Education Q&A: Susannah Moreland
Published Wednesday, May 1, 2024 at 8:51 a.m.
Helena Elementary School teacher Susannah Moreland shares what she loves about teaching kindergarten.
Please tell us about your background. How long have you been a teacher?
I'm from Shelby County and grew up in Columbiana. I competed in Miss Alabama and won a scholarship that covered my tuition. I graduated from the University of Montevallo with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. I began my first job in a teaching career as a second grade teacher at Oak Mountain Elementary School.
During that time, my husband Mitch (my fiancé at the time) was playing for the Texas Rangers. After we got married, I moved and traveled with him during baseball season and decided to take a break from teaching. When I was a child, I played teacher and played house. During her 12-year career in Major League Baseball, she was fortunate to become a stay-at-home mom and travel with Mitch and her children (Crews, Swayze, and Ledger).
How long have you been teaching kindergarten?
Teaching kindergarten kind of fell into my lap. Last year, Mrs. Holcomb gave me the opportunity to take over her position as a reading interventionist while she was on maternity leave at the beginning of the year. I fell in love with it back when I was in elementary school. That's literally everything about it. The smells the children bring, the happiness they bring, and the teachers and friendships that are built. So I took two more maternity leave jobs in kindergarten. A grade level I never thought I would want to teach. It's interesting how God works. God will put you where He wants you to be.
Helena Elementary School is special. Our community is so blessed to have great teachers and leadership. I don't think there is any other grade level that I would like to teach at this point. I love the ages and the curriculum and I love the team of teachers I get to work with and call friends.
What do you like most about teaching kindergarten?
they are interesting! At this age they are very innocent and gentle. Never tell your child anything you don't want the kindergarten teacher to know. I'll listen to everything!
And I can't say it again and again: Kindergarten teams are special. Knowing that we all support and help each other makes tough days easier.
What is the most difficult part of teaching kindergarten?
Today's kindergarten curriculum is comparable to the second grade curriculum I taught 13 years ago. The most difficult thing I am learning is the balance between making sure my students maintain the curriculum they were taught while still allowing them to be kids. It's really amazing to see how much they learn and grow, but it's also very rewarding. It's fun to be a part of their learning process. I consider it personal. If I have a student who is struggling with a certain topic, I want to know what they need to improve on.
What is your favorite activity you have done with your students so far this year?
Oh, there are so many fun things to do in kindergarten! But the cold and rain kept us indoors for weeks. Leave it to the Alabama weather to randomly show up with sunny, 70 degree days. In our PLC group, Mr. Riley, Mrs. Henderson, Mrs. Rooker, and I would pick up the kids for PE. We all looked at each other, talked about it, and decided to spend that afternoon outside teaching math and science together. When we told the class about it, their reaction and excitement when they saw the bucket of chalk in our hands was priceless.
What do you look forward to most at the beginning of each school year?
The feeling of anticipation before meeting the students. I am a firm believer that God has placed you in his life for a special reason. There is something truly special about knowing that God has hand-picked each child for your class. We may be there to teach our students, but at the end of the day, they teach us a lot about ourselves. We can see every day through the eyes of a child. We are with our students more than parents. I want my students to know that they are loved, that they are special, and that they can be anything they want to be if they work hard enough to become them. Masu.
What do you think makes Helena Elementary School a special place to work?
Kudos to the administrators, teachers, staff, and the best PTO. I can't say enough about our leadership. They encourage us and push us to be better. I don't think there is a school where teachers work as hard as they do, and you can see that in the success of our students. We support and care for each other.
CNP staff works hard to create meals that are not your typical “lunch” meal. They are phenomenal! Our paraprofessionals and assistants work every day to make sure students and teachers have a smooth day. We have the best nurses who take care of everything! Even our maintenance and management! Mr. Gary takes great care of all of us and our administrative staff are very helpful.
The team is truly like a family. We are a blessed community and I am lucky to be a part of it.