My name is Courtney Lyman. I graduated from the University of Arizona in 2003 with a degree in elementary education. About a month after my graduation, I had my first baby and decided to be a stay-at-home mom. In 2016, when our youngest went to kindergarten, I became a substitute teacher for Family Life Academy for two years. During that time, I subbed in every class from kindergarten through 8th grade. In 2018, I worked part time in 2nd grade and the following year I switched to full time and became the 5th grade teacher.
I absolutely love 5th grade as they’re still enjoying their childhood but are on the precipice of their teen years. We have some amazing discussions as they dive deeper into their lessons and have questions about life. By this time, they have a tremendous amount of independence, and I aim towards helping them grow in personal accountability, whether in their school work, their relationships, or their habits and skills.
This is a trait that is important to develop as they move forward to middle school. My favorite subject to teach is Bible as I believe that it is the foundation for everything else in life. Besides being a mom and a teacher, I am also an author with over twenty titles published on Amazon, so language arts is another passion of mine. I love encouraging them to embrace the process of writing and helping them to develop their own voice.
All of the rules in my classroom are directly from the Bible. These are guidance not only for school, but for life.
- 3 John 1:11a – Choose to imitate those who are doing right.
- Philippians 2:14 – Do everything without complaining or arguing.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:12 – Treat teachers/staff and classmates with respect.
- Psalm 19:14 – Our words and thoughts should be pleasing to God.
- Colossians 3:23 – We work hard on everything we do because we do it for the Lord.
- Romans 12:18 – We should strive to live peaceably with everyone.
We do several field trips through the year which may include a trip to the Presidio San Agustin del Tucson, Sabino Canyon, Feed My Starving Children, and more. Our biggest trip of the year is a 3-day camping trip to the Grand Canyon. During this trip, we learn life skills, develop initiative while serving one another, and through the curriculum, we see how the Bible and science complement each other incredibly well.
I look forward to teaching your child and partnering with you in helping them to grow into the men and women God created them to be!