Educator of the Week: Sherrie Austin

It’s time now to recognize this week’s Educator of the Week, brought to you by the Tennessee Education Lottery.

Sherrie Austin teaches 6th grade Science at McKenzie Middle School. She has been teaching there for 24 years.

“I have always wanted to be a teacher. I have never wanted to be anything else and I had some wonderful teachers here also in the McKenzie school system and I just thought I would follow that tradition,” said Austin.

It’s Austin’s fifth year teaching and she enjoys the excitement her students bring to learning. She shared that one of the best parts of teaching is the fact that each day is a new day because the students are always doing something fun or exciting. That’s not to say that teaching is always easy.

“Everybody is dealing with something different outside of school and it carries over to here and how we treat those students and how we embrace them is what makes that difference,” said Austin.

Austin wants to encourage future educators that our schools are in need of great teachers. She suggests a simple question for those deciding whether or not to teach.

“Do you have a passion for it? And if you do, you should do it. Nobody teaches for the glory, you just teach for what you can do for those kids,” said Austin.

Austin 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 Educator of the Week award, email us at [email protected].