Everything You Want to Know about Ms. Davis
(and then some)
My name is Casey Davis. I have taught at Kingston Public Schools for 14 years. I have taught 4th grade for 7 years, 5th for 6, Art for 2 years.
Teaching at Kingston Elementary has been a blessing in my life. I get to be the person who gets to spend everyday encouraging our students to learn things that will be of great help to them as they continue their education.
A few more things about me….I have 3 beautiful children, Kasen (12), Micha (9), and Christian (6). I have lived in Kingston since I was in the 6th grade. My senior year of high school I went concurrently to SOSU. I always wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember, just like my mom, so after graduation, I went through the Elementary and Early Childhood programs and in 1997 I graduated with a B.S. in Elementary Education from Southeastern.
Just for fun, and to help my students get to know me better….
I have included a little something I call 25 Random Things About Me.
(Read on if you’re interested. If you’re not interested I can assure you that you’re missing out on some highly important information. Read carefully because there will be a test. 
Just Kidding
.)
25 Random Things About Me
1. Since I'm writing for my students, the first thing that comes to my mind is...softball. I love to play softball. 17 years later, that's the thing I miss most about being in school. I play every chance I get....which is very very rare, maybe once or twice, if I'm lucky...3 times per summer. I love those few and far between moments when I get to play.
I would give almost anything to know the feeling of hitting it over the fence, even a short fence, just once. And while I may not be a power hitter, but I do know how to place the ball where no one is stationed and I can run like the wind, and for that, I am very thankful. I loved coaching Micha's team a few years ago. It's always fun to watch her as she begins to get it all figured out. I can't wait for the day when she really knows what’s going on and how to play. I’m looking forward to the day that she feels the rush that I feel when I play. I want her to know that feeling and love it like I love it. Right now, I know she's like "How can you love this, it’s hot and I'm bored to death?" One day the day will come though...I know, it's got to be in her blood.
2. More recently, softball has been replaced by golf, which I love almost as equally. It is such a rush to hit a good drive. I'm so excited because Kasen and Micha have finally got old enough to start playing with me. I love it when we have a nice day and all of us get to go.
3. I love living in the country. We have lots of turkeys and deer that frequent our backyard on a regular basis. I always tell the kids...this is why we live in the country, if we lived in town, you'd never see this.
4. One of my favorite things to do is walk or run right after school. That is my abolute sanity and one thing I couldn't live without. A few minutes to see the sun set, feel a cool breeze, and hear my feet as they hit against the pavement is all I need to make me feel that everything is right with the world, at least for a little while.
5. If I could have any super power it would be the power to make time stand still. I wouldn't stop the moment, but there are times when I want the minutes to last for hours and the hours to last for days and the days to last forever.
There are those moments that I just want to hang on to my kids and hug them really tight and keep them little for just a little longer.
6. My sister is my best friend. We fussed and fought like crazy when we were kids, but now I'm so glad that I didn't just sell her to a band of gypsys like I wanted to back in the days when she drove me insane. God really knew what he was doing when he put her in my life. I am the luckiest sister in the whole wide world. I don't know what I did to deserve it, but God gave me the best.
7. I love being a mom. I am absolutely crazy about each of my 3 kids. I loved holding them when they were first born. I love seeing the people they are becoming. I am so blessed to be a part of the miracle of watching their lives unfold. I drink in every moment. Being a mother is the most amazing and wonderful experience in the world. Life couldn't get better.
8. I LOVE doing photography. Taking pictures and freezing the perfect moment is one of my favorite things in the whole wide world. I especially love taking pictures of my kids, they're only going to be little once and I want to remember every little thing about them. I also love taking pictures of old barns and bridges.
9. I love Mexican food. Bobbi and I used to sneak fajita salads from Chipolte over to Chuck E. Cheese or Chick- Fil- A and eat in peace while we are taking a lunch break during a shopping excursion. I don't know how much the Chuck E. Cheese or the Chick-Fil-A people liked us doing this, but I just know it's sooo nice to eat something really good without little children crawling all over your body while it's trying to savor such a wonderful meal.
10. I try to never let an opportunity pass me by when I have the chance to do something for someone to brighten their day or lessen their load.
Everyday I hope for the opportunity to recognize every opportunity to encourage someone and just let them know that someone thinks they're special.
