Educator of the Week: Caitlyn Elder-Young

It’s time for this week’s Educator of the Week , brought to you by the Tennessee Education Lottery.

Caitlyn Elder-Young has been teaching second grade at Arlington Elementary School for five years now.

“I have been here since college, and I’ve actually been in this room in second grade since I started,” Elder-Young said.

Elder-Young says she has always known that she wanted to teach, and she’s glad to be teaching younger students.

“Younger children, they’re just fun. I like the lessons. I like how silly they can be, and the fun they have,” Elder-Young said.

Elder-Young says one of her favorite things about teaching is personally getting to know the students.

“Getting to know the kids, you know, and kind of becoming a classroom family. That’s my favorite thing,” Elder-Young said.

But Elder-Young says what makes her classroom unique is the love.

“The love. Everything I do is because I love teaching, and I love seeing them learn. So everything I do, I try to do it with love,” Elder-Young said.

And love is even part of Elder-Young’s teaching philosophy.

“Love the child and they’ll love to learn. Because if they know you love them succeed, they’ll do better than you could ever imagine,” Elder-Young said.

Young is now eligible for the Tennessee Education Lottery Educator of the Month award.

To vote for her or any other nominees, go to the Tennessee Education Lottery website.

To nominate an educator for our educator of the week award, email us at educator@wbbjtv.com.