NEW HOPE, Ala. — Mrs. Kelly Freeman at New Hope High School has been teaching for 26 years, with 21 of those years being in Madison County. Over that time, her love for education and her students has just kept growing.
"I get up in the morning thinking about 'Oh I get to teach this today and I get to do this lab today! And they're really going to like that, and there is this demo I get to do and you will be so amazed by it!'" exclaims Mrs. Kelly Freeman, the Valley's Top Teacher.
Mrs. Freeman has a love for chemistry. She says she finds it fascinating. But it's a tough subject, and she knows that from experience.
"The only C I ever made in college was in Chemistry, and here I am, as a Chemistry teacher," laughs Mrs. Freeman. "So I really, truly, deeply understand how difficult it is, but so doable, so doable."
"She has helped me a lot because I am not traditionally good at science and math and I have had to come in a couple times to get extra help," shares Cam Coulter, an 11th grade student. "And that is nice, because not a lot of teachers want to come in before they are supposed to come in."
She is always checking in on her kids and staying before and after school to help them understand the material. She has created a space where kids feel safe to ask questions and grow. Her selfless actions are just one of the many reasons her fellow teachers and her students look up to her.
"I love her class honestly," says Ellie Walls, an 11th grade student. "I just, I like her aura she gives off. She is a very happy-go-lucky person."
Whether it is chemistry or one of the many challenges life can bring, she wants her kids to know they can do anything they set their minds to. She wants them to have the mindset that they will succeed.
"I am going to persevere, I am not going to give up, I am going to keep on going, I am not going to let a failure stop me, I am going to keep on," says Mrs. Freeman of how she wants her kids to feel.
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