Michelle Grainger is new to teaching second grade at Daphne East Elementary School and she is making quite the first impression. Being described as a fantastic teacher who truly cares about each and every student is what landed her our Teacher of the Month award!
“Mrs. Grainger pours her heart into these kids. From the first day her students walked into that classroom they were ‘her kids’,” shared Sarah Haigh. Sarah’s son, Gabe, is a student in Mrs. Grainger’s class and she is the room mom this year. “She has made all the new challenges of second grade fun and easy for the children. She truly loves what she does.”
While Mrs. Grainger is new to teaching at Daphne East, she spent her first seven years teaching in Mobile County.
“I love being able to finally teach in the community I have lived in for years. I can remember being in preschool and deciding then that I wanted to be a teacher. I’ve always loved education and helping others learn. I get to do what I love every single day. It’s a very hard job, but it is rewarding!”
shared Mrs. Grainger
Her preschool dream turned into reality when she graduated from the University of South Alabama with her Bachelors in Elementary Education. She also has a certification in K-6 Special Education and plans to further her education with a certification as a reading specialist.
“My passion is reading and teaching kids to be better, more fluent readers,” she shared. “I love it when I see growth in my struggling students. It’s truly the most rewarding thing in the world to see a child who struggled so badly to read finally grasp the skills and begin putting it all together.”
While teaching academics in a way students understand is every teacher’s dream, Mrs. Grainger also hopes her students will learn things like kindness and showing respect for others. These are life skills that she feels are necessary as they grow into their own beings.
When asked what her students have taught her this year, Mrs. Grainger shares, “My students have taught me how to be patient. They’ve also taught me a lot about Minecraft and Dog Man, but mainly how to be patient.”
Michelle is married to the love of her life, Robbie Grainger. They have two amazing children: Amelia (4) and Emmett (3). The Graingers love to do experience type things together. With two small kids, a lot of their hobbies include going to parks, zoos and playing mini-golf.
