Poplar Bluff Middle School teacher of the year Kathy Pattillo says once someone is in her class they will always be her student, no matter how much time passes by.
"I always reassure them, if there is a time when something comes up and you have no one to turn to and you need help, whether it's academically or something in life, I am here. You know where to find me," Pattillo said.
For the 25-year veteran educator, that equates to quite a list. She realized that upon sending a social media message asking former students to drop her a line and a photo and let her know how they are doing.
"I sent a Facebook message out and asked former students to send me selfies. I was absolutely amazed. I cried and laughed at all the things they remembered," Pattillo said.
Poplar Bluff kindergarten teacher Lauren Duvall was a fifth-grade student of Pattillo some years ago, and inspired by her to become an educator.
"I come from a long line of educators, but hadn't though much about becoming a teacher until I had Mrs. Pattillo. During my year in Kathy's class, we had students who had troubled home lives and had fallen behind," Duvall said.
"She asked if I would sit by them and help them with the material when we had breaks or if I got done early. This job she gave me helped me see myself as a future teacher and made me feel important," she said.
Pattillo decided to seek a career in teaching after working as a lifeguard and giving children swim lessons.
"I enjoyed working with the kids and watching them learn from going from the shallow into the deep end. And that's basically what I do today - I watch kids go from the shallow end to the deep end not just academically, but socially and emotionally," Pattillo said.
"Our teachers wear many hats these days, so we are not just that academic figure anymore. We are a stability figure for many kids," she said.
Pattillo began teaching in 1990 at Woerther Elementary in Ballwin, Mo. and came to Eugene Field Elementary in 1996. She left in 2012 and taught at Greene County Tech Elementary in Paragould, Ark., and Southland Junior High near Senath, Mo., then returned in 2015 to teach English and geography at the middle school.
After a lifetime of teaching, Pattillo says the most rewarding part of her job is when students let her into their lives.
"Some children come to you and will allow you to establish that rapport very quickly. Other kids - because of what's happened to them in their life - it's a longer process. It takes time and devotion and a lot of convincing that I'm not going to leave them, I'm not going to abandon them, I am here no matter what," Pattillo said.
"The most rewarding thing is when I finally see they believe me. They trust me," she said.
However, Pattillo says it is also challenging to learn all the individual needs of the 100-plus students in her care.
"Some kids have solid academics, but you can tell they need help socially. Others kids are very social, very personable and get along with everybody, but have academic needs and gaps we have to give our full attention to," Pattillo said.
"Other kids may have social needs and academic needs and have a lot of scars. They have come in with emotional needs and assessing and figuring out how I can meet those needs is the biggest challenge," she said.
Pattillo also finds time to help mentor new teachers, mentor struggling students and was instrumental in the recent formation of the school's safety patrol. She does this while currently working on a master's degree in education administration at William Woods University.
Regardless of her own academic achievements, Pattillo says she will work wherever the district and the students need her the most.
"If they need me in the classroom, this is where I will be. If they need me doing interventions, that's where I will be. If they need me to develop new teachers, that's where I will be. If they need me to be a principal, then I'll fill that need as well," Pattillo said.
"This is a service. My job is to be of service to everyone around me - my students first," she said.
When Pattillio learned of the award she was honored, but said that all her fellow teachers are just as deserving.
"I have the honor of working in an amazing building with some gifted and talented teachers. I get to see what they do, day in and day out, and any one of them could have had this honor. I am not any more special than they are. So I was very surprised and humbled. They deserve this honor more than I do," Pattillo said.
Poplar Bluff Teachers of the Year are nominated by students and staff and selected by a committee. Awards are given on the district level, grade-span level and building level yearly to honor educators exhibiting outstanding dedication to student success.
The Daily American Republic is currently running a series of articles honoring Teacher of the Year winners at each building in the Poplar Bluff school district.