Tennessee Education Lottery Educator of the Week: Teresa Nichols

JACKSON, Tenn. — “I know it’s a cliché, but you can feel like you make a difference,” Teresa Nichols said. “That’s the best part about it. You can feel like you make a difference.”

Nichols teaches English I at South Side High School and has been an educator for 25 years.

“When I attended school here at South Side, my 11th grade English teacher was one of the most wonderful teachers I ‘d ever had in my life,” Nichols said. “I decided when I was in her class I wanted to be a teacher.”

She said keeping her lessons interactive help the students stay attentive throughout the class period.

“You don’t lecture the whole time, definitely, because we have them for 90 minutes,” Nichols said. “Just try to incorporate different activities, let them do group work, partner work, get a lot of feedback from them and that kind of thing.”

Nichols said her favorite part about teaching is when her students really grasp a concept and they get excited about learning.

“Sometimes they leave class talking about the story that we read or the play that we’re doing, and they’re having a conversation or maybe arguing about it and that’s like, ‘yes, I did something right.'”

Nichols will now be eligible for the statewide Tennessee Education Lottery Educator of the Month award. Starting in May, to vote for her or any of the other nominees, visit seehowitaddsup.com.

To nominate a teacher for our weekly award, email us at educator@wbbjtv.com.