Higgins still enjoys ‘fun’ aspect of teaching
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“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” she said. “I adored my teachers when I was little and I just loved watching them teach, probably to the detriment of my own learning.”
Her dreams of teaching were put on hold after high school, however, when she chose to start a family. She was reminded of her classroom ambitions some eight years later when as she was beginning to teach her then 2-year-old son.
With the support of her family and friends, she was able to enroll at Motlow State Community College then transferred to Tennessee Tech, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education.
Her first teaching position came as she filled a seventh-grade leave at Warren County Middle School. The following year she was offered a third-grade position at Morrison, where she has remained for the past three years.
While she said teaching third grade is great, as the students are so curious and eager to learn, she noted it is not without its pressures.
“The third grade sees a lot of new concepts and skills introduced to the students, including multiplication and cursive writing. It really lays the groundwork for learning in the upper grades. At first this responsibility can be overwhelming,” she said, adding it has gotten easier over time.
Higgins said the “fun” aspect of teaching is all she thought it would be, though many of the other aspects of the job have not met her original expectations, including the fact many factors necessary for a student’s success are out of her hands.
“I didn’t anticipate so many outside factors that would be out of my control, from the weather to their home lives, that make learning more difficult. That’s been the hardest part of the job for me,” she said.
When not with her third-graders, Higgins said she enjoys spending time with her family which includes her husband, Keith, and her two children, Tyler and Rylee. She also enjoys reading, traveling and working in her flower garden.