Part of an ongoing series featuring the teachers nominated for Vicksburg-Warren County Chamber of Commerce’s Teacher of the Year honors.

After spending her first 15 years in education as a teacher, Leslie Mobley decided it was time for a change.

She had taught kindergarten and third, fourth and sixth grades, but was ready to do something different. She made the switch to counselor in 2010 and is now in her eighth year as a counselor at Redwood Elementary School.

“I like helping kids,” Mobley said. “It was a natural fit to be able to help them solve problems and become the best they could be. I really like teaching and counseling, it was just something that I felt the time was right for something different and that was something I enjoyed doing.”

She may not have a classroom of her own, but that just enables her to have an impact on the entire school instead of just the small segment of students she is teaching. Her impact at Redwood has not gone unnoticed as she was chosen as her school’s nominee for the Vicksburg-Warren County Chamber of Commerce’s Elementary Teacher of the Year.

“It is a great honor for the teachers to choose me in my role and see that I am helping them in some way to educate the kids,” Mobley said of being teacher of the year.

Because she doesn’t have a class of her own, Mobley has to find other ways to build relationships with students. She makes sure to greet them in the morning as they are arriving and in the hallway as they pass by. The relationships are key as she is the person they can come to if they are struggling or need help.

“If a child has a problem of course they can come at any time. I try to meet with classrooms some and with groups of grade-level students,” Mobley said. “I try to teach kids social skills and then also do things like academically make sure kids are at a point they need to be and to see where they might be struggling. I see where I might be able to assist the teachers in things that might be affecting the student’s learning other than just academic things.”

Mobley graduated from Henderson State University in 1986 with a bachelors in education and then earned a masters in counseling from the school in 1988.

She began her teaching career in Hot Spring, Arkansas and has been working in Vicksburg since 2003.

“I enjoy working with children and I enjoy the content that is taught as well so the academics and the children,” Mobley said. “It was a natural fit to become a teacher.”

Mobley’s role as a counselor is to help prepare students for middle school. This includes making sure they are on track academically and are also growing socially during their time at Redwood.

“We use the Leader in Me and you can see the kids becoming leaders and responsible for their own learning. Seeing that helps you know we accomplished what we needed to during their elementary years,” Mobley said.

The Vicksburg-Warren County Chamber of Commerce will choose one elementary and one secondary teacher of the year at the chamber luncheon Feb. 21. 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.

“I think it would be a great honor and way to represent counselors and see that they are also an important part of the school system and educating children,” Mobley said of her reaction if she won.