Born to Teach

Karey Sellers, first grade teacher at Liberty Elementary in Casey County, Ky., loves to talk about innovation. She loves introducing inquiry and creativity to her students, and her passion for her craft is contagious.

She smiles when explaining her daily ‘learning’ culture. “In my classroom, I love to provide students the opportunity to have experiences during our lessons.  Over the last few years, I have worked to gain skills in the area of student engagement.  I love doing classroom transformations where I reinvent my room and create activities and lessons to keep my students engaged and learning the entire day!”

No stranger to Campbellsville University, holding three degrees from CU, Sellers sings praises for the school. She earned Valedictorian honors in 2018 while completing her BA in Elementary Education, went on to earn a Teacher Leader MA of Arts in Education (focusing on Gifted and Talented Education) in 2019, and a MA of School Administration in 2022.
She adds, with a smile, “Oh, don’t count me out if CU one day offers a doctorate in education. I’ll probably be right there, signing up for degree # 4! CU prepared me for the classroom and allowed me to gain many experiences that allowed me to transition into the role of teacher easily! I loved my time at Campbellsville and I am so grateful for the impact my teachers had on me!”
Only in her fifth year of teaching, Sellers’ approach aligns well with the ’best practice’ model classroom of the 21st Century. And the parents of her students agree. One states, “My son loves her. She is so good with the kids. His face lights up when I mention Miss Karey.”

Her principal, David McFadden, adds, “The creativity in Miss Karey’s  classroom transformations is amazing.  There is nothing like seeing the looks of wonder in the students’ eyes as they enter the room decorated for the different themes. The students are excited to come to school each day and eager to learn.”
When asked why she first wanted to go into education, Karey explained, “I have always loved working with children! I have known that I wanted to be a teacher since I was in the first grade.”
She explains her perfect day as a teacher: “I love an engaging lesson! It is as fun for me as it is for the kids! When we are learning in a different and exciting way then they never know what is next! School should be fun, and learning should be exciting!”

Karey has been recognized for her work beyond Casey County as well, including being named Top 4 Gold Star Teacher of the Year with Get Your Teach On,  Forcht Bank and LEX18 Extra Credit Teacher of the Week, and is a member of the Get Your Teach On Magic Squad – (volunteers that work with educators across the country as professional development opportunities).

When asked why she first came to Campbellsville, Karey