by June Thomason, Jayanna Vega, and Ava Newport
Have you ever had a teacher that just stood out above all others? Well, whoever you may think is the most memorable one, for us, it is Mrs. Bellnier Thomas, or Mrs. BT. She is a 7th grade English teacher who has taught in Mexico, a Jewish preschool, and now North Middle School.
She had wanted to teach ELA because she struggled when she was younger, and found comfort in reading, and wanted to help students as ELA helped her. She was able to gain a degree in teaching because of her own English teacher, Mrs. Thomas, who had helped her find a college where she could earn her degree. The college which she achieved her degree through was Berea College, a Christian school in Kentucky. Here, the way you pay tuition is by working. In fact, the entire campus is run by student labor, from cleaning to cooking and everything in between. Mrs. BT even worked as a janitor and a teacher’s assistant during her time in college.
Next, Mrs. BT talked about her experience of daily life with her students; the good and bad of having to deal with 30+ teenagers running around her room in rotations. Though there are many hardships throughout teaching, what is hard about being with a class of students, she says, is that they can be very active. Because everyone is active, it can be near impossible for them to be attentive for extended periods of time. The most difficult aspect of her job, however, is knowing that she can’t help all her students, even if she can clearly see that they are struggling. On a positive note, however, she says that she enjoys hanging out with teenagers, learning about adolescents, and being able to interact with all her students in a crossroad-like part of their life. She says, “It’s fun, and I love fun.”
To conclude, Ms. BT is a very kind, caring, and overall wonderful person, both personally and professionally. Many kids and adults remember and will remember her just as she was - a bright light and wonderful teacher and friend. We love you so much, Ms. BT!