The Poplar Bluff Early Childhood Center Teacher of the Year is a truly gifted educator who quickly develops a good rapport with both students and parents, according to nominations.
Michelle Caswell has worked as a Poplar Bluff R-I special education teacher since 2015.
“I love my students, and the mission to give each student a quality education, meeting each one where he/she is at,” Caswell has said. “My goal is to develop a love for learning while instilling fundamental social skills.”
Co-workers say that Caswell works in an environment that is very emotionally demanding, with days that can be high pressure, but she handles this with a calm, loving and patient manner not everyone can master.
“Michelle has a wonderful way of connecting with her students,” wrote Traci Durham-Allen, who has worked with Caswell for more than five years. “She has the ability to help them feel supported and loved within her classroom while also keeping her expectations for progress and behavior rigourous.”
Caswell’s efforts to bring a therapy dog to the campus are also recognized by students and staff.
“Hope, our therapy dog, has been a blessing to so many students as well as to staff members,” wrote teacher Dana Allen. “I’ve witnessed the positive impact hope has made on the students, and none of it would have been possible without Michelle’s compassion and efforts to train Hope for this role.”
It required hundreds of training and licensing hours to make it possible for the campus to have a therapy dog, according to staff.
Students who drew pictures of what they loved about their teacher included images of Caswell playing with the students and with Hope.
One parent, Amanda, wrote that Caswell made learning exciting for her son, who was hesitant about attending school for the first time.
“Mrs. Michelle is always interested in the well being of each of her students,” the mother wrote. “She always makes close connections with the students and their families. She does an excellent job at getting to know her students so she can help them grow and succeed.”
Caswell is an active member of Pilgrim’s Rest Church and serves many roles within the church. She is a Missouri Baptist Disaster Relief volunteer, foster parent, Awana Bible club volunteer and Bible camp volunteer.