Monica Winstead
Florida State University
BS Studio Art
Tell us about your family.
My husband, Paul, is a 5th grade teacher here at SRCS and helps coach football. Our two grown children started at SRCS when they were three years old. The school is like a second home to us, and the teachers are like family. We have lived in Citrus County since 1995.
What were you like as a child?
I was a little bookworm. I loved to visit the library. I would check out as many books as I could carry, and I couldn't wait to get home and start reading them. I loved to draw and create funny pictures and put on puppet shows for my parents. I was destined to be a kindergarten teacher!
What is a fond teaching memory?
I love the first time a student realizes they just read a word. They look up at me, proud and surprised, with their eyes sparkling, and I get to say, "You can read!"
What do you most enjoy about your job?
I love reading stories to my students. I get to read wonderful children's literature and introduce children to the Bible. I love the joy and wonder in my students' faces when they learn something new. I love that kindergarten students start the year only knowing some letter sounds but then leave reading and writing full sentences. It is the best job in the world!
Tell us a favorite book of yours.
Only one?? The Chronicles of Narnia series.
