This article is part of a series by The Vicksburg Post, in partnership with the Vicksburg-Warren County Chamber of Commerce, featuring each of the Educator of the Year nominees.

 

Oftentimes what a child learns in a classroom goes far beyond academics. Porter’s Chapel Academy Elementary teacher Jennifer Williams recognizes the value in teaching those extra life lessons while making a child feel loved and welcome in her class.

“A lesson that defines me as a teacher is not always going to be academic. I truly believe for students to learn and be influenced you show them they are special but most importantly loved,” Williams said. “I have learned over the years that real-life connections can make a lesson more valuable and relatable to the students in the class.”

Williams is a finalist for the Vicksburg-Warren County Chamber of Commerce’s Educator of the Year award.

The Chamber will select and announce one elementary and one secondary teacher of the year at the chamber luncheon on Feb. 17. The winner of each award will receive $1,000 from Ameristar Casino and the runner-up for each award will receive $500 from Mutual Credit Union.

Williams graduated from Belhaven College with a Bachelors of Science in Education. This is her 17th year working in education but her first at Porter’s Chapel Academy. She has previously worked at Vicksburg Intermediate and South Park Elementary.

With 17 years of experience, Williams has learned how to discover exactly which lessons students are struggling with. She works to acknowledge those difficulties and help the child overcome them.

“As an educator, I thrive to look at each child and where they are academically. I study data on each child to pinpoint where they are struggling. I print data to study and look at my children and what skills I need to approach with them first. I use formative assessments to help make sure they master the standards being taught in class. These things help set a positive learning culture in my class. It helps me gauge the different learning styles and how I can always improve my instruction.”