Leading Learning Awards

Mobile County Public Schools students, educators, schools and community partners were recognized for “Defying Gravity” at the 12th annual Learning Leading Awards at Murphy High School. MCPSS Website

It was wonderful to attend this event and to see the hard work and dedication of these students and fellow educators being rewarded. The county released a video of the experience at the end of last month. The following is my acceptance speech.

Good evening, everyone.

I first want to say thank you.

Thank you to the selection committee for this honor. To be recognized within the community I pour my heart into every single day means so much to me.

Thank you to my family and friends. You have listened to me brainstorm lesson plans and school projects, celebrated my students’ wins like they were your own, and talked me through every hard day. I wouldn’t be up here without you.

I want to say thank you to my colleagues, administrators, and staff at Davidson High School. Teaching can be lonely work if you let it be, but you welcomed me to our little community with open arms five years ago when I moved to Mobile. I’m incredibly grateful to have worked alongside you.

I also want to take a moment to recognize again the students being honored tonight. The students in our district are the whole reason we’re all in this room. They’re the whole reason I’m in this profession and they’re why I love what I do.

And as you saw, what I do is teach World Language. World language is not always treated as an important subject. But I’d argue it’s one of the most essential things we can offer our students. Because learning another language isn’t just about the words or the grammar. It’s about seeing the world through someone else’s eyes. It’s about humility. It’s about recognizing that your way of thinking, your way of speaking, is just one of thousands of ways to be human. In a world that’s more globalized and more interconnected than ever, that lesson matters. It matters in business, in medicine, in diplomacy… And honestly, it matters just in being a good neighbor.

I am so proud to be a world language teacher. And I am so proud to teach in a district that values it.

Finally, to my fellow teachers. Especially those who are early in their careers, or who’ve had a hard year, or who are quietly wondering if any of it is working. As we all do from time to time. You may not always get a thank-you. You may not see results. But what you do every day matters in ways that cannot be measured on a spreadsheet or a test score. The dedication you bring to your students and community holds immeasurable worth, independent of recognition or gratitude.

Thank you.