SPRING LAKE, Mich. — Our newest Teacher of the Week teaches her kindergarteners to have a “can do” attitude in the most adorable way. Shortly after we surprised Melanie Kohley at Jeffers Elementary School in Spring Lake, she said she was, “Just completely shocked. I had no idea this was coming but very grateful and appreciative. What a cool honor.”
Shelley Peets is the principal at Jeffers Elementary. She said, “Melanie is one of the most deserving teachers of this award that I could ever imagine. She is so kind, passionate.”
Kohley is originally from Muskegon and a Michigan State University (MSU) graduate but she had to go much farther to get her start in teaching.
“I got my first teaching job, though, in Navasota, Texas, back when teaching was hard, and you had to move away to find those jobs and then came back this way to be back with my family,” said Kohley.
Principal Peets told 13 ON YOUR SIDE, “She loves those kids, and you can just see that joy when she is with them, at all times, and for her to be recognized, she certainly doesn’t ask for it. She feels it’s an honor to be here and an honor to work with these kids.”
“This is my fourth year in kindergarten and my very favorite thing about this age group is they make me laugh every single and there’s nowhere else I’d rather be,” said Kohley.
Though she says her love for the job is about more than just the students.
“I very much enjoy working with all of these incredible people, but I love the creative outlet that teaching allows for,” said Kohley before adding, “There’s never a boring day and every day is so completely different.”
“This is the most important profession out there and we are in the business of shaping lives every day,” said Peets.
Kohley said, “We come ready to learn and we practice our ‘I think I can’ attitude,” and then she showed us exactly how that works.
“That means that whenever we have a challenge in front of us and we feel a little unsure about it, that we always practice – let me hear you guys, are you ready? ‘I think I can, I think I can, I think I can, I know I can,'” said Kohley in a chant with her students.
It’s a lesson that will likely last a lifetime for the little learners.
“As we grow up and we think back on people that have impacted our lives, who do we always think to? We think of teachers,” said Peets.
Kohley said, “The needs and demands of this job are never-ending and those words of gratitude and appreciation go a really long ways.”
If you have someone you’d like to nominate as our next Teacher of the Week, just text the word “teacher” to 616-559-1310.
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