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FLORALA HIGH'S COLVIN CHOSEN ALFA TEACHER OF MONTH
 | | Christie Joy Colvin of Florala High |
MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- Florala High School special education teacher Joy Colvin says she thought she had this teaching thing all figured out upon receiving her bachelor's degree from Troy State University in 1998."After graduating from college, my philosophy was generally the same as the other education students -- build knowledge in students and prepare them for successful lives," said Colvin. "My idea of a successful life then was for my students to go to college and have a career. It didn't take long to realize that teaching was not only to prepare my students for college, but also to get them through daily struggles while motivating them to stay in school, and to set goals that in the end would pay off." It was that awakening that prompted a change of philosophy and earned Colvin recognition as Alfa's Teacher of the Month for November. As this month's winner, Colvin will receive $1,000 from Alfa Insurance, and her school will receive a matching award from the Alabama Farmers Federation. "Students not only look to me to guide them toward future goals and prepare them to attain their goals, they look to me as someone they can confide in, trust, depend on, and as someone who will always be there to pick them up when they are down," says Colvin, who earned her master's from Alabama State University in Montgomery in 2003 and is pursuing an education specialist degree and certification in educational administration from ASU. To help build confidence among her students, Colvin takes them to local colleges as well as career fairs that focus on students with disabilities. "Instilling a sense of pride and accomplishment in my students is something that I think is very important," she says. "I love being an educator because I can motivate and inspire students of all kinds. I do get discouraged sometimes when students who have such great potential give up on themselves. However, even just one success story makes my job worthwhile and so very rewarding." During 2007, Alfa Insurance and the Alabama Farmers Federation will honor one outstanding teacher from each of Alabama's eight state school board districts, as well as two principals and two private school teachers. Application information is available under Alfa Teacher of the Month in the Ag Links section of www.AlfaFarmers.org.
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