HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — One second-grade teacher has the reputation for teaching with passion. So, it was no surprise when we found out it was her dream to be one when she was once a child.
Meet this week’s Valley’s Top Teacher from Whitesburg Elementary School, Anna Pruitt!
For Pruitt, every year “Every group of kids is different,” she said.
She believes it takes a different kind of approach to reach her students. "I know what makes them tick. I know when they get it. I know when they're struggling and they don't want to ask for help which is always my main goal every year that I get new students."
So when Pruitt’s children are not on the swing or hanging from monkey bars, “There’s a lot of singing and dancing in my room. A lot of singing and dancing. We make songs to everything,” she said.
This is Pruitt’s fourth year of teaching. The onset of her teaching career was defined by COVID.
“I had kids in my classroom up until March, and the day the world shutdown was really difficult. I didn’t have them back in my room again,” she said.
However, it didn’t stop her to press past the pandemic and fulfilling her lifelong dream. “I’ve always wanted to be a teacher ever since I was a small child, before that I wanted to work at a grocery store. That was what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wanted to type on the keyboard and wear those long press-on nails!”
“But, God had other plans and he was like hey you are going to love kids your entire life and you’re going to be a teacher,” added Pruitt.