Killearn Lakes Elementary

My name is Kristi Swartzman. I am the Killearn Lakes Reading Intervention Teacher for grades 1-5. I am excited about the new school year and about working with students to improve their reading skills. I have taught for 33+ years. I enjoy spending time with my husband and 3 children. Going to the beach, reading, and traveling are what I like to do in my spare time.

I have been at KLES since 2021, and have taught at Oak Ridge Elementary school 5 years before that. I am learning new ways to help support teachers in their role from Kindergarten through 5^th grade to prepare our students for the real world using various math strategies. Math was always a struggle for me growing up, and until I went to Florida State and found several professors who believed that I could attain my goals, I figured out how to overcome these challenges and teach math to other students that weren't getting the concept the first time. Sometimes we need things explained in different ways, from additional role models so that we can get a full understanding of what we are trying to achieve. 

I grew up in Lakeland (Go Dreadnaughts) until college, where I received my associate's degree in social science in 2016 from Florida State University. I took time off school to pursue mission work in North Carolina and was a Program Director for an international sports camp where I got to travel and see all different types of cultures. It was amazing to see all walks of life from various countries come together to learn about the Lord and have a passion for sports. I finished my Education degree in Lynchburg, VA and left to come back to my stomping grounds in Tallahassee for teaching. I loved being in the classroom and working with students who didn't have the same opportunities as others around them. I learned so much being a 1^st and 2nd grade teacher that I wanted to evolve even more, and pursue higher grade levels in fourth and fifth grade. Now I work with all K-5 students and their math teachers and am so thankful to be here. I have an incredible husband who is a native to Tallahassee, and two children.