Humans of SJK: Ms. Kyla Fleming

Brief Bio: Ms. Kyla Fleming earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Windsor and a Professional Graduate Diploma in Education from the University of the West of Scotland. In addition, she obtained her primary and special education qualifications from Queen’s University. Ms. Fleming lives in Fergus with her boyfriend Kyle. She enjoys traveling, coaching ringette, and spending time with her big family.

This week at SJK, the Lower School gathered for an Assembly run by the Grade 3 class. They displayed creativity, organization, and performance skills as they taught everyone in the Chapel about health and wellness. Leading the Grade 3 students to host an excellent Assembly was their dedicated teacher, Ms. Kyla Fleming, who happens to be the latest feature in our Humans of SJK series.

Ms. Fleming joined SJK as a full-time faculty member in August of 2020. The year prior she taught at SJK as a supply teacher and ended up providing coverage for several weeks, which was a great opportunity to get to know the School community. Ms. Fleming actually learned about SJK through two close family friends — Mrs. Garvin and Mrs. Bosomworth — who were kind enough to inform her SJK was hiring supply teachers when she moved home from Scotland.

This year, Ms. Fleming teaches Grade 3 at SJK, but she has also taught Grade 2. Before starting at SJK, she supply taught at Upper Grand District School Board, teaching everything from Kindergarten to Grade 6. Her favourite subject to teach is reading and writing because she enjoys listening to her students’ expression when they read aloud and loves seeing them take pride in their own writing. Ms. Fleming also notes teaching reading and writing allows her to apply some creativity to her lesson design. For example, she designed a fun and interactive game show to teach her students about nouns and adjectives.

Hands-on learning doesn’t stop at game shows in Ms. Fleming’s class. During their Forces and Energy Unit, the Grade 3 students learned about different types of forces, such as gravity and friction, by building objects and creating experiments. By conducting their own experiments, she observed her students were not only understanding the concepts, but also smiling and happy to be involved in the whole learning process.

Ms. Fleming shared a few of her favourite things about SJK. Her favourite spot on campus is the Dining Hall (a first for our series!) because it is a regular gathering place for the whole Lower School and she loves seeing all the students together. It’s also the place where she can sit and enjoy a meal with her colleagues in a tech-free part of the School where they can really be present together. In addition, Ms. Fleming’s favourite aspect of SJK is the support. She explains, “That’s what drew me to apply to SJK. Even that week when I started supply teaching, my first day was in Grade 1…and everybody stopped me, popped in the room, stopped me in the hallway, [offering] whatever you need, come find me.” The Lower School is one huge team and Ms. Fleming says, “If you’re having a bad day, people ask what can I do to help? How can I take the pressure off? Do you need a second?”

Beyond the classroom, Ms. Fleming is involved in the Varsity Program and Lower School Co-Curriculars. She coaches U14 Girls Field Hockey, which was a new sport for her, and she learned the sport alongside the athletes, applying her ringette experience to the pitch. Ms. Fleming also led the Field Hockey Club, which was a co-curricular activity for Lower School students interested in learning more about the game. It was open to boys and girls, and was a wonderful activity to get them all excited to possibly play on the SJK Varsity Team one day. In the spring. Ms. Fleming coaches the Track and Field Team for students in Grades 4-6 with Ms. Breen and Mr. Robinson. 

Being a relatively new teacher at SJK, Ms. Fleming wasn’t sure what current students would know her for, but admits, “I want them to know me for being understanding and compassionate.” Speaking about teaching in general, she admits it is a big commitment that comes with an attachment to the School, students, and community. “We are always thinking about the best way to support [our students],” says Ms. Fleming. She explains that being a teacher, for her, means being committed to personal development, thinking about how to improve, and life-long learning.