Traci Sanders says she felt some uncertainty the first time she got up in front of a classroom.
But the Greenwood Middle School instructional coach says she has found that students are curious.
When a teacher is new to the job, “you get up, and you think, ‘I hope that I’m able to lead them the right way,’” she said. “But what I learned, even from my very first year of teaching, is that they want to learn. Every group of students I’ve had, they have a thirst; they want to learn. And they are just so receptive to learn and to just be exposed to different things.”
Sanders, 33, a native of Mobile, Alabama, graduated from Houston High School in Germantown, Tennessee. Having always been interested in science and the workings of the human body — “anything dealing with experiments in school, frog dissection, I love it all” — she studied biology in the pre-med program at Jackson State University, earning a degree in 2012. Next she entered Delta State University to study nursing.
While attending Jackson State, she volunteered at Kids College, a day care center in the education department. Then, while at Delta State, she volunteered at Davis Elementary School on her off days and decided on a new use for her love of science.
“Once I was able to really get in the classroom and volunteer, I was able to see that the true joy and fulfillment come once the student’s able to understand something,” she said. “I think that’s the biggest thing; the reward is just seeing student success and them reaching potential that they never knew.”
She completed a master’s degree from Mississippi State University in 2016 and an Educational Specialist degree in educational administration and supervision at Delta State in December 2021.
When she began work in the classroom, a veteran teacher told her that if she got through her first day, she’d be fine — and that turned out to be true.
She first taught fifth and sixth grades at Bankston Elementary for a year and then was recruited to the middle school to teach eighth grade because of her science background.
She said she was promoted to instructional coach because of her students’ test scores and her willingness to help others.
She likes middle school because “they’re at that age where they’re figuring out what they’re going to do,” she said.
“A lot of them weren’t fond of science,” she said, “but to have them do experiments and expose them to different areas that they didn’t know but that they can get to — that’s what was the fulfillment.”
As an instructional coach, she tutors students, assists teachers with lesson plans and helps get them the resources they need.
She deals with teachers of all ages, from newcomers to veterans, but she has found that they all are receptive to new ideas.
“They’re not afraid to ask for assistance, and they’re open to learn and open for any change that’s needed for student achievement,” she said. “They all want to grow so they can be better in the classroom.”
She also is the school test coordinator, helps with technology and serves as adviser to the Health Occupations Students of America group. In that organization, “we get students interested in the health care field and teach them basic knowledge of different careers that they can get (into) and also the funding that can come with that to get them a little head start,” she said.
Sanders’ husband, Tremeris, who taught music at Davis Elementary when she volunteered there, now is Leflore County High School’s band director. They have a daughter, Melanie, who is 4, and a son, Tremeris Jr. (“TJ”), who is 3.
“My husband and I both being educators, we are strongly invested here,” she said. “We feel like our purpose is to work with the youth here.”
She enjoys spending free time with her family playing video games, going swimming and taking part in other activities. And if she has time to herself, the science enthusiast likes to watch “NCIS.”
She said she is open to pursuing a doctorate someday, but for now she is enjoying her current job. She said she works with good people and just wants to keep growing professionally.
“It’s always good to have an open mindset versus a closed mindset,” she said. “So my mindset has always been open to different things to grow and learn in this profession, so I can be a bigger impact on students.”
- Contact David Monroe at 581-7236 or dmonroe@gwcommonwealth.com.
