The Alabama Teacher of the Year Program honors and recognizes excellence in the teaching profession by identifying outstanding classroom teachers at local, district, and state levels. The Teacher of the Year Program is open to any public school classroom teacher, librarian, counselor or other certified individuals in a K-12 setting. The selection process begins at the school level. What a special honor for these individuals to be selected by their peers.

The Athens City Schools Foundation looks forward to celebrating each Teacher of the Year at the annual ACSF Teacher of the Year Gratitude Banquet. The District-Level Elementary (K-6) and Secondary (7-12) Teacher of the Year will named at this special event. These teachers will then represent Athens City Schools in the Alabama Teacher of the Year state competition.

This is the 3rd installment of Q&As with the eight teachers who have been selected by their peers as Teachers of the Year at Athens City Schools.

Name: Dana Pressnell

School: Athens Intermediate School

Grade Level(s) You Teach: 4th and 5th Grade

Subjects You Teach: Librarian

Degrees & Granting Institutions:

Education Specialist (Class AA) in Elementary Education, Alabama A&M University

Masters Degree in Library Media, University of West Alabama

Masters Degree in Elementary Education, Alabama A&M University

Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education, Athens State University

Where is your hometown? Athens, Ala.

Why did you become a teacher? As a young girl growing up in rural Limestone County, I began my educational journey in Mrs. Jayne South’s first grade at Owens Elementary School. Mrs. South’s kindness and willingness to teach with her whole heart led me to believe that I could do the same thing someday. I went home from school each day and became a teacher in my own bedroom. My students were my baby dolls and stuffed animals. I helped them learn to read by using phonics to sound out their words. And just like myself, they had the most trouble with the word, “the.” As a six year old little girl, I knew that I wanted to become a teacher. I taught every chance I got and was given the opportunity as a young teenager in my church teaching the four and five year old classes. The connections that I made with these small children fueled my desire to serve in a way that filled my heart. Throughout my life I’ve had mentors, teachers and professors who have strongly influenced and solidified my belief that aside from being a mother and wife, teaching is one of the most rewarding professions in the world. In high school, my home economics teacher, Mrs. Cynthia Davis fueled my creativity, and I realized that I could integrate this into teaching even the most mundane subjects to open up new ways of learning for my students. In college, Dr. Betty Dean Newman gave me the confidence to believe that “the classroom” can be a magical learning environment. Her favorite saying was, “Marinate the children in good literature.” I was given the opportunity to put my theories and beliefs into practice as a student teacher at Brookhill Elementary in Mrs. Alice Beaty Tiller’s first grade classroom. Mrs. Tiller was my biggest cheerleader and throughout the year my confidence grew, along with my relationships with the students. Today, when I see one of my first students from Mrs. Tiller’s class, they share a memory or remind me of the time that I was their “teacher.” Taking some time off during my career to raise my own children, led me to seek the path to become a librarian. Now, I spend my days instilling the love of reading to students who might not otherwise pick up a book. I get to teach in partnership with other classroom teachers but most importantly, I get to build relationships with my 600+ students each day. Hanging outside my Athens Intermediate School library door, is my first grade school photo from 45 years ago with my quote, “When I grow up, I want to be a teacher.”

How many years have you been a teacher? 15 Years

How many years have you been with Athens City Schools? 15 Years

The best part of my day is: How can I choose only one part of the day when I have little nuggets of golden moments throughout the school day? One of the best parts of my day is greeting our students each morning in the hallways. Their smiles, high fives and hugs, along with dancing and singing to their favorite music creates a positive environment to start their day. This lets each student know that they are welcomed and loved. As students visit the library, their smiles and laughter brighten my day especially when they go shopping for new library books. As their library teacher, seeing the light bulb go off while reading a new story or helping them with research brings me joy. And I love how my number one library assistant, Mrs. Kathy Brooks, helps me with all of my shenanigans. We recently read and learned about unusual libraries all over the world. How would you like to get new library books from a camel or on the beach in a wheelbarrow? Would you like to visit a cave library in China? My goal is for our library to be just as exciting. As I was going through college to become a librarian, I knew that I didn’t want a traditional, quiet space as just a source to check out books.

Fortunately, our Athens Intermediate School library is not a “shhhh” place but has become the hub of our school. We recently set up our AIS library as a Genre Cafe. The entertainment was a puppet show, written and performed by myself and our English Language Arts teachers. Students learned about various book genres in our library. Working with a “twin,” they competed in a library scavenger hunt. This helped the students begin to learn their new library and where some of their favorite books are located. The follow-up lesson included Detective Gumshoe. Students used clues from an interest survey to help them better understand themselves, their interests, and the types of books they may enjoy.

