Katie Potter first knew she wanted to become a teacher after working at a daycare in high school.

“I loved it,” Potter said. “I love kids.”

Potter, 24, is a new teacher at Clark County Preschool. She comes to Clark County from Maysville where she spent her first two years teaching after graduating with a bachelor’s from Morehead State University. 

“I did my student teaching here, so I already knew a little bit about the program,” Potter said. “So I’m happy to be back.”

The Mount Sterling native is currently wrapping up her master’s degree from the University of the Cumberlands. 

Potter said she loves working with preschoolers; her favorite part is forming relationships with her students.

“The first couple weeks of school, I let them know that I love them and I’m always here for them and kind of form that relationship,” she said. “And then I think after that everything else falls into place. The learning and the social aspect is what I focus hard on and that’s what I enjoy the most.”

It is difficult, though, breaking some bad habits or behaviors with children at such a young sage. 

“Some of them just don’t know any better,” Potter said. “So it’s hard when they do something at home, and then they come to school, and they’re not allowed to do that. And it gets hard to break some of those behaviors.” 

With challenges come creative solutions, Potter said, as she has been trying new strategies nearly every week to keep her classroom calm such as sticker charts, breathing exercises and more. 

But everything is worth it when the students come into Potter’s classroom, smiling and happy to be at school.

“When they come in smiling, and they’re happy to be here, I think that’s the most rewarding part,” Potter said. 

Potter’s students are also full of personality, she said, adding she could write a book about all of the funny things they say. Potter said she also loves seeing her students be successful.

Last year, Potter had a student with Down syndrome who started the year as mostly nonverbal, but as the year went on, the student started to talk more and began signing. That warmed her heart, Potter said, and reminded her of why she wanted to teach in the first place.

Potter said she also loves it when students retain information they learned earlier in the month or year.  

“I like when you are teaching something, and it just clicks or something one day and then they remember it a week later,” she said.

Once her students leave preschool, Potter said she hopes they will remember how much they were loved.

“I hope they can hold on to that: no matter what I will always love them,” Potter said. 

Outside of work, Potter said she enjoys sleeping, watching Netflix, traveling, camping, hanging out with family, going to church and more. She hopes to travel to New Zealand next year, and she looks forward to finishing her studies in December. 

Though, Potter said, she will likely return to school at some point to earn her Rank 1. 

“I don’t know where that will take me,” she said. “Wherever the road leads me is what I say.”

But for now, Potter said she’s ready to get through her first year at Clark County Preschool, and so far, it’s off to a great start.