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One thing Central Arkansas has in spades is excellent teachers. On these four pages, you’ll meet an outstanding teacher or group of teachers from every district in the area: Little Rock, North Little Rock, Pulaski County, Benton, Bryant, Cabot and Conway. Hats off to these amazing men and women who are educating the next generation of Arkansans.

 

Benton School District

Marilyn Gillespie, who teaches third grade at Angie Grant Elementary in Benton, was selected as the 2011 Teacher of the Year for the Benton School District.

While in high school, Marilyn Gillespie saw how one English teacher could make a difference in the lives of students. She wanted to be just like that teacher. “She was always bringing out the best in her students with her positive comments and high expectations,” Gillespie said. “Success was the only option in her classroom. I had never experienced such an atmosphere from any previous teacher, and I thought that if I could be a teacher one day, then I might possibly provide the same experience for my students.

“My absolute favorite part of teaching is watching that very moment when a student, after some struggling, clearly understands something for the first time. Nothing could make a teacher happier, aside from watching that same student trying to pass the thrill to another classmate,” Gillespie said.

She remembers fondly a year when her students raised money to adopt an acre of the rain forest in Brazil. “It wasn’t so much about the efforts to raise the money as it was about the fact that the kiddos were so charged up to help save the rain forest and its inhabitants. When we received our certificate of ownership, they felt so important, so proud.”

Her advice to new teachers would be to steer clear of negative conversations, regardless of the subject under fire. “We have all probably been given this suggestion and have fallen short at one time or other, said Gillespie, “but it is worthy of repeating. Too bad that a positive outlook doesn’t have the snowball effect that negativity does.”

 

Bryant School District

Alicia Atwood proudly wears the title of Bryant School District Teacher of the Year. She originally went to college for a journalism degree, but changed her mind after working at Geyer Springs First Baptist Church Daycare. “I quickly realized how much fun and rewarding it was to work with and teach little ones,” said Atwood, who teaches Kindergarten at Bryant Elementary School.

While finishing her college degree, she studied under Beth Foti, a pre-k teacher at Rockefeller Elementary. “I do things in my classroom today that I learned from Beth more than 18 years ago. She made every child feel important and loved. Mrs. Foti is now retired but I still have lunch with her several times a year and I am still learning from her,” Atwood said.

One of Atwood’s favorite memories in the classroom happened on Valentine’s Day. A student, named Chris, brought her a piece of chocolate, not wrapped in paper, but wrapped in his hand.

“It was melted and disfigured, but to Chris it was just as valuable as gold. As I peeled it out of his hand, he said, ‘I brought you this because I love you.’ I placed it on a tissue on my desk. All day long, he would bring children over and point to the sweet treat. I love that he loved me so much! Being a kindergarten teacher is a blessing. You are surrounded by little people who think you hung the moon.”

Atwood has embraced technology and started a class website and tweets to her parents daily. “I send a short synopsis or photo of something we did that day. Parents love the fact that as soon as their child gets in the car after school, the tweet provides a springboard into very valuable discussions about events that happened during the school day,” Atwood said. “Recently, I made a website post during the day that our first butterfly hatched from its chrysalis. That very afternoon, a mother greeted her child and said to him, ‘Tell me about the butterfly that hatched in your room today!’ It thrilled my soul.”

She says she starts everyday with prayer. “I pray for their families. I pray that I do the best I can as a teacher to meet the needs of all the students in my room. I believe that starting the day with prayer is just as important as starting with great lessons plans.”

It also allows her to make special connections with the entire family. “At parent conferences recently, I was meeting with a mom and a dad. I had their oldest child in class previously and their middle child this year. After the conference was over, the dad said to me, ‘You know, Mrs. Atwood, you are special to us. You are a part of our family.’ That makes me so proud.”

 

Cabot School District

Nine teachers from the Cabot School District earned National Board Certification, an advanced teaching credential, in 2010. The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is an independent, nongovernmental organization formed in 1987 to advance the quality of teaching and learning by developing professional standards for accomplished teaching. To earn certification, applicants must participate in a rigorous process that includes 10 assessments and can take years to complete.

Tony Thurman, superintendent of the Cabot School District, said, “A teacher must be very focused and determined to become a nationally board certified teacher. Staff that achieve national board certification have proven through the process that they have the skills to provide an outstanding learning experience for every student regardless of the grade or subject level.” 

Those who earned the distinction in the Cabot School District are as follows:

  • Amy Adams – Mountain Springs Elementary
  • Sandy Barnhill – Southside Elementary
  • Stephanie Bibey – Eastside Elementary
  • Melissa Fureigh – Mountain Springs Elementary, Magness Creek Elementary & Northside Elementary
  • Melissa Kirkpatrick – Middle School South
  • Kristi Johnson – Ward Central Elementary
  • Lindsey MacMillian – Mountain Springs Elementary
  • Andrea Neville – Southside Elementary
  • Debbie Roberts – Northside Elementary

Melissa Fureigh, SPED teacher at Northside, Magness Creek and Mountain Springs Elementary Schools, said this about the certification process: “The experience was priceless for me, as an educator. [It] changed my teaching strategies for the better because it pushed me to incorporate multiple standards into my lessons that met the students’ needs individually.”

Sandy Barnhill, fourth-grade teacher at Southside, said that finding out she had been certified was “indescribable.” She said she felt “a sense of relief and affirmation of what [she does] in the classroom.”

Arkansas ranked eighth nationwide in the number of new National Board Certified Teachers in 2010. The state pays teachers who are National Board Certified a $5,000 annual bonus for the 10-year life of the certification.

