Tonya Nolen, Title I teacher at Dean Road Elementary School, recently received an award from the Alabama Reading Association honoring her as an outstanding reading teacher.
Nolen received her award Nov. 12 in Birmingham, along with eight others who were recognized.
Nolen helps students in kindergarten through second grade improve their reading skills with 30-minute group sessions. She offers explicit reading instructions for students who are slightly behind their peers.
Nolen said she always had a passion for teaching. She said when she was younger she felt the need to teach.
"My mom said I have taught ever since I was little," Nolen said. "I would line my baby dolls up and teach them."
Nolen earned her undergraduate degree in elementary eduction at the University of South Alabama and received her graduate degrees in elementary education and special education at Auburn University Montgomery.
Nolen has been teaching for 18 years, including first and second grades and special education.
According to Nolen, there is a difference between being a grade teacher and being a Title I teacher.
When she taught first and second grade, she said she had a self-contained classroom where she taught reading, math, science and social studies all day long.
Now, as a Title I teacher, she has six or seven small groups that visit her for 30 minutes at a time. The smaller groups allow for more personal and individual attention and help in needed areas for each child.
Ann Willett, instructional coach at Dean Road Elementary School, has worked with Nolen for three years and said the individual groups help Nolen get to know each child and their individual needs, allowing her to help the students make quick progress.
Willett said Nolen deserved the award because she is good at problem solving and figuring out steps to take to help each child reach their full potential, while also building their confidence.
"She knows how to look at kids, look at their data, and diagnose what their difficulty is," Willett said. "From there she's good at prescribing the right intervention."
As a teacher, Nolen said she has always made it her place to help children reach their full potential. She said the best part for her is watching children learn.
"My goal is to make sure that they not only learn to read, but that they love to read," Nolen said.
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