NEELYVILLE — One of her own junior high school teachers inspired Madison Shearer to become a teacher.
“I had a really great English teacher when I was in junior high and I wanted to be like her,” she said.
Shearer now teaches junior high school English.
The Neelyville R-IV school district recently named Shearer as Teacher of the Year for Neelyville Junior High School.
“It is a huge honor because the students initially vote and nominate the teacher that they want,” she said. “So that’s why it matters to me, because they voted.”
The district also named the following Teachers of the Year by campus: LaMonica Moore, Neelyville Elementary; Tammy Maloy, Hillview Elementary; and Jessica Newcomb as Neelyville High School, as well as district Teacher of the Year.
Shearer has taught for five years, all of them in the Neelyville district.
Her favorite part of teaching, she said, is being able to make learning fun for her students.
“Reading and writing is not super fun all the time,” she said. “But they’re like ‘Oh yeah, we’re doing this. This was so fun.’ I really like that part.”
For instance, her seventh graders recently took part in an essay contest.
“One of them got an honorable mention,” she said. “So that’s exciting, but just to participate (was wonderful) and they all worked really hard for that.”
Outside of the classroom, Shearer lives on a farm with her family, which means she spends time out in the fields.
Shearer also has a 1-year-old daughter.
“Obviously, in the summer we’re off and so we like to go to the cabin on Current River,” she said. “We like to spend a lot of time there and just hang out with family and friends.”
Editor’s note: This is part of a continuing series recognizing area Teachers of the Year from Butler County districts.