Meet Josh King | Kindergarten Teacher and Teacher Influencer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Josh King and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Josh, what do you think makes you most happy? Why?
What makes me happy is knowing that I’m truly making a difference in my student’s lives, and the people who follow me on social media. As a teacher, and teacher influencer, I kind of get the best of both worlds. I’m like the Hannah Montana of teachers. As a Kindergarten teacher I get to encourage kids daily, motivate them to want to learn, and keep them engaged in fun and silly ways. As a teacher influencer, I enjoy getting to act like my students and find new ways to relate to other teachers, make them laugh, and connect with the educator community. This makes me happy and brings me joy.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
As a teacher, you have to take each day one at a time. Life is journey, and there will always be good days and bad days, and the bad days allow us to really appreciate the good days. Patience is key, and it makes a huge difference in life to go with the flow and to be flexible. Waking up each morning and realizing that each day is truly a gift has allowed me to have a totally different perspective on how I teach and the kind of teacher I am. Getting to share that viewpoint with students is also incredibly rewarding.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well, I am in Bakersfield, CA and my go to spots are New Vintage Grill for the Mimosas and Grandad’s benedict, Luigi’s for the White pasta and spicy sausage, monica salad and an Aperol Spritz, Mexicali for the chips and salsa and Cadillac Margaritas, Café Smitten for the pastries and coffee, and our local theatre and art community is extremely talented as well, so probably a show or two.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would love to dedicate my shoutout to my students, past and present. After 14 years of teaching, I have had the opportunity to watch students grow, have siblings enter my classroom, see students get married, graduate, have kids, and watch the progression of their life and celebrate their successes. This shoutout is for them.

Instagram: https://instagram.com/joshuarylesking

Twitter: https://x.com/joshuarylesking

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@joshuarylesking

Image Credits
Allison Claire Imagery