Some teachers teach, while other teachers inspire. Mrs. Holbert is the kind that inspires through caring about each of her students.
Mrs. Holbert is an intervention specialist at Harrison High School. She started teaching in the fall of 2005. This is her 22nd year at Harrison High School, and she loves being a Wildcat. I have had her as a teacher for three of those years.
At an early age she was interested in becoming a teacher. She had an aunt that was a special education teacher, and that sparked her interest! She also had two cousins with down syndrome, which also made her want to teach kids with special needs. She went to college to become a teacher and then studied for another 1.5 years to get her masters degree.
She loves teaching, but admits that the hardest part of her job is the paperwork. Holbert said that if she was not a teacher at Harrison high school she would still be in the education field as a paraprofessional, because the work that is being done in special ed classrooms is so important! If she had to teach a different subject, she would teach English. Her favorite part about being a teacher is working with her students, and she loves to participate in Special Olympics, where she watches them have really cool experiences. When she was little, she wished that she could work with students, and now she does!
One fun fact about Mrs. Holbert is that her kids attend this school. I asked Mrs. Holbert’s daughter Kaylie some questions about going to high school where her mom works. For her, one positive thing is that she can easily go to her for anything during the school day, without using her phone. Kaylie said “I love always being able to walk down to her room for stuff whenever I need it!” One negative thing Kaylie reported is that she is labeled as a teacher’s kid, and sometimes people judge her for that. For example, when she made varsity instead of JV, some people said that she only made the higher team because her mom is a teacher. This is a huge negative because all of the work she puts into her sports is overlooked because of her mom being a teacher at school. But overall, both Holberts like getting to spend more time together.
When Mrs. Holbert is not teaching, she loves camping and vacationing with her family. She also loves reading and swimming during her free time.
When I asked Carson Jones and Sophia Merrill, two of Mrs. Holbert’s other students, what they liked about Mrs. Holbert, they said she is kind and nice. I feel the same way! Mrs. Holbert is a really positive person who has helped me grow and learn!
