After nearly five decades of Kites at WPSD, one has landed in the “Alumni Corner.” Her name is Bobbie Jo Kite, a proud Class of 1999 graduate of WPSD. Her parents, Mark and Barbara Kite, were also WPSD graduates (1978), and a younger brother brother, Mark, is another WPSD Alumnus (2003).
After graduation from WPSD, Bobbie Jo attended Gallaudet University. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Early Childhood Education in 2004 and completed her Master’s degree in Deaf Education in 2005. Her first teaching stint was at the Kendall Demonstration Elementary School (KDES) as a pre-Kindergarten teacher for three years. She then moved to the New Mexico School for the Deaf in Santa Fe, New Mexico for one year and returned to KDES for three more years as an Early Childhood teacher. This fall, Bobbie Jo will be starting her second year as a tenure-track faculty with the Department of Education at Gallaudet University, specializing in Early Childhood Education and ASL/English Bilingual courses.
Her five-year plan is to complete her Doctorate degree (Ph.D.) in Early Childhood and Multilingual/Multicultural Education at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. Her dissertation will focus on ASL and English Bilingual Acquisition in Homes. She hopes to contribute to the research development of ASL/English biligual Early Childhood Education for Deaf children. Eventually giving families the option of ASL/English bilingual Early Childhood education.
Bobbie Jo credits the services provided to her and her mother through WPSD’s early intervention program for giving her a solid start. WPSD gave Bobbie Jo the foundation of early linguistic access to ASL as her primary language. Today, Bobbie Jo is a bookworm. The support of every WPSD community member helped shape the person she is today.
Her best memories of WPSD include school-sponsored field trips, such as Eastern States Deaf Athletic Association (ESDAA) tournaments, Academic Bowls and Jr. NAD conferences, which allowed her to meet and develop life long friendships with other Deaf students.
When asked what advice she has for current students of WPSD, Bobbie Jo shared her daily mantra, “Work smarter, not harder.” This translates to knowing your craft and planning ahead in meeting deadlines so that you have time to do other things you enjoy. When an opportunity falls into your hands, grab it and go with the flow. Experience is what you happens when you do not get what you want. Bobbie Jo had to do gigs she was not found of, but she always learned from them. Networking is another important skill to possess as it is not only for finding jobs, but a channel for creating and supporting new ideas.
Our thanks to Bobbie Jo for taking the time out of her stellar accomplishments and sharing her life with us!
Source: The Western Pennsylvanian, Volume 125 Number 4 – Summer 2012