Educator of the Week: Stephanie Hatch

HENDERSON, Tenn. — It’s time now to recognize our Educator of the Week, brought to you by the Tennessee Education Lottery.

Stephanie Hatch is an agriculture science teacher at Chester County High School in Henderson. She is also an FFA advisor.

She shares how her love of science was ultimately why she chose a career in education.

“I love the sciences, and when I first started, that’s not what I was geared up [to]. I thought maybe I would go into nursing. To me, that’s the most applicable thing that you can learn is about your body and your world around you.”

Hatch has now been in education for 24 years.

She tells us how using real world examples in her lessons help her students see the bigger picture.

“One of the things I love teaching them is the environmental science, is taking care of our planet. We talk about simple things like throwing a bottle out the window, throwing a little piece of trash, and I try to tell them if all 800 and something of us threw that piece of trash out, that’s what the world is going to look like.”

Hatch says one of the most important parts of teaching is the relationships.

“I see myself a little bit with relationships I make with my students, and I think of that by far. I think it’s important for them to learn everything they need to learn with those relationships, because we never know what they’re dealing with on their end of things.”

She ends by sharing some words of wisdom for aspiring educators.

“Make sure that you have patience, make sure that you know your topic. Do class your way. There’s not a cookie cutter for teachers, just like how there is not a cookie cutter for how students learn.”

Hatch 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.