WBBJ TV
April 9, 2021
GIBSON COUNTY, Tenn. It’s time to recognize this week’s Educator of the Week, brought to you by the Tennessee Education Lottery.
Jennifer Alford has only been teaching for three years. However, she has known since she was a child that it is what she wanted to do.
“My sister had a learning disability when she was younger. Seeing her struggle and helping her with that really encouraged me to become a teacher,” Alford said.
Alford is now teaching multiple subjects to her fourth grade class at Milan Elementary School. She loves what she does but says it isn’t the easiest job sometimes – especially at the beginning.
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WBBJ TV
February 8, 2021
CheTerra Rogers is a Jackson native who is starting her teaching career in her hometown.
She attended North Side High School and then got her bachelor’s degree from the University of Memphis. She now teaches second grade English and math at Isaac Lane Technology Magnet Elementary School in Jackson.
Starting her career during a pandemic may not have been easy, but she is trying her best to keep her students engaged and motivated.
“I would give them dojo points. When you push the button, it makes a ding, so I would say ‘Oh, this student is here, so they get dojo points,’” Rogers said. “Hearing that ding would motivate them to come, and they always want dojo points. It’s like bragging rights in second grade.”
WBBJ TV
January 22, 2021
Crystal McCarley is a kindergarten teacher at Beaver Elementary School in Wildersville.
She has been teaching there for 12 years, including teaching third, fifth, and sixth grade before landing in her current role.
McCarley originally did not want to teach kindergarten, but after her experience, it is now her favorite grade to teach and says she loves working with her students.
“In order to keep the students engaged, you’ve got to change things up a lot,” McCarly said. “So we’re constantly moving and doing different things throughout the day, to keep it new.”
She said her favorite thing about teaching is seeing growth within her students, especially socially. She loves seeing her students open up in the classroom.
WBBJ TV
January 8, 2021
It’s time for this week’s Educator of the Week, brought to you by the Tennessee Education Lottery.
“It was a dream that I had from being young actually, and I had some very influential teachers in my life that encouraged me and that were there for me, that made me want to do the same, “ says Denise Reynolds, a kindergarten teacher at East Hardin Elementary.
She has been teaching for over 30 years around the state of Tennessee, including McNairy, Cheatham, and Hardin counties.
“My goal has always been to make a positive impact on the lives of the children I am entrusted with. It is an honor to be a part of molding young lives in the foundation stage of education,” Reynolds said.