By: Emily Aderhold

In first grade, LIndsey Gathright responded to a school assignment that, “When I grow up, I want to be a teacher.” She now teaches first grade at WINGS, proving that sometimes dreams do come true.

Gathright grew up in Lake of the Ozarks, and attended Camdenton schools. She recounts hiking near the spring at Ha Ha Tonka, playing outside, summers spent in the woods and in her tree house, and picking blackberries as favorite childhood memories. Navigating her way through thorny blackberry bushes was rewarded with her mother’s cobbler. Therefore, it is fitting that Gathright works with younger elementary children. They can lose themselves in their imaginations, especially when given the opportunity to free-play outside.

After graduating from Drury University with a degree in Elementary Education, she began a long-term substitute position in the WINGS office. Immersion in the testing process and interaction with gifted children led her to pursue Drury’s M.Ed Gifted Education program. After teaching the kindergarten Taste of WINGS program, she began teaching full-time at WINGS in 2014.

Ms. Gathright draws inspiration from her colleagues, student ideas, and their creative and inquisitive nature. She creates her lessons based on students’ interest, delighting as they light up while working on something meaningful to them. She believes WINGS students, are the “young gifted minds” of our future, and “need to be nurtured and challenged just as much, if not more” as other students. This motivates her to be the best teacher she can be. Mrs. Gathright feels public awareness of gifted education is essential, and believes it is imperative that all gifted students have access to a program that will best serve their needs.

Gathright is the mother of two young children. Keeping with her positive spirit, she savors the opportunity to observe her four-year old son’s blossoming personality and sense of humor. Her youngest son, now one, loves music; he smiles, coos, and sings when she plays Scott Joplin’s “The Entertainer.” In her free time, Gathright plays piano. She and her husband enjoy travelling, having recently explored London, Paris, and Venice. They also enjoy snowboarding and skiing.