Voters choose Reinardy as Redmond’s Best Teacher in contest

Published 2:00 pm Friday, August 23, 2013

Melissa Reinardy has always been a people person and knew from a young age that she wanted to work with others in a care-giving role.

So as a girl growing up in Grand Rapids, Mich., the two professions at the top of her “what do you want to be when you grow up” list were nurse and teacher. But when she was in sixth grade, she watched a video of a surgery in class and fainted at the sight of the blood. And like that, nursing was no longer an option.

The moment teaching became her clear career path came in high school when she worked in an elementary school classroom for children with autism as part of an independent study class.

“Maigunn is the name of the little girl who captured my heart during my high school independent study class when I got the privilege to meet her as a fifth-grader,” Reinardy said, who teaches first grade at John James Audubon Elementary School in Redmond. “It was my experience with Maigunn (and her teacher) that put me on the path to becoming a special education teacher. I just loved these kids and wanted to be a part of advocating for their needs.”

Reinardy was a special education teacher for two years in Michigan before she moved to Washington and began teaching at Audubon in the Lake Washington School District. She has been there ever since, starting as a special education teacher and switching over to first grade in 2002.

“I work with outstanding teachers every day during the school year. I’m always learning from others and hope to never stop learning,” she said about why she has stayed at the same school for so long. “My school community is very supportive and encouraging, which is why I’ve been in the same place for 17 years.”

Reinardy’s high opinion about the Audubon community is reciprocated as she was voted Best Teacher in the Reporter’s Best of Redmond contest in July. This is the first year the contest has had this category and Reinardy said, “it truly is an honor.”

“For those who voted for me, thank you,” she said. “I am deeply honored and appreciate your kind recognition.”

Reinardy said she shares the honor with her colleagues at Audubon as the teachers at the school always share ideas with each other and she is always learning something from them — whether they are longtime teachers or new to the profession.

“I work with the best teachers,” she said. “I feel very lucky to be where I’m at.”

Reinardy, who lives in Bellevue, said her favorite part of her job is the relationships she builds with her students and seeing how much they grow throughout the school year.

In first grade, she said, many things are still very new for the kids at the beginning of the year. Teachers have to teach more than what’s in the curriculum. They have to show students how to line up properly, organize their desks, hang up their backpacks and coats and more.

“There’s just so much going on,” Reinardy said.

Although she loves her job and said she can’t think of anything else she’d rather do, being a first grade teacher does have its challenges. Reinardy said you always have to keep the kids busy — which shouldn’t be difficult for someone who would bring a bag of arts and crafts with her to her babysitting jobs when she was younger.

“In these primary grades, you can’t have downtime…otherwise they’ll take over,” she said.