VIDEO: First-Year Teacher’s Year In Review

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COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – WCBI’s Alyssa Martin first met Jaime Casini in August as she and her assistant were preparing their classroom for a room full of kindergartners.

She had recently finished college and was kicking off the year full of excitement and expectations.

Now, we sit down and see how her first year of teaching played out.
“Yeah I definitely see them as my babies,” said Casini.

Casini is wrapping up her first year as a kindergarten teacher at Joe Cook Elementary in Columbus.

“I’ve just been amazed really as how far they’ve come and you kind of see them as little kids but they’re capable of so much,” said Casini.

In August, Jamie was excited, but nervous about her first year of teaching.

Just as she’s watched her students grow, this year has been a learning experience for her that also brought some challenges.

“I went from the beginning of the year just freaking out about whether or not they were even going to get on the right bus or whether I remembered all of their allergies and just the safety of their well-being. And that was all on me, and it was kind of a bigger responsibility, going from helping in the classroom to all of a sudden how they progressed throughout the year and their safety,” said Casini.

Jamie’s assistant teacher, Shaterrica Moody, has been there to help her throughout the year.

In August, she was near the eng of her pregnancy. She gave birth to Maci Moody in September.

She took maternity leave and returned in October.

“It was just an overall wonderful experience all year long. It’s like I never missed a beat. So I really enjoyed being with my students this year,” said Moody.

This August, Jamie will welcome her second group of kindergarten students at Cook.

Although she says she is excited for the summer, her first group of kindergarten students will always hold a special place in her heart.

“I always have a lot of summer plans, so I’m excited for that but I’m going to cry like a baby at graduation for sure,” added Casini.

Jamie and Shaterrica will work together again in August.