11. Since mom's cancer, my eyes have really been opened. Through her cancer she taught me how to deal with a difficult situation with grace. We received so much from others. I was just 20 years old when all of this happened and I am so glad God taught me what he taught me while I was still young so fewer opportunities would be missed. I get so excited when I get the opportunity to give back. I guess the greatest opportunity for me to give back was with Conner McDougall and his mom Sonya. I will never forget how bad I felt for them after the accident that killed his dad and brother and left him on a respirator, but slowly healing and slowly making progress (now 6 years later, and still fighting).
After that happened I racked my brain trying to figure out what I could do to help, finally it came to me to put out collection jars.
The kids and I did this for two summers. That first summer I loaded Kasen and Micha up and we went all over town putting out these jars. I wanted them to see that that's just what you do when some one is having hard times, you find a way to help. To date, we've raised over 3K for Conner and his Mom. We've gone to their house to meet them and let the kids give Sonya the money to use on Conner's rehab. I just had to make it real to them that it's important to take the time to help and to put a face on this little guy we pray for.
12. I love watching my kids play basketball.
13. I can't wait to get to get to Heaven to go and hug my Grandmother Fay again. I know as soon as I get there, right after I say hi to Jesus, check him out, and ask him a few quick questions (I don't want to be rude, I'm sure there will be a line, so I will just plan to catch him again later), I'm going full speed ahead to find Grandmother Fay so I can hug her neck. I miss her soooooooooooooo much. Life just isn't the same with her gone.
14. My greatest regret is that before my grandmother died, I told her for Christmas, all I wanted was some blank tapes and I wanted her to tell me all of the stories she used to tell and I wanted to get them on tape this time. Well, life got too busy and the opportunity passed me by. By April 17th she was gone.
15. I would LOVE to learn to wakeboard really good. I love kneeboarding, skiing, and being on the lake. I would be there every minute of every day in the summer if I could!
16. I cannot sit still for long periods of time. It's like torture.
17. I love having a garden in the summer, maybe next year.
18. My mom and dad divorced when I was in the 4th grade. A good thing that has come from it is that I can relate to students who are going through the same tough experience. It has taught me that you take the bad experiences in life and use them to make you stronger. One of my favorite sayings is "Look for the good in everything and you will find it." In my life I was able to find it. I'm glad I can relate to the students I teach on some level. I want to be able to help them realize that it is possible to work even the bad things in your life together for good. I want them to be able to see that it's important not to spend too much time dwelling on past events and what might have beens, because if you do that, you might miss some really bright spots in the future.
19. My relationship with my dad has come a long way. I need to write him a thank you note. I've been meaning to do it for months. We've got one of those relationships that if I said everything mushy and nice that I want to say, I know I'd be bawling and that would be really weird for me. I don't cry in front of people. Dad has been so good though. Last winter, he came over and took care of the kids when I was really sick and couldn't function. Then they started getting sick and he took care of them so I wouldn't have to miss more work. He has just grown up so much since I was a kid. I really wish it would have been like this 25 years ago, things would have been so different....but now things have changed and I am just so proud of him. He helps us so much and he is such a good grandpa. He always tries so hard be there when we need him. Life hasn't always been perfect, but it's getting closer now.
19. I would love to go to New England in the fall. My sister and I have talked for years that when the kids get old enough to appreciate it, we are going on a road trip. I bet the scenery is amazing.
20. I would love to have a motorcycle and know how to ride it!
21. I would love to go to New York between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
22. I love to go striper fishing when they are on top water. That has been one of the most fun things I've ever done. I remember one year they're were so many fish biting and it was going so fast that I had whelts all over my stomach from setting the hook and fighting the fish. It was awesome!
23. I love to hear my kids read.
24. I loved teaching ART! I miss it so much. Being able to encourage my students to be creative and use their imaginations.....then getting to see what they come up with was the best.
25. The last one.....wow I made it. I should have spent all this time cleaning house, but guess what. It waited on me. I saved my favorite for last. I thought I'd share a few quotes that I'm trying really hard to live my life by.
My favorite of all quotes:
"Greatness is not found in possessions, power, position, or prestige. It is discovered in goodness, humility, service, and character." William Arthur Ward
"When we seek to discover the best in others, we somehow bring out the best in ourselves." (Yet again, William Arthur Ward, he was a pretty smart guy)
"You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you." John Wooden
"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." Gandhi
"Look for the beauty in everything and you will find it." (I don't know who wrote that, but I know that the reverse is also true. If you look for the bad in everything, you can probably find it too. Choose to look for the beauty.)
"Always be a little kinder than necessary." John Barrie
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