After 27 years of shaping young lives, guiding little hands, and filling classrooms with laughter and stories, Kristi Price is stepping away from the only life she ever dreamed of. “I didn’t think I would cry, but it’s a big chapter of your life to be done,” she said, reflecting on the career that became part of her identity.
Kristi began college dreaming of broadcasting. “I wanted to be the next Diane Sawyer,” she said with a smile. But, a professor said her voice was deemed “too sing-songy,” and she should find another pursuit. She turned to teaching and encountered another negative response, but she stood her ground. “I said no, I’m made for this,” and boy was she right.
She began her teaching career in Gallatin County then returned home to Carroll County Schools, where she spent 25 years at Kathryn Winn Primary. Hired just two days before school started, her first classroom was a storage room. “My mom and I pulled it together in two days.”
Kristi said with a laugh and a tear of reminiscence.
She taught kindergarten for years before moving to first grade, where she found her place. She worked with teachers such as Carol Miller, Sheri Vaughn, Chandra Yocum, Cheryl Riney, Glenda Montgomery, and Aimee Roos. “Those were the good days. They were amazing. I gleaned a lot from all of them and I learned a lot about me,” Kristi said.
She has so many happy memories during her tenure at Winn, but one of the favorite things she did with students was helping them select books and really begin to love reading and cherishing the joy of holding a book.
She also loved the first-grade walks to General Butler State Park where she roasted hot dogs and marshmallows, taking students to the outdoor classroom and the three summers of enrichment camps she operated. “We had a really, really good time,” she said with an emotional smile.
Later, she taught art, theatre, music, and fine arts.” I don’t know music. I don’t know how to play an instrument. I can’t draw worth a fart. But we had the best time,” she said with an emotional laugh.
"Kristi has been an invaluable teacher here at Kathryn Winn Primary,” said Principal Donna Monroe. “She has held many roles over the years and always took them on willingly. Beyond the classroom, Kristi has always stepped up to help anyone with anything. She will be dearly missed, but we all know she is ready for the next chapter in her life and we wish her well."
Kristi has grown alongside her students, two of whom are pictured here while they returned to Kathryn Winn for career day. “Those kids walked all over me my first year. Now I can walk in and command the whole school,” she said. She believes teaching is about heart: “You have to have heart and compassion to want to be around little short people your whole life,” Kristi said.
Her relationships with families have lasted beyond the classroom. Some of her kindergarteners today are the children of her former first-graders. “It’s a full circle moment and made me realize it’s time to go,” she said.
She fondly remembers colleagues and district traditions: “I’ve had the best time in this system. We’ve had ups and downs, like any job, but this district goes above and beyond.”
Retirement is emotional. “I didn’t think I would cry, but it’s a big chapter of your life to be done. This is all I’ve ever done.” Her last day, December 19, will be bittersweet. She plans to enjoy her grandchildren, travel with her husband Harold, read on her Kindle, work out, and spend time with her parents. She jokes, “If Buc-ee’s were closer, I’d work there after retiring.”
Through nearly three decades, a pandemic, countless students, three principals, six superintendents and seven classrooms, Kristi Price has left a lasting mark on Carroll County’s children, families, and colleagues. “I’ve loved it here. It’s time to go, but I’ve had a really good time.”