High school teacher Andrea Cox has had a busy summer.
Technically, she is always busy. Cox is an educator of 13 years and currently teaches all senior high food classes at Poplar Bluff High School. She and her husband are involved in multiple charitable and community organizations in Butler and Carter counties. She also volunteers at PBHS by organizing the annual Block Party and co-sponsoring Future Teachers of America.
Toward the end of the last school year, she was one of five educators named a Teacher of the Year for Butler County and rose to the top as District Teacher of the Year. As school got out, the recognitions came in — by the time this school year began Cox had attended a banquet, received a congressional resolution, been recognized at Poplar Bluff’s annual teacher convocation and won a $500 grant.
As someone who works behind the scenes, the praise was a lot to take in.
“It’s been nice,” she said. “Very humbling. I said to someone that we work and we really do want to be recognized, and then when we finally get it, it’s overwhelming.”
As a District Teacher of the Year and at Rep. Darrell Atchison’s invitation, Cox attended a Department of Elementary and Secondary Education banquet in Ellsinore. She was not named a Regional Teacher of the Year, but received yet more praise when Atchison presented her with a congressional resolution recognizing her academic and community efforts, which include the Redbird Pack Program, Ellsinore Pioneer Museum and the Bread Shed.
“It was pretty surreal actually, when Darrell reached out to me. I’ve known him and his wife, Joanna, for years and I was really surprised,” she said, and described receiving the resolution as “awesome.”
Over the summer, Cox and fellow teacher Hilary Taylor kept busy by applying for a $500 grant from the Missouri Retired Teachers Association (MRTA) to benefit the Advanced Foods Class. They found out their application was accepted during R-I’s annual Teacher Convocation this month when the MRTA announced the winners. Cox was so surprised she did not even notice Superintendent Dr. Scott Dill was meant to present her with a plaque for her previous District Teacher of the Year award.
“While I was down there, Dr. Dill’s like, ‘Hey, stay here.’ It was actually on the agenda to recognize me... I didn’t even realize it because I couldn’t believe I got the grant,” she said. “I was really surprised that I received one the first time (I applied) and then he handed me my plaque for District Teacher of the Year.”
Cox teaches a few different culinary courses. This grant money will help teach students in her advanced class valuable preservation skills like blanching and freezing vegetables, pickling, making freezer jams and cooking jellies. She believes preserving food is especially valuable since, according to a USDA statistic, America wastes between 30-40% of its food.
“I felt like we need to teach early, how to do those things, so people’s money will go further. And it helps with budgeting, planning meals. If they garden down the road as adults, they will have a way to preserve their food,” she said.
Cox believes she would not be the teacher she is now without the support of Poplar Bluff Schools.
“There’s tons of trainings that are available to us. We have our instructional coaches and they also do our technology, help us with programs, and it’s just been a wonderful experience to work there. I plan on staying forever and ever and ever,” she laughed. “They’re there to help and they give us the support we need in the classroom. And that’s why I feel that I’ve been so successful, is because of that support from administration and staff all the way around.”