Teacher re-starts career at Lakeside, covering three different areas of study

Lakeside Elementary teacher Tanika Lenz doesn’t work out of a classroom. 

Instead, the part-time, art, band and physical education teacher moves around the school, rolling art supplies into classrooms on a cart and appearing in the music room when it’s her to turn to teach band.

It’s not a traditional teaching job and requires thinking on her feet, and a lot of flexibility, but for Lenz, it’s perfect.

“I love all aspects of what I’m teaching,” she said.

Lenz received a degree in elementary dducation from the University of West Florida. She taught for several years before meeting her husband, a search and rescue pilot with the Navy.

After have four children the family moved around with the Navy. Lenz stepped back from teaching and spent eight years focused on being a mom.

Her husband has now finished with the Navy, and the Lenz family has settled in the Flathead.

“We always knew we would settle down here once we got done with the military,” Lenz said.

She began substitute teaching at Lakeside in January, and was hired as the band teacher for the current school year.

Since she accepted the job, her position has changed. She splits band instruction with another teacher, teaches art in 18-day rotations and helps out with kindergarten and first grade physical education.

She said she’s grateful to be getting back into teaching and have the chance to work with kids.

Lenz wasn’t planning to become a teacher when she went to college. She received a track scholarship at West Florida and changed her major often, she said. She settled on teaching, knowing it would work well with raising a family.

“I knew one day I wanted to have a family and kids,” she said.

Three of her children are in school at Lakeside, and her oldest attends Somers Middle School.

“It seems that they’re proud to have me here,” she said.