Nominated Teacher Of The Year for Eugene Field School 2022 is Dana Michelle Adams. “Welcome to the greatest show on earth! I have many people ask me how I can handle teaching first grade. Well that is a pretty simple answer, it’s because I love it,” proclaimed Adams.
Adams received an Associate of Arts degree from Three Rivers College followed by her Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from Hannibal-LaGrange College in 2012. After completing her student teaching in the second-grade classroom at Eugene Field, Adams became a first-grade teacher at the school where she has remained ever since.
“It is common knowledge that Mrs. Adams has one of the most fun and exciting classrooms in the building. You never know what kind of pets, robots or science experiments will be going on in her class,” said co-worker and school interventionalist Juliana Schalk. Adams is said to take every opportunity she can to partner with the community to help expand the experiences of her students both in and out of the classroom.
“Mrs. Adams truly strives to meet the needs of each individual student in her class. With her creative approaches she is able to capture the attention and interest of even her most reluctant students,” said parent Cheri Sparkman.
Student letters all speak of Mrs. Adam’s kindness, “She is kind. We get to play board games. She is a lot of fun. She lets us have Chewie time. He nibbles.”
Adams regularly takes part in numerous activities outside of the classroom environment to enrich the lives and learning experiences of her students. She actively participates in the Butler County Fair helping students make exhibits, as well as the St. Louis Dairy Council Adopt-a-Cow program, not to mention numerous other projects and programs within the school including workshops, continuing education and training.
“I want them to learn the required curriculum as well as empathy for others. I take it as a personal challenge every year to find out as much as I can about every student and find ways to make learning a fun experience,” said Adams.