Educator of the Week: Sherri Brawner

WEAKLEY COUNTY, Tenn. — It’s time to recognize this week’s Educator of the Week , brought to you by the Tennessee Education Lottery.

Sherri Brawner has been teaching for over 25 years now, and she says she has learned a few things during her time.

“Don’t be afraid to step outside of the box. You don’t have to teach from a textbook cover to cover,” Brawner said.

Brawner says this is what makes her pre-K classroom at Gleason School stand out.

“People in the real world may think a classroom is a place where children are just sitting in their desks looking at the teacher, but that’s not the kind of teacher that I am,” Brawner said.

Brawner has been teaching pre-K for 15 years and always keeps her classroom as positive as possible

“I just think that all started with me, and that’s my favorite thing about pre-K,” Brawner said. “I want to be that first experience and I do everything I can to make sure that it’s a positive experience.”

Brawner says she uses a lot of different learning styles in her classroom to help her students grow.

“Everybody learns at their own speed. I just make sure that I’m giving each child the individual attention they need so that I can watch them grow,” Brawner said.

But she says numbers and letters aren’t the only things she teaches.

“We use green choices and red choices. And I don’t like a child to say, ‘I’ve been bad today.’ You might not always make the best choice and that’s what I’m here for, to help them learn how to make good choices,” Brawner said.

Brawner says she never limits her students and always holds them to the highest standards.

“You have to raise the rigor and you have to teach to the high because they can do it,” Brawner said.

Brawner 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.