during this time.”
And so, the learning continues. We asked about plans for the remainder of the year. Mrs. Rawsthorne expressed the importance of instilling in students the desire to learn; so she has several special plans in the works. One is a tradition for her classes: a Charlotte’s Web Thematic Unit. “It is a wonderful time of discovery and learning, with reading activities, math, science, and many other things I prepare for them.”
So, what are those fourteen wonderful “stories” that her third graders tell of their teacher? See for yourself; this one seems to summarize them all:
“Congratulations, Mrs. Rawsthorne! You have won a very special award. You know why? Because you have been really nice, very caring, and if you were doing the Fruit of the Spirit Awards, you would win it! So. . . Hope you enjoy! Love, Paige”
Gulf Coast Family echoes Paige’s sentiments! Congratulation, Cristina Rawsthorne!
Know a Great Teacher?
To recommend a teacher to be featured as our “Teacher of the Month” email us at articles@gulfcoastfamily.org.
