With more than 30 years in education, 17 of them at Forest Hills Public Schools, Tammy Morris still loves being a part of the “little miracle” of seeing her kindergartners grow into learners.

Before the school year began, the Pine Ridge Elementary teacher took some time to reflect on the changes she’s seen in education, and shared why she still loves coming to work every day.

Why do you teach? “My sister really struggled to learn. We lived in Indiana at the time, so my mom took her to Butler University to get specialized reading help and I would go along. I remember thinking at that time, I sort of wanted to know how you help kids because my sister really struggled. Then when I was in high school, I started helping out in Sunday school at church with the littles. … I just sort of really enjoyed being with the younger kids and I knew from a very young age that that’s what I wanted to do.”

What is your biggest motivator that keeps you excited about teaching? “I love watching how kids grow during the school year. They come in, and they’re just so little, and they grow across everything, the whole academic scope.”

Seeing students’ progress from the start of the school year to the end, “They’re blown away, and I am too. I can’t believe it happens every year. You know you’re watching a little miracle happen every year. So I guess that’s what keeps me coming back is, I like watching that happen.”

Why kindergarten? What’s the best/most interesting thing about it? “One, kindergartners come in, for the most part, they are just so full of joy and natural curiosity. We ask them to walk down the hall and they skip, because they’re just so full of energy and joy about everything, and I love being around that energy with them.”

But it’s not only the students’ energy that Morris enjoys.

“Mommies and daddies are usually very nervous when they bring their child to you, and I like helping families, as well as kids, adjust to the school life and helping them become part of the school community, because they’re going to be with us for the next 12 to 13 years.”

To learn more about Tammy Morris, and why she teaches, read the complete story online with School News Network!