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BIRMINGHAM READING TEACHER NAMED ALFA'S TEACHER OF THE MONTH
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MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- Birmingham educator Kristie Williams recognizes that by chasing the past, people are more likely to stumble into the future. To make sure her students are well-grounded, she utilizes her class time focusing on the present. "Students need to connect what they are learning to something in the real world and be able to see the significance of learning it," said Williams, literacy coach and reading teacher at L.M. Smith Middle School. "By learning through authentic and relevant lessons, students can transfer skills into future aspirations." In addition to building lectures and activities around current affairs, Williams also has a very hands-on approach to L.M. Smith's overall curriculum. Since 2009, she has served on the school's Curriculum Design Team; assisted in the development of the Reading/Language Arts School pacing guides; modeled instructional strategies for teachers to improve academic literacy across the curriculum; and coordinated and taught reading intervention programs to sixth, seventh and eighth grade students. "Her love, passion and commitment to the students, the school and the community are reflective in her approach to being a high-quality, effective teacher," said Dr. Charles Willis Jr., principal of L.M. Smith Middle School. "She is earnest, resourceful, dynamic, honest, and a loyal educator." It's for her enthusiasm, innovativeness and genuine concern for education that Williams earned her designation as Alfa's Teacher of the Month for May. As May's honoree, she will receive $1,000 from Alfa Insurance. Her school, a division of Birmingham City Schools, will receive a matching award from the Alabama Farmers Federation. Williams earned both her bachelor's degree in communications management and her master's degree in secondary education from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. A member of the Alabama Education Association, International Reading Association and National Council for Teachers of English, Williams was recently nominated as Outstanding Teacher of the Quarter with Birmingham City Schools. During 2011, Alfa Insurance and the Alabama Farmers Federation are honoring one outstanding teacher from each of Alabama's eight state board districts, two principals and two private school teachers. Application information is available under Alfa Teacher of the Month in the Ag Links section of AlfaFarmers.org
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