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 nominees for teacher of the year honors. 

Megan Carney, a fifth-grade English language arts teacher at Bovina Elementary School, uses a variety of strategies to help her students learn.

“I strongly believe that it is essential for students to be given a variety of learning opportunities that benefit them as an individual learner and how they learn best so that all students can feel successful,” Carney said. 

Carney 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. 15. 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. 

Carney began teaching in 2010 as a first-grade teacher at Tallulah Elementary School in Tallulah, La. In 2012, she taught as a second-grade teacher and then switched to a third-grade teacher in 2016 at Sherman Avenue Elementary School. In 2017, Carney was a sixth-grade teacher at Bovina Elementary. She then began teaching fifth grade in 2018 at Bovina Elementary. 

Carney received her bachelor’s degree in elementary education at the University of Louisiana at Monroe in 2010. She then obtained her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction at the University of Louisiana at Monroe in 2020. 

Carney’s different strategies involve the use of technology, real-world connections and being able to collaborate with other students.

“One strategy that I incorporate into my classroom to promote real-world learning opportunities is by using technology daily in my lessons to prepare them for our very technology-driven world,” she said.

An example is her use of online resources such as Flocabulary videos and Newela articles. She also tries to include multicultural topics during classroom read-aloud activities to help build that connection. 

Carney explained in her application a lesson on figurative language where she is able to apply all three of her strategies.

“I show students examples of figurative language by using real-life examples from movie clips, song lyrics and classic and contemporary literature to help students make connections and identify figurative language from multi-media that they already are familiar with,” she said.

She then has her students work in groups to create a presentation on other examples of figurative language and later on present it to the class.

“It provides students with opportunities to learn and practice skills using a variety of strategies that will benefit their individual learning styles,” Carney said.