Idaho Arts Charter School
Stefanie Crowley - Kindergarten Teacher

Hello and welcome to Idaho Arts Charter School. My name is Stefanie Crowley and I'm happy to report this is my fifth year teaching kindergarten at IACS. I absolutely love it! Before teaching in Idaho, I taught in Kalispell, Montana for three years.

As a parent, I enjoy hearing about my children's teachers. I would like to take a moment to share a little about myself. I was raised in Montana from age 11, the baby of four. I attended the University of Montana in Missoula earning a B.A. in Psychology in 1988 and a B.A. in Elementary Education in 1994. After completing my student teaching in Kalispell during the spring of 1994, I was selected to teach second grade for the 1994-95 school year at Lillian Peterson School. I taught second grade for two years and kindergarten for one. While observing my classroom one day, the principal, Mr. Dave Parker, commented on how kindergarten was the perfect fit for me. Since that time, I've learned, "If the shoe fits, wear it!"

During that memorable year in kindergarten, I learned that I was expecting my first child. My students loved watching my belly grow! It got to the point where I had to find a couple of volunteers to be the "official shoe-tiers" for the class! : Once Madelyn was born (May 1997), I stayed home for the next nine years and welcomed another daughter, Olivia, into the world in 1999. Being a full-time mom is an exhausting, yet challenging job and well worth the effort….much like teaching! My husband's job moved us from Montana to Nampa in 2000. Once our daughters were in school full-time, which goes way too fast I might add, I was able to re-enter the world of teaching. Currently, my daughters Madelyn (8th grade), Olivia (5th grade), and I all attend IACS and we love it!

My husband and I have been married for twenty years! Our lives have taken a difficult turn in the past couple of years. My husband was diagnosed in December 2008 with an aggressive form of brain cancer. He has undergone two brain surgeries, radiation, and a year of chemotherapy. Thank goodness for family, friends, and the staff at IACS. We could not have made it through this live-changing event without their love, support, prayers, and encouragement along the way. I feel that I have always had an appreciation for life but the recent trials our family has experienced has helped me realize just how precious life really is.

Due to the location of Tom's brain tumor (left temporal lobe; speech and language area), he now experiences major gaps in word-finding, memory issues, and processing difficulties. Even so, he has a fabulous attitude and is now our "stay-home dad." You may see him at school from time to time as he enjoys coming to see our girls as well as visiting my classroom. :

Wishing you the best on your artistic journey ahead! The opportunity to experience creativity enables each individual to reach his/her full potential. Remember to live each day to the fullest, dance like nobody's watching, and love like there is no tomorrow!

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