Kandice Baker has been teaching fourth grade at Butterfield Elementary for a decade. When did she realize that she wanted to become a teacher?
“I had always known as far as I can remember,” Baker says. 

When she was in school her favorite subject was reading, Baker says. She still enjoys picking up a book—one of her favorite genres to read is historical fiction, she says.

“My favorite book is ‘Wonder’ by R.J. Palacio,” says Baker, and she loves to share it with her students. “I read it out loud every year.”

“I hope that they learn the importance of kindness and empathy and including everyone,” Baker explains.

Now that she is at the head of the classroom, Baker says her favorite subject to teach is science. When it comes to this subject, she does not have a favorite activity or experiment, she notes, but instead she loves “just all of it.”

Away from school, Baker likes to spend her time gardening, baking and watching movies. Because she has three sons, she watches a lot of superhero movies, she says, especially Marvel movies.

She also enjoys travel and spending time with her family. “Road trips with my kids are always memorable,” Baker relates.

Baker says she hopes her students know “that I enjoy having each and every one of them” in her class. “And I hope they remember to be kind,” she adds.

Baker certainly impressed one of her students with her kind ways.

Katey writes, “My teacher is great because she started my year at a new school” in a wonderful way. “I love my teacher, and she is very fun and kind,” Katey adds.