We are so excited to welcome Mrs. Krista Welch to our Solid Rock community! She has accepted the 1st grade teaching position, and we are honored to have her a part of our team. We want all of YOU to get to know her like we do!

What excites you about teaching at Solid Rock? 

I am so excited to teach at a school that holds the same values that I feel are important. I love that Solid Rock puts God in the center of all of their curriculum. I also feel that it’s important to meet each child where they are at academically, and be able to set individual goals. The smaller class sizes give me the opportunity to individualize the lessons to meet each child’s needs. 

What is your favorite subject to teach? 

I love teaching science. In my preschool classroom we would web, make a hypothesis, investigate, do field experience, and interview experts. It was all part of project approach and centered around science. This year (homeschooling and teaching first grade), we make sure to add an experiment once a week. Science is such a great way to get them excited about learning through “hands-on” interaction. 

What experience do you have teaching? 

I started teaching preschool with Head Start in 2010. I taught in Pekin and East Peoria for many years. When my son entered Kindergarten, our family decided that homeschooling was the route we wanted to take. This year I am teaching First Grade at home. 

What is your favorite thing to do on a weekend? 

I honestly love the whole day Sunday. It is not one particularly thing, but the day as a whole. I love going to church and fellowshipping with our church family. After church we always go out for lunch with friends. In the afternoon we like to snuggle up to a movie or go to the park. Time with my family is so important and this is a day when we slow everything down, worship God, and spend quality time together. 

What would be your dream vacation spot? 

We have a camper and I love camping. My dream would be to travel coast to coast in the camper. There are so many places along the way that I would love to stop and see. 

What is your main goal with the first graders next year? 

I have three main goals for next year:

1. I want to be able to set individual goals for each child that are obtainable and continually changing. I hope that I am able to reach each child and meet their educational needs. 
2. I hope to establish a classroom and atmosphere where God is put first.
3. I want to have fun with the kids. I hope that they are able to go home each day, excited to tell their parents everything they did in class. 

We are looking forward to the 2023-2024 school year and can’t wait for both our amazing teachers, Mrs. Haworth and Mrs. Welch, to use their God-given talents to teach our students. If you have any questions for either of them, please reach out! We are also still pursuing a teacher for our 2nd/3rd grade class. If you know of anyone who would be interested, please send them our way!