Transforming your classroom into an apple orchard full of fun and learning takes a lot of work, but Mrs. Melissa Austin says it’s worth it to inspire her students.
“What I would say to an educator about stepping outside of the box is, do it. Go for it. Enjoy teaching!” says Mrs. Austin.
We have been searching far and wide to find a unique educator who makes learning extra special, which brings us to Mrs. Melissa Austin’s classroom. She’s our next Excellent Educator, and she’s taking us to the apple orchard.
“I’m a K-5, reading and math Interventionist, here at John Colemon. This is my fourteenth year. After I went to college and graduated, I was a Youth Services Officer for Rutherford County.
My time there, I realized I need something more to help the students. I decided to become a teacher. I wanted to make them want to come to school. That’s why I do all of this. You have just entered the Austin’s Apple Orchard. What we are working on this week is counting apples. We have apple pies, and we have a farmer’s market where they are counting fruits and vegetables,” says Mrs. Austin.
“She’s awesome! We have fun with her,” say students Ulises Lopez, Macie Luscombe, and Justine Laflamme.
“I think that she deserves it because she’s very fun, and she helps us a lot with things we don’t know,” add student Anelis Mass.
Mrs. Austin tells us about other projects in her class, “I have done a ‘mad scientist’ lab and camping."
She even has her own Twitter account and Blog called "Inspire 180 Days" to help inspire other educators.
“Just to see them excited and ready to learn it makes my heart warm. The person that nominated me knows that I have a huge passion for everything that I do here. Not only did she inspire other teachers out there, but it inspired me also to keep going and keep doing what I do,” says Mrs. Ausin.
Thank you Mrs. Austin for being our next Excellent Educator.
Visit Mrs. Austin's Twitter account and blog here:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/inspire180days
Website: http://inspire180days.blogspot.com/
