Ebony Durden was humbled and honored to be selected as the Eastern Shore Parents’ Teacher of the Month. She is currently a first-grade teacher at Daphne Elementary and has been teaching for just over a decade.
“I’m deeply grateful to be nominated by my students’ families for the work I get to do with their children every day,” Ms. Durden shared. “It is not something I take lightly at all.”
Ms. Durden graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Tuskegee University and a Master of Education in Instructional Leadership from the University of West Alabama. She believes everyone should be a lifelong learner and is passionate about continuing her education with a Doctorate degree in Educational Leadership.
“I love children. I always knew I wanted to serve them by helping them learn, grow, and reach their full potential,” Ms. Durden shared. “My elementary school teachers saw that gift in me early on and would assign me to work with my peers on tasks during class. I loved helping them and seeing the ‘light bulb come on’. My desire has always been to have that same type of impact on as many children as possible by taking what can be difficult concepts and making them easy to learn so that their confidence grows, and their opportunities are limitless.”
When asked to describe her teaching style, Ms. Durden was quick to share she has four core teaching values – connection, compassion, empathy, and independence. Her ultimate desire is to build relationships with her students that allow her to empower and equip them with the skills they need to be able to critically think through situations and make sound decisions.
“I have high expectations for all my students. Tracking and celebrating their growth, no matter how big or small, every step of the way helps to keep them motivated. We make a big deal about all the things in our classroom,” Ms. Durden said.
Ebony Durden is a dog mom to Sophie and Gracie and she absolutely adores them. In her free time, she enjoys reading, singing, binge-watching shows, and spending time with her family and friends.
