School: North Calloway Elementary, Calloway County
Grade: 1st
Years of Experience: 15
Noraa is a National Board Certified Teacher and was a candidate for 2021 Kentucky Teacher of the Year!
I became a teacher because a teacher took the time to change my life. I grew up in a single parent home. College was nowhere on my radar. As a student I was more focused on surviving than learning. A teacher broke through all the barriers and helped me realize I was teacher material. I could go to college even though no one in my family had before. I could do whatever I worked to become. I use my own life experiences to be the best teacher I can to all students.
I love the bond I build with my students and their families. The year we spend together is never enough. As a teacher you are often called mama because you are with your kids so much. They trust you and love you and this makes being a teacher amazing! I also enjoy getting to know the families in my community. I always say, “Once a member of Team Ransey, always in the Ransey family” and fifteen years later this still holds true. I love seeing who my former students are as adults and I like knowing I had a small part in who they become.
My favorite thing to do when I am not teaching is serving others. I love volunteering at my local soup kitchen, going on mission trips, and anything that includes kids and their families. I love finding a way to include free books or literacy in these experiences.
I would want a superpower to make every student feel loved. Nothing breaks my heart more than any child not feeling loved. Through my years as a teacher it is shocking the kids you meet lacking basic needs, which I can easily find resources to fill, but the lack of a family support and love is something you cannot fix. I think being a teacher is a superpower. We love students and do everything in our power to make the year amazing and then we set them free. The daily tasks and duties of a teacher can be compared to no other profession.
Follow Noraa on Twitter at @nransey.