 

Conway School District

In May 2011, Conway School District chose Kara Jones as their 2011 Teacher of the Year. Jones has been a teacher for nine years and has been a Wampus Cat for seven. During her career, Jones stood in front of the classroom as a second-grade teacher, a third- through eighth-grade music and music history instructor, and as a junior high math teacher before coming to fifth-grade math at Simon Intermediate School.

“As a former corporate accountant, and from my experience being a musician, I have always been drawn to numbers and logical processes,” Jones said of her years spent teaching math and music.

Both her mother and grandmother were elementary music teachers, and Jones feels that their love for teaching has been passed on to her. Her professors at Christian Brothers University in Memphis heavily influenced Jones’s career path as well. “The teachers I had exhibited such a passion for doing whatever it takes to be a force of change and inspiration in the world.”

Jones believes it is a privilege to be a teacher not only by “making math fun and achievable, but also making students feel valued and teaching them to be respectful and responsible.”

Her students celebrated with Jones when the faculty announced over the intercom that she won Conway’s Teacher of the Year award for the 2011-12 school year. Jones was happy to learn from her co-workers that when they announced it, the students in other classes cheered as well.

Jones, who has a Masters degree in Education and is a National Board Certified Teacher, hopes that her time as Teacher of the Year will spotlight Simon Intermediate, and that the school and Conway School District as a whole will gain recognition as an outstanding community of learning.

“The teachers, administrators and support staff are not only polished professionals, but also caring and conscientious people who work tirelessly to make their students’ lives better.”

 

Little Rock School District

Last May, the Little Rock School District chose Tamika N. Gore as its Teacher of the Year. Mrs. Gore is a Pre-Kindergarten teacher at David O. Dodd Elementary. We asked Mrs. Gore to share some thoughts on her 11 years in the profession.

  • My fondest memory of teaching?  Wow, I have so many.  It’s amazing what children say to me in conversations as I teach a lesson.  I would have to say that my fondest memory of teaching is when the language barrier is broken with my students.  I have students that come to me without knowing English at all.  It puts a glow on my face every time my non English speaking students began to talk and answer questions. 
  • Who are your teaching mentors?  Mrs. Katherine Wright Knight, my tenth grade English teacher at Parkview Fine Arts/Science Magnet and the Director of the National Board Support Site where I serve as a facilitator; Dr. Jill Brooks, my previous principal; Ms. Katina Ray, my current principal; and my Father Mr. Johnnie Barrett for encouraging me to go into the teaching profession and to always extend myself to others and reach for excellence.
  • Best thing about your school? The staff at Dodd Elementary work together to help all students become successful with their academic and social skills. I work with a group of teachers that care about children. We provide different experiences that will allow all children to grow. 
  • Best thing about your district?  My district consists of several highly qualified teachers that are reaching students were they are.  We have a diverse population that enables students to be well rounded in the community. 

 

North Little Rock School District

Jennifer Kimbrell, a Literacy Coach at Amboy Elementary, is the North Little Rock School District 2011-12 Teacher of the Year. It’s no wonder, as she recently helped secure a $1,000 Innovative Teaching Grant — Building 21st Century — from the North Little Rock Public Education Foundation for her school.

In addition to this district nod, Kimbrell was also named Blue Bell Ice Cream Company as one of the Arkansas Teacher of the Year finalists.

Kimbrell has taught for 15 years, including work as a first- and second-grade teacher before becoming a literacy couch (which she’s been for the past four years).

She says her fondest teaching memory was the year that she won a SMART Board. “I won the Making It Happen Award from the Arkansas Society for Technology in Education. I had always tried to integrate technology into my curriculum, but that year I was able to take it to the next level. My students soared through the use of technology in the classroom. Students were engaged like never before and their achievement in reading, writing and math on the standardized test and in the classroom was evident.”

Kimbrell said her life and her role as a teacher wouldn’t be the same without the mentorship of her classroom mentor and very best friend, Shari Moody.

“She died almost eight years ago of a pulmonary embolism,” Kimbrell said. “The devastation of the loss of my friend has been long-lasting, but her legacy lives on in me. She taught me the importance of connecting with my students on a more personal level. I strive to be the best that I can be because of the time spent with my special friend.”

Moody’s mentorship is complimented by the positive relationship with several other educators who’ve impacted her career, including Dr. Linda Dorn, Micheal Stone and Rosie Coleman, as well as her district family and the “many wonderful educators that have mentored me over the past 15 years.” 

 

Pulaski County Special School District

While the Pulaski County Special School District doesn’t designate a teacher of the year annually, they chose to salute Elaine Harris as their “most awarded” teacher in 2011.

Elaine Harris, the National Board Certified Teacher/Choir Director at Sylvan Hills High School, was awarded the Senior High Choir Director of the Year for the Arkansas Choral Directors Association Central Region at the Central Region All-Region Choral concerts in November.

Harris was selected by her peers in the Arkansas CDA Central Region to receive this designation, which is one of many she’s been recognized with for her chorale work in her 28 professional years (23 of which have been with PCSSD).

Harris says the best thing about her schools and district are the faculty and the feeling of community. “It is a large district yet it still has strong ties to the communities it serves,” she said. “It is an honor to work with such a great group of professionals.”

She said her teaching mentors include her own high school choir teacher, Virginia Hollingsworth, and also the other choral directors of the Arkansas CDA Central Region.

Her fondest teaching memory?

“About 10 years ago, when I was conducting A cappella Choir at an Invitational Festival, the lights went out in the auditorium. You couldn’t see your hand in front of your face but my students kept singing in the dark. It was so cool to hear the music in the darkness. When the lights came back on, the audience was giving us a standing ovation.  That was a moment you never forget.”