Several students came up to share how they are now hooked on a new series of books and are eager to hustle over to Beanbag Island (it’s ginormous) to start their new reading adventure. Our AIS Library is a place of vibrant learning. When students tell me that our library is their favorite part of their day, my heart explodes.

Who has been your greatest source of inspiration? My greatest inspiration would be my parents, Herbert and Becky Sides. They each worked in the cotton fields, quit school at an early age, but worked hard to provide for my brother, Darren, and myself. Daddy realized being happy in a career was more important than security. Having four family members to support, he made a gutsy move to follow his dream and opened a body shop. It wasn’t always easy, but it was always worth it. My parents understood the value of a good education and an honest days’ work. Their expectations were that academics mattered. We were expected to earn good grades and become college graduates. I’m grateful for their work ethic, and the importance they placed on time with family. In the education world, Mrs. Shane Leopard and Mrs. Carla Daws continue to inspire me as an educator. Shane has been with me since my very first day of teaching, and Carla was instrumental in my pathway to become a librarian. When I need advice or I’m bursting with excitement about my job, I call them first.

I hope to inspire my students: I hope to inspire my students through example. I often show up in the library wearing a silly wig, outlandish clothes and other props such as puppets to promote literacy or support school events. As the school librarian I realize that I am competing for students’ interests on a daily basis from outside sources such as social media and technology. Once I have students’ attention, I can then encourage them to find their own interests, to be kind and build relationships for lasting friendships. Through literacy, I can inspire students by suggesting the perfect book. In our library I encourage students to “Be curious! Laugh, Learn and Read!” For 4th and 5th graders, a new school can be intimidating. However, the AIS library is hopefully a safe and happy place for everyone, and a source of inspiration to be the best.

What advice would you like to share with new teachers? My advice to new teachers is to remember why you chose this profession. There will be really, really hard days. Not everyone was called to do this profession. It requires the heart of a servant to love on other people’s children and commit to teaching them when it seems overwhelming. Education trends will forever be changing. Have an open mind but trust yourself to know what is best for teaching your students. You were made for this. Find your support system. Don’t take it so seriously that you rob yourself of the joy of working with young people. It truly is a gift. (And don’t forget to turn off your mic when you head to the restroom.)

What is your greatest hope for your students? My greatest hope is for every child I come in contact with to know that they are loved and valued. To know that each person has been given a set of gifts and talents; we are all unique.

Success can look different for each person. I hope every one of my students grows up to work in a career they enjoy and to raise a beautiful family they love. I hope something I have taught or shared brings them joy and an eagerness to continue to learn new things as adults.

Tell me about your family. I have been married to my high school sweetheart, Mike Pressnell, for 31 years and our children are Harrison Pressnell (& daughter-in-law Cami), Hamilton Pressnell and Huntley Pressnell.

What are your hobbies, interests or other things you like to do as an individual or as a family? When I’m not doing fun library-related “stuff,” I have a lot of hobbies that I enjoy doing with our family: running, being outside by the pool, hiking and pickleball (we’re learning). My wonderful husband and I cook Sunday lunch or dinner for our family to carry on the traditions of my Grandmother Sides and my mother-in-law, Maw (Linda Pressnell). We have “all the fixins’” for a big family meal. Each person has their one favorite dish, so that makes for a lot of dishes each Sunday. Our family loves to travel, mostly to the Caribbean or Mexico. We love learning about new cultures, the food, and relaxing in the ocean while reflecting on our favorite memories, hopes, and dreams and, of course, Alabama Football.

Reading and listening to music help me relax; we love going to country and contemporary Christian concerts. My mom and I love to go thrift shopping and flea markets. It’s how we furnished most of our house and my wardrobe. And strangely enough, I enjoy cutting grass, all 5 acres of it!

Favorite Quote: “Three things will last forever- faith, hope, and love– and the greatest of these is love.” — Corinthians 13:13 (NLT)

Anything else you would like to add? Sometimes our AIS students meet and interview other people all over the world. We call this a Mystery Skype. Our job is to give clues about our location while trying to guess the location of our guests. One of the questions that we like to end our interview with is, “You should have asked me about …” and the mystery guest fills in the blank. I would say to you, “You should have asked me about sewing machines, milking cows and cracking codes.”

It is the season of Thanksgiving. For what are you most grateful? Sweet potato casserole — the kind with the pecans on top. Plus, I’m thankful for my beautiful family and our pets, our good health, a job with amazing coworkers and a Savior who forgives.