IONIA, Mich. — We’re recognizing another outstanding West Michigan educator. This next Teacher of the Week is out of Ionia Public Schools, and she got quite the surprise when 13 ON YOUR SIDE stopped by.
Ionia High School Teacher, Kelly Senters, had a puzzled look on her face as she entered the room to a crowd of students and faculty cheering.
“I did not know this was happening. So, especially having all the kids in here, it’s really cool,” said Senters, who said she felt a little caught off guard after learning she’d been selected as Teacher of the Week. “I feel super honored. I think I work with the best team ever and I can’t believe it’s me that you’re talking to.”
She’s a high school English teacher, along with many other roles, and she’s had her eyes on education from the very beginning.
“I pretty much knew I wanted to be a teacher my entire life,” said Senters.
Though, she initially got a little sidetracked.
“Then I went to college and decided I was going to be a nurse. So, that didn’t really work out. It was a couple weeks. Then, I changed to a teaching major.”
Now she’s been teaching for about 10 years, two of those with Ionia High School.
“I don’t ever feel like I’m working. I come here every single day and feel like I’m hanging out with some really cool kids and we get to talk about English and it’s fun,” said Senters.
Lilly is a junior at Ionia High School, and says she’s never had Senters as a teacher but that she still has a very close relationship with her.
“She deserves it really more than anyone because she’s there for everyone. She always has such a good attitude. She just always has that warm feeling and it’s something a lot of students need,” said Lilly.
Craig Bowen is the principal of Ionia High School and said, “The staff picks on me and says I like to do assemblies, ‘Mr. Bowen likes to have assemblies,’ but I think that getting together as a big family is just as important as a small family and when we have our students here to share those experiences with our staff it just galvanizes them and helps us create those relationships that we’re trying to.”
This Teacher of the Week was full of emotion over the celebration planned just for her, saying, “Teachers don’t get called out, individually, very often for stuff. So, it’s cool. It’s cool that this is for me.”
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