Annette Friday: CUES Teacher of the Year!

Columbia Upper Elementary sixth grade teacher Annette Friday was chosen as the Teacher of the Year by her fellow teachers and staff members.  Each and every day she gives 100% to her students.  She says that, “My foray into teaching began with the hope of making a difference in the lives of children.”  This statement is obvious when you watch her with her students.  Columbia Upper Elementary principal Jennifer VanWagnen mentioned that Annette is a caring teacher and continued by saying, “Mrs. Friday is very accommodating to individual student needs and she designs her instruction accordingly. She frequently uses small group stations in her classroom. Mrs. Friday spends hours crafting her lesson plans, and has created new lessons that require higher-order thinking and application.”

Annette works with her students to support them as they grow and mature.  She works with them to help keep them focused on becoming successful, both in school and in life.  She said that she firmly believes that her students can achieve anything they set their minds to do.  She continued by saying, “My hope is to create a classroom experience of collective courage as we all stretch ourselves, make mistakes and grow. It’s not just about growing academically but evolving as human beings whose purpose goes beyond the classroom and into the world as a whole.”

Columbia Upper Elementary is fortunate to have Annette as part of the teaching team.  She brings an energy and positive spirit to the school.  She mentioned that she loves teaching at Columbia “because I am surrounded by caring professionals who lift one another up and share this passion.”  Principal VanWagnen talks about Mrs. Friday with great respect for her ability to communicate with her students and her drive to continue to improve her own knowledge of teaching.  She said, “Mrs. Friday is a lifelong learner. She works diligently to expand her repertoire and knowledge of both pedagogy and content specific information.”

As we celebrate Mrs. Friday as the CUES Teacher of the Year we appreciate her diligence and intense spirit of caring and consideration of her students’ best interest.  She commented that, “Ours is an environment where we seek out opportunities to share insights and strategies with the ultimate goal of serving our students with excellence. I want my students to know that I am invested in helping them to be the best version of themselves they can possibly be.”  Thank you Mrs. Friday for all you do for our precious Columbia students!

If you are interested in learning more about Columbia Schools, email Pamela.Campbell@myeagles.org or call 5175926641.