Recapturing students’ attention coming off a 2-week hiatus is no easy feat. For January’s teacher of the month Coach Stevenson, however, that was no problem. Much like last month’s winner Ms. Culp, the seed was planted that a few students were going to vote for her, but the win came as a surprise overall.

“It was a huge surprise to win teacher of the month,” Coach Stevenson said. “A couple of students in my third and fifth period told me that they voted for me but I did not think it would be enough votes to win, I was really shocked.”

An English classroom is not always seen as very welcoming to some students, but Coach Stevenson understands how to get the best out of those kids.

“For my students who struggle with English, I try to be as energetic and encouraging as possible so that they feel like their opinions matter and what they’re saying is right. As long as they try, I’m always super excited for them and I try to pump them up a bit through that.”

Coaching softball and teaching high school English is a balancing act Coach Stevenson has perfected by implementing elements of coaching in her day-to-day teaching environment. When the “coach” in her shows off the field, it’s a different kind of ball game.

“All my students say I have my normal teaching voice and then I have my ‘coach voice’, and they know whenever I use it that I’m serious and they need to get it going. I’m able to split the loving English teacher and the ‘it’s-time-to-get-serious coach’, so that’s how I use coaching in my classroom.”

Without strong influences from the Clear Springs staff themselves, Coach Stevenson might not have gotten this far.

“Coach Knight, the head softball coach, was my coach when I was here for four years,” Coach Stevenson said. “She’s the one who told me I should get my certification to teach so that I could come coach with her. Without her doing that I would not be here today, so she definitely inspired me to start this career and to actually find a passion that I love doing every day. And without Ms. Sterling I would probably die in here. She helps me with everything and she’s a great team lead.”

Congratulations to Coach Stevenson on a job well done and for winning January’s teacher of the month award! Remember to vote for your favorite teachers through ItsLearning every month.