Ms. Kelley Hensley

     Originally from the mountains of North Carolina, I have had an odd but amazing path into the classroom. I started volunteering and tutoring when I was still in high school and entered into an Elementary Education major, Spanish minor at Lenoir-Rhyne University. I was a North Carolina Teaching Fellow but was also adopted by the Visiting Writers Series at L-R. Together, these programs shaped my understanding of literature, art, and people. I went on to pursue a Masters of Arts in English at UNC-Wilmington and thanks to an amazing set of professors and colleagues received some of the best cultural studies skills I could imagine. While in this program I was able to assist with two courses and to teach my own second level composition course at the university as a part-time lecturer. I taught third grade for two years in NC and have been teaching seventh grade since 2015. 

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     I have had more experiences that I never thought possible and they have all shaped who I am as a teacher. My travels in the U.S. and abroad have taught me that the world is both immense and yet all families want the same things for their children--opportunities, love, and resources. Mentors in my life still encourage me to surround myself with new ideas and smart thinkers. My time spent with audiences trying to connect to writers and writers trying to speak for themselves and their fellow man have shown me the incredible power behind words to help us touch something bigger than ourselves. But, what it really boils down to for me isn't a list of grammar rules or exposure to the perfect stories. It is about inspiring our students to look beyond what they thought they could do and see the world as limitless. They can do this because we have equipped them with a love for people, for ideas, for communication and because we have given them all the tools they need to get what they desire most.