Educator of the Week: Sarah Simpson

It’s time to meet our Educator of the Week, brought to you by the Tennessee Education Lottery.

Sarah Simpson is a 4th grade teacher at Thelma Barker Elementary School in Jackson. She teaches science and social studies, and says she loves seeing how the kids show enthusiasm during the science lessons. She also tells us what she enjoys about social studies.

“When you find the stories and find the interesting little tid-bits, and they connect to it and actually really enjoy it once they get into it,” Simpson said.

Simpson also talks about why she became a teacher.

“Because I didn’t want to do anything else,” said Simpson. “I prefer to work with students of different abilities and different age levels and different backgrounds. That to me is the best reason to get up and go to work everyday.”

Simpson says that her main goal as a teacher is to encourage the students that they have so much to learn and that they are capable of doing so.

“I hope to provide them with a positive learning environment. And for them to feel like they can succeed in something. Because many of them come in and say ‘I’m not good at this’ or ‘I’m not good at that, and I say ‘well that’s okay, nobody starts out good. You have to practice and you get better.'”

Simpson has been teaching for 17 years. In that time she has taught first through fourth grade, and even online during the pandemic.

Simpson is now eligible for the Tennessee Education Lottery Educator of the Month award.

To vote for her or any other nominees, go to the Tennessee Education Lottery website.

To nominate an educator for our weekly award, just email us at [email protected].