Golden Apple Award: Holley Corder, Saint Jude School
CHATTANOOGA, TN (WDEF) – Holley Corder has a gift for creating a love of learning in her 4th grade students at Saint Jude. She tailors her lesson plans to meet each student where they are. Ms. Corder’s unbridled kindness and creativity earned her this week’s Golden Apple Award.
“She’s a dedicated teacher. She’s here for the right reasons. She’s awesome. The students say it best. I think she comes to work every day with a team player mentality and that’s what you want. And you want a teacher that’s here for the right reasons and that is for the kids,” Dr. Joshua Overton, Principal, Saint Jude School said.
“I’ve been teaching for about 14 years. And I have always wanted to be a teacher and I absolutely love what I do every day. I have two children. They also attend Saint Jude. I have a husband who also works in this community. And I love working in the place that my children attend,” Corder, 4th Grade Social Studies Teacher said.
“I can say that she is very fun; that’s a fact. Like you cannot change that. And, sometimes even during some things if we’re ahead, she lets us just have free time so we can like play with each other,” 4th Grader Brooke Shepherd said.
“She’s a really nice person and she can help us with anything that we need. And she makes everything really fun even when things are tough,” 4th Grader Tyler Sarver, said.
“Have you always wanted to be a teacher?” Chief photographer David Moore asked.
“Since I was in kindergarten,” Corder said.
“Somebody inspire you to be a teacher?” David Moore asked.
“My kindergarten teacher I want to be just like her. So my first job was teaching kindergarten. There’s just moments from my kindergarten year that I really really remember and I love going to school every day. I remember doing you know a letter a week. I remember her you know my sixth birthday asking if I wanted six hugs or six spankings; you know things like that so. I remember making green, green eggs and ham when we read the story. And I just love going to school. And I wanted to be like her,” Corder said.
“I love those aha moments that I get with those students, when you just see it click in their head. And it’s especially if it’s something they’ve been working really hard towards. That’s why I do but I do every day,” Corder said.
Leo: She tries to make stuff as fun as possible. And she’s just super nice to us all; of us. And I think you can…, you can ask everyone in this class that… that, I’m speaking for everyone.
“You go above and beyond,” David Moore said.
“I try…” Corder said.
“Why?” David Moore asked.
“Why? That’s what I would want my own children’s teachers to do. I treat them just like I would want my own children to be treated,” Corder said.
