Christina Hoffmeyer

I attribute my success to the mentors and support system I've had throughout my career. My husband has been incredibly supportive throughout my entire education career - I actually met him early on when he already had four years of teaching experience, so he became a mentor to me in a sense and helped me through those first couple years when I was really finding my way. I also had amazing mentors like Dawn Lozada, who has been very influential for me both in the instructional coaching side and in the classroom, and Patricia Houck, who mentored me on the math teacher side. I believe in surrounding yourself with people who are trying to improve and grow, not the negative voices. As Taylor Swift says, 'if you're the smartest person in the room, change the room' - you need to be around people who challenge you to be better. I think about that a lot and try to surround myself with people that are trying to improve, trying to be better, trying to get kids to learn. That collaboration and commitment to continuous improvement has been essential to whatever success I've had.

The best career advice I've received is captured in a quote from Taylor Swift that really resonates with me: 'If you're the smartest person in the room, change the room.' I really like that quote because it reminds me that there's no way for you to grow if you're not being challenged. Throughout my career, my mentors have shown me the importance of this - whether it was my husband who had more experience than me when we met and helped guide me through my early teaching years, or Dawn Lozada who has been so influential in my development as an instructional coach, or Patricia Houck who mentored me as a math teacher. They all taught me that you need to surround yourself with people who are committed to continuous improvement and who will push you to be better.

I always like to say, witness the good, because in every industry, you will have people that are positive and you'll have people that are negative. Hang out with the people that are trying to improve and trying to learn. I really like this quote by Taylor Swift - she said, 'if you're the smartest person in the room, change the room.' You need to change the room because there's no way for you to grow if you're not being challenged. I think about that and try to surround myself with the people that are trying to improve, trying to be better, trying to get kids to learn, because you'll always find the negativity - it's there. But you have to choose to focus on the positive, growth-minded individuals who will challenge you to improve. Mentorship, collaboration, and a willingness to continue learning are essential for long-term success in education.

I think my biggest pet peeve, being an educator, is people seeing that anyone can teach. I believe that everyone can teach, but there are - it's a craft. Being able to do everything that a teacher does - teachers wear a million hats. You know, not just an educator, sometimes a second parent, sometimes a therapist, someone to listen to, being their cheerleader through a breakup or whatever. There's so many different hats teachers hold, and it always bothers me when people are like, 'well, I could do that.' Well then, do it! Come see how easy it is, because it's not easy. Try to get 30 kids to do what you want them to do consistently, on a daily basis, with 30 different personalities - I don't think very many people can do that successfully for a long time. Another challenge is things that are out of our control, like when laws change and we're told we need to use the newest, greatest curriculum. That's great, but can we please stick with what we're currently doing so we can see how effective it is? Consistency is really important, especially when it comes to curriculum. But despite these challenges, I see great opportunity in professional development and making it meaningful for teachers at all levels - veteran teachers, new teachers, and those in the middle. Being able to find a way to support all of them is probably my biggest achievement and where I see the most opportunity.

Mentorship, collaboration, and a commitment to lifelong learning are the values most important to me. I thoroughly enjoy mentoring people and being able to share everything that I've learned and developed over all the years I've been in the classroom. I believe in surrounding yourself with positive, growth-minded individuals who are trying to improve and be better. In my work, I want to be inspiring - inspiring that teaching is hard, but it's very rewarding and awesome. I believe education is about empowering others and creating environments where teachers and students alike can grow and succeed. Outside of work, I'm deeply involved in my community through volunteering at my church, serving as vice president of my son's school PTO, and coaching and refereeing AYSO soccer for over 10 years. Family is incredibly important to me - I thoroughly enjoy just hanging out with them all the time. Whether it's being outdoors, reading, or coaching soccer, I value opportunities to mentor and support young people both inside and outside the classroom.