People with Purpose: Kayln Hoppe

Most students can name a teacher they’ll never forget. But before that teacher ever steps into a classroom, someone must show them how to teach. That’s where Kayln Hoppe comes in.

As a teaching assistant professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and 2025 recipient of the K-State Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award, Hoppe focuses on creating learning environments where students grow into the best versions of themselves as both students and teachers — finding her purpose in building lifelong learners.

Q: What is your favorite way to serve your profession?

Hoppe: My favorite way to serve my profession is to continue learning alongside my students. I make it a priority to keep my knowledge current in the areas I teach, especially elementary literacy methods, arts integration and teacher pedagogy. As a lifelong reader, I find so much joy in engaging with children's literature and scholarly work. Bringing that learning into my classroom allows me to share new ideas with my students and explore them together, ultimately helping them prepare to be thoughtful, well-informed educators. For me, this ongoing learning is one of the most meaningful ways I can contribute to my field.

Q: What is one thing you do to make campus more welcoming?

Hoppe: One way I work to create a welcoming space is by prioritizing open, authentic dialogue in my classroom. I want students to feel that their voices, experiences and perspectives are valued, so I intentionally create opportunities for conversation and connection. When students know they are heard, it helps build trust and a more supportive, inclusive learning environment. When that environment is created, they then feel comfortable asking difficult questions, taking risks and being themselves.

 

Q: What is one student interaction that stayed with you long after the day ended?

Hoppe: Earlier this semester, I read the children's picture book "The Yellow Bus," by Loren Long, to my EDEL 461: Science of Reading II class. The book's subject is a yellow school bus that is used and repurposed through time, highlighting the idea that as time passes by and circumstances change, the impact we have on others continues to matter. The reaction my students had to this book is one I will remember for the rest of my life.

Many of them were deeply moved and engaged, thoughtfully reflecting on the book's message. It created a powerful moment in the classroom where students were fully present, thinking critically and engaging in meaningful dialogue around a shared idea. This is every reading teacher’s dream!

Q: Aside from your job, what do you engage in at K-State to feel a part of the community?

Hoppe: One of my favorite ways to engage with the K-State community beyond teaching is through my collaboration with Tiffany Coetzee, a career engagement consultant in the K-State Career Center and liaison to the College of Education.

She organizes meaningful, authentic events that support our preservice teachers as they prepare for their careers, and I am grateful to work alongside and learn from her. Being part of these efforts allows me to connect with my students outside the classroom and support them in new ways. It also helps me feel more connected to the school districts that will eventually hire my students and the broader K-State community, as we work together to mold the next generation of teachers.

Q: What challenges are you currently trying to solve through your work?

Hoppe: A major challenge I focus on in my work is addressing both illiteracy and aliteracy, especially given the literacy challenges we're seeing across the country today. While illiteracy refers to the inability to read and write, aliteracy reflects a lack of interest or motivation, even among those able to do so. I'm passionate about helping future teachers develop the skills to teach literacy effectively and creating classroom environments that inspire a love of reading. To me, both pieces are critical to shaping lifelong readers and to addressing the broader literacy challenges we face today.

Q: What do you hope your K-State legacy will be?

Hoppe: I hope my K-State legacy is one of fostering a genuine love of reading in my students. I want to be remembered for the books I shared, the conversations they sparked and the ways those experiences shaped how my students think about literacy and learning. If my students leave my classroom not only better prepared as educators, but as lifelong readers who carry that passion into their own classrooms, that means everything to me.