After serving as a fourth-grade Science teacher at J.B. Stephens Elementary School in Bangs a year ago, Madi Moore is moving to fifth grade Science and Social Studies in her second year with the school district.
“I was given the offer to teach science last year and I took the opportunity,” Moore said. “I fell in love with the subject and school district, so this year when I was given the opportunity to continue in science I knew I wanted to take it.”
Moore’s desire to become a teacher developed during her childhood.
“From a young age I knew that I wanted to become a teacher,” Moore said. “I have always had a love for guiding and helping others. During school I was always the kid who wanted to help the teacher. I was interested in learning how the teacher made the lessons and why. When I started college I was still unsure of what I wanted to do, I tried a few different paths and none of them led to happiness. Finally, I started taking some education classes where I fell in love and knew that this was the path for me.”
Moore attended Bangs from kindergarten through 12th grade, and later graduated from Angelo State.
Reflecting on her days as a student, Moore said, “When I was in school I was blessed with many teachers who helped to influence my decision to become a teacher. Starting from kindergarten, Debbie Page, helped me begin my love for teaching and guiding others. This continued into second and third grade with Jody Knickerbocker and Linda Burns. I was able to see the love that these ladies had for teaching and they expressed that to me, and were willing to show and help me even at a young age.”
The most rewarding aspect of teaching, according to Moore, is, “The relationships that I get to build with my kids. There are so many students who don’t have anyone at home that they can simply talk to, so being that person for them and allowing them a place where they can just feel safe means so much. By building relationships with the kids it makes it easier for them to trust me, and it also gives the students more willingness to listen and be susceptible to learning.”
When it comes to her future as an educator, Moore said, “The part that excites me most about the future of teaching is just continuing to make an impact in the lives of these young children in a way that is not only academics. I am also excited to continue learning new ways to improve my teaching in the classroom, and techniques I can use that will be beneficial to my students.”
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BrownwoodNews.com will highlight one Brown County educator per day in the month of July, based on nominations received on our Facebook page, for our Teacher Feature series.