KYLIE MOLLENHAUER

“Children have an intrinsic right to beauty and to play.”

I am a very play-and-wonder-forward, play-based teacher. I believe that children have an intrinsic right to beauty and to play — and that God, being the Creator of everything, has a creative and beautiful side to Him. If we are to be image bearers of Christ, and we believe that these children are image bearers of Christ, then it’s our duty to give that to the children and instill it in them from a very early age.

Not to make them creative problem solvers — but to nurture that intrinsic creativity and problem-solving ability that they have. My teaching style very heavily believes in children being competent, and having a little bit of charge — autonomy — of their own learning in their own space.

She has spent over a decade in early childhood education, including years at a Reggio Emilia–inspired facility — a philosophy from a small Italian town that holds that raising and teaching children is the responsibility of the entire community, and that children are citizens now, not future citizens.

“You can’t just crack the door. You’ve got to fling it open.”

I had been all set that I was going to be homeschooling my children and be a stay-at-home mom — and I had been, for ten months. Then I saw that Warrick County Christian Academy was opening and thought, what is this? I reached out to find out a little more, got the first message back… and then I ghosted. I just left it.

A few weeks later I was praying on Sunday at church — and ironically, we were learning about doubting Thomas, which is my middle name. I prayed: You can’t just crack the door. You’ve got to fling it open. Please slam it open for me, because I am blind as a bat, apparently. We left, I had lunch, and I looked at my phone — a message saying, hey, we’re still hiring and we still have openings. I went: okay. I will reach out right now.

“There is so much amazing that comes out of being new.”

This is a new school, but there is so much amazing that comes out of being new — we all are coming with new ideas and new opinions, and we get to come together and create this space fresh, with new eyes. I truly believe that God is here in this place. He has called who He wants to be here, and made ways where there was not a way.

I’m super blessed to be getting to work with my mom — she’s one of the subs, and I haven’t gotten to work with her since 2014. It’ll be great to have her face in here. And I’m excited to have my own children just down the hallway, and eventually in my class. It’s such a family-forward place.