“I remember when I was 18, fresh out of Weatherford High School,” Lawson said. “I was determined to find a major that would bring me satisfaction and contentment in my quest to make my mark in the world.
During college, I worked as a substitute teacher. My happiest moments during that time was peppered with paint splotches, parent conferences, broken pencils, eye-rolls, spontaneous cheers, and heart-wrenching tears. The contentment I felt in the classroom grew because all those ‘things’ meant that, even as a substitute teacher; I was making a difference in a child’s life.”
Changes continued to happen.
“After I began my teaching career, I had an amazing experience,” Lawson added. “I taught in a classroom with six children who had cerebral palsy. I encouraged my students to do everything their friends did in the general education classrooms. Teaching children who faced profound challenges on a daily basis was difficult at times, but I was inspired by their drive and ambition, and found myself working as hard as my students did.
Picture Information
Ikard Elementary Campus Teacher of the Year Staci Lawson (left) and Weatherford ISD Education Foundation Past-President Donna Dickinson (photo by DERIK MOORE).