Melissa Davis is WLAF’s teacher of the week

By Charlotte Underwood   

JACKSBORO, TN (WLAF) – Jacksboro Elementary’s Melissa Davis is WLAF’s teacher of the week. Davis teaches fourth grade math and science at Jacksboro Elementary School. The first of May began her 19th year as an educator.   

Davis said that it was having great teachers of her own, especially her mother, that inspired her to follow in their footsteps. 

“Throughout my childhood, I was blessed with many great teachers: Mary Lou Payne, Vickie Heatherly, Louise Wood, Ann Higginbotham, Gail Douglas, Clarence Lowe, Jo Stout, Georgea Green, and “Coach” Robbie Heatherly, to name a few. They all expected you to give your best every day, and I strive to do that still to this day,” Davis said. 

Her mother, Mary Lou Payne, was her first-grade teacher and “she was a great example of what a schoolteacher was supposed to be, I even had to call her Mrs. Payne at school,” Davis said.  

The life of a teacher’s kid meant many hours at school in the evenings and summers. It was during this time that Davis realized she was meant to be a teacher. “I enjoyed helping her prepare for activities for her students. Through working with her students over the years as a teenager, I realized I wanted to become a school teacher,” Davis said.

Her favorite part of teaching is seeing a student learn a new skill and be able to put that skill to use in their work. “I love seeing my former students grow up to become productive citizens,” Davis said.   

According to Davis, a positive from this year has been the smaller class sizes, which has made it possible to focus on the students more individually, and to see what their strengths and weaknesses were so that teachers could better suit their needs.  “The students have really worked hard this school year, because they want to be at school learning and enjoying their time with their friends. The staff has really come together from: the assistants, to the cafeteria staff, to the janitors, teachers, and support staff to make the best out of this year.” (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 06/10/2021-6AM)